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Four Winds Connections and partners to host Northfield pet food drive in May
By Colton Kemp, Northfield News
May 1, 2025
The bond between a person and their pet can be life saving, especially for those with mental-health concerns. But when people can’t make ends meet, the support structure provided by local nonprofits doesn’t typically extend to their furry family members.
But, soon, it could.
Community Resource Bank and Four Winds Connections are teaming up, and the group is helping to facilitate a unique initiative to ensure the entire family is fed during National Pet Month in May: a pet food drive across Northfield. Community Action Center (CAC) is handling the distribution for the month’s big push via its ongoing Pet Pantry.
“We believe the human-animal bond plays a vital role in community resilience,” said Shahar Fearing, who serves in the leadership circle at Four Winds Connections. “Through my work as a dog trainer, I’ve seen again and again how that bond grows even stronger during hard times. Helping families care for their pets is about much more than food — it’s about hope, stability and healing.”
Four Winds is a nonprofit that focuses its charitable efforts “at the intersection of the human-animal bond,” providing things like training, food and veterinary care for underserved communities. Donations are accepted from May 5-30 at two designated drop-off points.
“My husband, Jesse Fearing, and I co-founded Four Winds Connections with two incredible women just over a year ago,” Fearing said. “While the majority of our work focuses on collaborative projects in the Twin Cities and in partnerships with tribal communities across Minnesota, it was important to both Jesse and me to dedicate some of our efforts locally, to strengthen our own community as well.”
Four Winds board member Kris Layman said the program was important to her especially after Fearing helped her through a difficult time navigating the loss of her father, who left behind a dog that suffered an emotional toll following his death.
“When Shahar started the Pet Pantry for the Northfield community, I immediately wanted to get involved,” Layman said. “As a dog owner myself, I know firsthand the emotional support and unconditional love pets bring into our lives — and I also know how expensive pet care can be. Northfield is a gem of a community, and the Pet Pantry reflects that spirit — offering support, compassion and care for families and their pets when they need it most.”
Secure Base Counseling is another local group that Fearing said has been “instrumental in sustaining the program” by providing resources, helping it to grow into the Pet Pantry that already has provided the assistance at a smaller scale.
“After doing some work with The Bond Between, which operates a pet food shelf in the Cities, I found myself wishing that this kind of resource was more widely available,” Fearing said. “Since we didn’t have the space to store and distribute food ourselves, we were thrilled when CAC welcomed the idea to collaborate with open arms — and the Northfield Pet Food Pantry was born.”
Fearing said the program has already served upwards of 330 families. Fearing also shared the words of “one program participant,” who remained anonymous.
“We have four dogs and three cats. We’ve been homeless since July 2024,” the participant said. “I honestly can’t say enough about the Pet Pantry. This resource has helped in so many ways. I have received dog food, cat food, and cat litter — and the compassion shown has meant the world to us. I’m so very blessed to have met this crew of hardworking souls; they are the best.”
CAC Food Access Program Director Michael Pursell noted the unique collaboration is especially important for their work, as it meets an unmet need for their clientele that’s often requested but outside of their usual scope.
“I love this collaboration because, while pet food is an oft-requested item in our food shelves, we need to prioritize resources for our human participants and so don’t have the capacity to source a steady supply of pet products,” he said. “What we do have, though, is a trusted name in the community and a well-oiled infrastructure for mass distribution, so it works beautifully for Four Winds to focus on supply while we meet the demand.”
TO DONATE
From May 5-30, donations of pet food can be dropped off at 1605 Heritage Dr. or 618 Division St. S., both of which are in Northfield. Reach out to Shahar Fearing at gro.snoitcennoCsdniWruoF@rahahS to find out how to support the Pet Pantry by volunteering instead.
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