Pawsatively Good News!

September 2025 Issue



Saving Lives of Homeless

Dogs and Cats and

Feeding Hungry Pets

In Our Community

Heidi's Hope For Homeless Animals Believes No Pet Parent Should Choose Between Feeding Themselves and Their Pets.

That's Why We Created Our Pet Food Bank and Pet Meals On Wheels Programs to Donate Monthly to Local Charitable and Governmental Organizations to Feed

Hungry Pets in Need!

Please Help Us

Feed Hungry Pets!

We need your support to bring in a full tractor trailer of pet food — that’s approximately 40,000 lbs of food for pets in need! Please help us fill bowls across our community by donating today.

Heidi’s Hope For Homeless Animals is proud that through our Pet Food Bank and Pet Meals On Wheels Programs, we have donated and distributed:

• Over 310,533 pounds of pet food and supplies
• Valued at more than $866,142

But the need is ongoing and significant. Each month, our Pet Food Bank provides food to a unique coalition of partners across the community.

Now, with the support of Greater Good Charities, we have the opportunity to restock with another tractor trailer of pet food — and we need your help to make it happen.

According to the Eastern Carolina Food Bank, 1 in 7 people in our region faces food insecurity. When food is scarce, pet food becomes a luxury few can afford.

Families face impossible choices — feeding themselves or feeding their pets. Seniors often split their limited meals. Many are forced to surrender the animals they love.

Every day, families in our community struggle to feed their beloved pets. Our Pet Food Bank provides emergency assistance to ensure no pet goes hungry — and no one has to make the heartbreaking decision to give up their furry companion due to lack of food.

To meet this growing demand, we need to bring in a full tractor trailer of pet food. But we can’t do it without YOU.

Please help us feed more hungry pets by donating today:



Please Donate

Together, we can make sure no pet goes hungry.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

Sunday, October 5th

5:00 PM

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

16 N 16th Street, Wilmington

Join us on Sunday, October 5th at St. Paul's Episcopal Church for a heartfelt tradition honoring St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Bring your beloved companions—furry, feathered, scaled, or stuffed—to receive a special blessing for their health, happiness, and well-being.

All are welcome to share in this joyful celebration of God's creatures great and small!

WOOFSTOCK

Mega Pet Adoption Event

Sunday, October 12th

12:00–4:00 PM

Coastal KIA

6115 Market Street, Wilmington

Looking to add a furry friend to your family?

Come find your perfect match at WoofStock, where love is unconditional and tails never stop wagging!



• Adopt your new family member
• Give a homeless pet a second chance at life
• Meet adoptable dogs, cats, and more from local shelters and rescues

They Have Been Waiting for a Hero —

and it Might Just Be You!

HOWL-O-WEEN

PAW-TY

Carolina Ale House Patio

• Friday, October 24th
• 5:00–7:00 PM
• 15% of Sales Help Heidi’s Hope Receive a Full Truck of Pet Food

Bring your pup in their Halloween costume and let them strut their stuff!

Whether it’s spooky, silly, or downright adorable, the best-dressed pups will earn a featured spot in our 2026 Pet Calendar. It’s your dog’s chance to be a star — and to help other pets in need while they’re at it.

Carolina Ale House is generously donating 15% of all sales for the event to go to Heidi’s Hope For Homeless Animals to help us reach our goal of getting an entire tractor trailer of pet food for our Pet Food Bank to help feed hungry pets in our community.

 Join us at the HOWL-O-WEEN PAW-TY — the ulti-mutt party where pups rule!

Where Hope Found a Home: The Legacy of Our

First WoofStock

Celebrating the Lives Saved and the Love that Began with

Our Inaugural WoofStock

Jack was 10 and heartbroken and stopped eating after his owner passed away. At WoofStock, he found a new family — and a reason to live again.

Shadow had been returned to the shelter four times. But WoofStock brought him the stability, patience, and love he’d been waiting for.

Millie, living with cancer, had been passed by countless times — until someone came to WoofStock and chose her, not in spite of her diagnosis, but because she deserved happiness, too. Now Millie spends her days on boat rides, feeling the wind and the love.

There are so many more like them — still waiting. Still hoping.

Join us for the return of WOOFSTOCK

Mega Pet Adoption Event

Sunday, October 12th

12:00–4:00 PM | Coastal KIA

Be the reason hope returns. Give a homeless pet the future they deserve!

Every month, Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals delivers life-saving support to pets in need through our Pet Food Bank and Pet Meals on Wheels Program. These programs provide food to struggling families and ensure that beloved pets aren’t surrendered simply because their people can’t afford to feed them.

Now, we need your help to go even further. With the support of Greater Good Charities, we have the opportunity to receive a full tractor trailer — approximately 40,000 pounds — of pet food. This would be a game-changer for our community.

But we can’t do it alone. Please donate today and help us fill bowls and keep families together. Together, we can fill empty bowls and hungry hearts.

A PAW-SOME OCTOBER

IS COMING UP!

We’ve got some exciting events happening this month — from blessings to adoptions to costumes. Mark your calendar and come out to support our mission (and have some fun)!

Blessing of the Animals on

Sunday, October 5^th, 5:00 PM at

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Join us for a beloved tradition honoring St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Bring your pets — dogs, cats, birds, reptiles — to receive a special blessing for their health, happiness, and well-being. Let’s celebrate the joy animals bring to our lives and give thanks for all creatures, great and small.

The Return of WOOFSTOCK

Our Mega Pet Adoption Event

Sunday, October 12^th

12:00–4:00 Coastal KIA

Are you ready to meet your new best friend? WoofStock is back, and it’s your chance to meet dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens who are all ready for forever homes. Every animal at WoofStock has been rescued from an uncertain future — and they’re just waiting for someone like you. Don’t miss this heartwarming opportunity to bring love (and four paws) into your life.

HOWL-O-WEEN PAW-TY on Friday, October 24^th, from 5:00–7:00 PM

Carolina Ale House Patio

Get your pup’s costume ready — it’s time for some spooky fun! Join us for a Pet Costume Contest! Whether they’re dressed as a pumpkin, pirate, or pop star, your dog could be featured in our 2026 Pet Calendar! 

Carolina Ale House is generously donating 15% of all food & drink sales go directly to Heidi’s Hope to help us reach our goal of bringing in a full truckload of pet food for our community. Come out for food, fun, and fundraising — all for a great cause!

Thank You for Supporting Heidi’s Hope! Your generosity makes it possible for us to feed hungry pets, rescue animals in need, and bring hope to the people who love them.

Voices for the Voiceless

National Puppy Mill Awareness & Survivor Month

This September, we honor the survivors—and speak up for those still suffering in silence.

Puppy mills are not just cruel—they're still legal in North Carolina, where there are no statewide laws to protect breeding dogs.

Dogs in these facilities live trapped in tiny, filthy cages, denied love, medical care, or even sunlight. Their only purpose? To breed. Again and again. Until their bodies give out.

Sophie’s Story: From Puppy Mill Mother to Chief Paws Officer

For seven long years, Sophie lived in a cage.

Bred over and over again—5 to 10 litters—with no kindness, no comfort, no rest.

She shared her cage with other terrified, matted dogs.

(Continued)

Many were sick. Some were nursing tiny newborn

puppies. Sophie never got to play. Never felt grass beneath her feet. Never knew what it meant to be loved.

She was a machine—used to feed the insatiable “designer dog” market.

By the time she was surrendered to a rescue, Sophie needed urgent medical care. Vets discovered tumors on her mammary glands from years of breeding. She’s since survived three cancer surgeries.

Sophie was one of the lucky ones.

Today, she’s thriving as our Chief Paws Officer (CPO)—living proof that love can restore what cruelty tried to destroy.

But thousands like her are still waiting.

Most will never get out.

Let Sophie’s story move you to act.

 Don’t support puppy mills.

Adopt. Don’t shop.

Make pet adoption your only option—and help end puppy mills once and for all.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Prep Your Pet for the Storm

When hurricanes hit, your pet is counting on you.

In the rush to prepare your home and family, don’t forget the one who can’t prepare for themselves. Their safety depends on you.

Update ID and Microchip

A collar with ID and a registered microchip greatly increase the chance of being reunited if separated.

Pack a Pet Emergency Kit

Include at least 3 days of food and water, medications, a leash or carrier, a comfort item, and waste supplies.

Know Where You’ll Go

Identify pet-friendly shelters, hotels, or friends in advance. Most emergency shelters don’t allow pets—never leave them behind.

Stay Alert and Ready

Monitor weather updates and act quickly if evacuation is needed. Being packed and prepared helps keep your pet safe and calm.

They can’t plan. You can.

Prep now—before the storm arrives.

What to Do if You Find a Lost Pet – Heidi’s Hope Can Help

Finding a lost dog or cat can be a stressful experience — both for you and the animal. Many people aren’t sure what to do in these situations, especially outside of normal business hours when shelters or vet offices may be closed. Fortunately,

Heidi’s Hope For Homeless Animals has made a major step toward solving this problem by installing six self-serve Microchip Scanning Stations throughout the community. We have donated and installed:

Wilmington Police Department HQ

Wrightsville Beach Police Department

Carolina Beach Police Department

Long Leaf Park

Smith Creek Park

Echo Farms Park

These stations provide a quick, easy, and accessible way to check whether a found pet has a microchip, significantly increasing the chances of reuniting them with their family.

Ready To Adopt Your New Best Friend?

Check Out These Sites for Adoptable Pets

In Need of Good Homes:

You can’t change a rescue dog’s past, but you can rewrite his future. 

Rescue does not mean damaged. 

It means they have been let down by humans. 

Please Make Adoption Your Only Option!

• New Hanover Sheriff's Office Animal Services Unit
• PawPrints Magazine  
• More Adoption Options and Pet Resources
• PetFinder
• Adopt-a-Pet