Pets with Purpose: Helping Our Four-Legged Friends Weather the Winter
We all know our furry friends have a way of convincing us to clean out the closet, reorganize the toy bin, and maybe even give up a few extra treats. This winter, we're asking our community's pets to put those organizing skills to good use!
As Arcata House Partnership prepares for the upcoming Extreme Weather season, we're launching Pets with Purpose, a winter-long community challenge to collect much-needed supplies for people experiencing homelessness and their beloved animal companions.
Because when severe weather arrives, everyone deserves a safe place to stay.
Keeping Pets and Their People Safe
For people experiencing homelessness, preparing for cold temperatures, heavy rain, and severe weather can be especially challenging. And when a pet is part of the family, those preparations become even more important.
Pets are more than companions. They're family, sources of comfort, and often an important part of someone's sense of safety and connection. Unfortunately, finding shelter and resources that accommodate animals can be difficult, sometimes forcing people to choose between accessing services and staying with their beloved pets.
At Arcata House Partnership, we believe people shouldn't have to make that choice.
Our Extreme Weather Warming Center welcomes four-legged companions, and we're working to ensure that both people and their pets have access to the basic supplies they need to stay safe and comfortable during severe weather events.
That means having essentials like pet food, treats, leashes, and harnesses available when they're needed most. A little preparation now can make a big difference when the weather turns.
Introducing the Pets with Purpose Challenge!
Here's where our community's pets get to shine!
We're inviting local pet owners to put their furry friends to work (supervisory positions only, of course) by helping gather supplies for our Extreme Weather Warming Center.
Here's how to participate:
Recruit your favorite helper.
Gather a few items to donate.
Snap a photo of your pet helping with the mission!
Tag Arcata House Partnership or send your photos to info@arcatahouse.org with your pet's name.
Whether your pet is inspecting a bag of dog food, supervising the leash collection, or proudly posing beside a growing pile of donations, we want to see them!
We'll be sharing our community's Pets with Purpose throughout the winter to celebrate the generous pets (and their humans!) helping their neighbors prepare for the season.
What Supplies Are Needed?
We're collecting essential items to help care for pets staying with their people at our Extreme Weather Warming Center.
Our current priority items include:
🐶 Dog and cat food
🐾 Pet treats
🦮 Leashes and harnesses
Every donation helps us build up supplies before the next severe weather event, so we're ready when our community needs us. More needs
Join Us at Our Next Donation Days!
You don't have to be a pet owner to participate! Anyone can help by donating supplies, sharing the challenge, or encouraging a friend to get their pet involved.
Our next Extreme Weather Donation Days are:
November 21, 2026 | 10 AM – 2 PM
December 19, 2026 | 10 AM – 2 PM
Location: AHP Annex One-Stop501 9th Street, Arcata, CA 95521
We'll be collecting donations throughout the winter as we prepare for the season's changing needs.
Every Paw Helps!
At Arcata House Partnership, we know that caring for our community means recognizing the relationships, needs, and connections that matter most to the people we serve. Keeping pets and their people together is part of that commitment.
So, whether your furry friend is a professional treat enthusiast, a dedicated toy organizer, or simply the cutest donation supervisor around, we'd love to see them put their talents to good use!
Share your Pets with Purpose photos, spread the word, and help us make sure no one gets left out in the cold this winter.
Tag us or email your photos to info@arcatahouse.org with your pet's name.
Because every paw helps! ❤️🐾
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