Animals have a special place in Chelsea Fargo’s heart. She became a dog groomer in 2011 and even spent some time working as an animal control officer. The eastsider cares for four dogs, three cats and a bird of her own.
About two years ago, Fargo noticed an increase in social media posts from Indianapolis residents looking for pet food assistance. She installed a free pet food pantry outside her home in Christian Park as a way to help meet the need.
Not long after that, she found a stray dog and 10 puppies in her neighborhood. After getting the dogs adopted, Fargo wanted to do even more to help animals around Indy.
“Seeing the traffic of how many people come and go to the pantry, and then finding the starving mama dog in my neighborhood, it just shows that the resources are not there,” Fargo said.
Fargo said there are a lot of nonprofits that help pet owners with their food needs, like animal rescues or low cost clinics. But she said these places can sometimes be hard to get to and some people might be ashamed to ask for help.
Last year, she teamed up with fellow eastside groomer Bethany English to create the nonprofit Eastside Pawject. The organization has six food boxes across the east side and one on the west side. The pet food boxes work similarly to the community food boxes found across the city. People in need can anonymously access them 24/7.
“We want to find a way to keep dogs out of the shelter and at home with their people,” she said. “We just want to alleviate the burden somehow.”
English said Eastside Pawject goes through about 300 pounds of pet food each week. The nonprofit tries to make the boxes accessible by placing them in high traffic areas or near bus stations. Owners can also contact Eastside Pawject online for assistance requests. And if a pet owner needs help with other services, such as getting their animal neutered, the nonprofit will connect them with other organizations.
Sometimes the need for food can be the deciding factor between an owner keeping their pet or not, said Ashley Bailey, the pantry liaison for Eastside Pawject.
In May, pet owners surrendered 190 animals to Indianapolis Animal Care Services. To help reduce the number of stray animals in the city, each of Eastside Pawject’s food boxes include a microchip scanner with instructions on what to do if you find a lost pet. The nonprofit also offers $5 pet microchips.
“Making that affordable and accessible is hopefully getting more pets home if they get lost,” Bailey said. “That’s one of our big things, just keeping pets home and safe.”
Where to find Eastside Pawject food boxes
More information about Eastside Pawject can be found online or by email at info@eastsidepawject.com. Food pantry boxes can be found at the following locations:
- Christian Park — 4713 Stratford Ave.
- Irvington Terrace — 6742 E. Washington St.
- Irvington — 5545 E. Washington St.
- Westside — 1823 Beckenbauer Lane
- Little Flower — 1302 N. Emerson Ave.
- East Warren — 7694 E. 21st St.
- Warren — 8601 E. 10th St.
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Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
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