Courtesy photo

A recently completed competition-style pet food drive helped collect more than 500 pounds of dog and cat food for families who are struggling to feed their pets.

Residents at Academy at Frisco, The Grove, Hill Place Apartments, Mountain Ranch Apartments, and Pierce Properties all competed by donating pet food to Ranger’s Pantry, the city’s pet food bank.

The Academy collected of over 250 pounds of pet food and was declared the winner of the competition, but city officials said each participant deserves recognition for their efforts in contributing to the drive.

Ranger’s Pantry was launched in 2010 as part of an effort to help provide relief to pet owners who are experiencing difficult financial times. The program provides free dog and cat food entirely through donations to qualifying applicants living in Fayetteville, and has so far collected nearly 125,000 pounds of pet food.

For more information about Ranger’s Pantry, visit fayetteville-ar.gov.