Free Pet Food Now Available at 22 NYC Food Pantries Across All Five Boroughs

New York City began distributing free dog and cat food at 22 city-funded food pantries across all five boroughs on October 19, 2026. The $500,000 initiative was announced jointly by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the City Council, the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare and the Department of Social Services. Participating pantries number six in Brooklyn, six in Manhattan, four in the Bronx, four in Queens and two on Staten Island. The programme is part of a broader $78 million food distribution effort in Fiscal Year 2027 that has tripled baseline funding for community pantries citywide, supporting more than 700 locations. Mayor Mamdani stated: 'No New Yorker should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets.' Officials said the initiative directly addresses a documented trend in which financially strained New Yorkers surrender pets to shelters when they can no longer afford pet food. The launch takes place at the start of what is typically a difficult winter stretch for food-insecure households.