'Hank's Bark Box' providing pet owners with food, supplies after recent hurricanes | FOX 13 Tampa Bay

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After Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused serious damage in the Bay Area, word spread about Hank's Bark Box in St. Pete. It's a 24-hour food pantry aimed at helping pet owners take care of their furry friends.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - So many lives were forever changed after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and that includes many pets. Now, one place in St. Petersburg serves as a lifeline for pet owners.

"People had all of their belongings washed out into the streets or into the ocean, and they have nothing," Mark James, creator of Hank's Bark Box, told FOX 13 news.

Word spread of a lifeline that's open 24 hours a day to ensure families can stay intact, even if everything else is shattered.

Hank's Bark Box serves as a 24-hour food pantry, and demand has spiked since Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"We're trying to slow the bleed. We're just the little kid trying to put his finger in the hole in the dike... that's all we're doing." James said.

Hank's Bark Box has been around for a few years. James named it in honor of his dog Hank, who died of cancer.

It's exactly what it sounds like: people can come and get what they need, whenever they need it.

Hank's Bark Box serves as a 24-hour food pantry, and demand has spiked since Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"Some little kid doesn't want to surrender his pet and I don't want him to do that, so if that means keeping this box full prevents that from happening, then I'm going to keep stocking this box forever." James said.

Unfortunately, the need after Hurricane Helene was greater than ever.

"It changed in ways we never thought it would for what we do," James said. "There were needs out there that we were not prepared for. We had people reaching out to us saying they needed litter, I need leashes, harnesses and cat litter, cat boxes and bowls. They have nothing to feed their pets in. In a little over 48 hours, we have donated 2,700 pounds of food, hundreds of bowls, leashes, cat litter, litter boxes, collars."

Mark James says people from all over the world ship pet-related items to his address to help with Hank's Bark Box.

It all started out-of-pocket for James and his wife, but now there's an Amazon wish list on Facebook. People from all over the world have items shipped to his address to keep Hank's Bark Box stocked.

"They don't have any idea what's going on. They're just along for the ride and they're just hoping that their owner will take care of them, and most of them are," James said.

Although James claims to "not be a people person," he knows it's the people who make it all possible.

Mark James launched Hank's Bark Box in honor of his dog, who died of cancer.

"Thank you! Thank you to everybody," James said. "These people are hurting and their pets are hurting, and all we want to do is try and help them, so thank you."

James said that after both hurricanes, they estimate that they have distributed around 4 tons of storm-related dog and cat food, and that's not counting the smaller portions that are put in the actual box.

For more information about Hank's Bark Box, click here.

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