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This woman is helping struggling pet owners in the most 'paw-some' way

Rachel Jensen created Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry in 2016

Rachel Jensen has a paw-sitive fix for struggling pet owners.

By: Janice Allen

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — It's not just the price of eggs- costs to feed and own a pet are also rising.

Rachel Jensen has a "pet-tential" solution for people struggling to keep their animals from being surrendered to a shelter.

Jensen, who worked for years in Kent County Animal Control, started Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry.

The pantry offers free food, treats, and accessories for pet owners in need.

"Food is expensive. Supplies are expensive. Life is expensive right now," Jensen told FOX 17 News. "I've had a big medical bill come up where just don't know how to prioritize those things."

Jensen began the pantry in a friend's basement in 2016.

The operation has now expanded and moved into a building on Godfrey Avenue near downtown Grand Rapids.

"As a pet parent, it makes me feel good to be able to give my animals a new bed or a new toy or some treats. So I want to make sure that people also have that option when they're going through tough times," she explained. "It doesn't feel great for them to have to ask for help, but you can't go without, because if you go without, you can't take care of your pets."

Every other weekend shoppers can attend a distribution event and take what they need.

"Basically we just say like one item per pet. So if you have three dogs, you can grab three bags of treats," she said. "We're pushing 400 pets every time that we're feeding."

Jensen said the demand for pantry services is steadily increasing.

Feb. Person of the Month: Rachel Jensen

"We're seeing at least 10 to 20 new emails come in every week for people needing help," she explained. "We've never said no to taking somebody on, even when times are super tough for us."

Despite all the hard work and long hours, Jensen says it's "100 percent worth it".

"To know that even if we kept one or two pets from going into the shelter, it makes all the difference," she said. "The people that we meet here are always very grateful...they're just so happy to be able to provide for their pets and not even have to think about getting rid of them, because I can't imagine."