Rescue Pack’s First-Half 2026 Impact — And The Need for The Next Six Months
Ten years ago, Rescue Pack started with a simple conviction: no rescue or family in crisis should lose a dog or cat over a bag of food they couldn’t afford or a vet bill they couldn’t pay. A decade later, that conviction has moved more than 51 million meals across the Great Lakes region.
The first half of 2026 shows the promise is still being kept.
January – June 2026 Impact
- 2,216,424 Bowls of Pet Food Delivered
- 698,880 Lbs Pet Food and Supplies
- 691 Pallets Distributed
- 29 Semi-trucks Received
More than two million meals in six months. Behind that number is a rescue full of dogs and cats with full bellies. A foster who could say yes to one more kitten because food costs weren’t in the way. An older dog whose rescue could redirect saved dollars toward the surgery that gave him a second chance.
Beyond Our Warehouse Doors
Rescue Pack’s work doesn’t end at the loading dock. This year, support has moved directly into neighborhoods across Illinois, Indiana, Southwest Michigan, and Wisconsin — often where the need is quietest and hardest to see.
Community Pantry Support
During times of economic strain means families facing a layoff, a medical emergency, or a hard month never have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding a pet they love.
Disaster and Emergency Response
Through partnerships and local pop-up supply events, delivers food and supplies to communities hit by weather emergencies.
Every one of those moments is a family kept whole and a pet kept home.
Introducing the Rescue Pack Medical Fund
In April 2026, Rescue Pack launched the Rescue Pack Medical Fund — a new step forward in the mission.
Every day, rescue partners face an impossible calculation. An animal arrives needing urgent surgery. The bill is real. The budget is not. The Medical Fund exists to change that equation, awarding grants to active Pack member rescues for urgent veterinary needs, critical surgeries, and other essential care. By prioritizing cases with a reasonable expectation of recovery and adoption, every dollar stretches toward the highest possible outcome: more lives saved. The Fund currently awards $5,000 in grants each month. We hope to double that with donor support in 2027.
The Second Half Needs You
Demand continues to outpace available resources. Rescues and families count on what arrives through our warehouse doors and what goes back out into the community. Every pallet becomes meals and critical supplies. Every bowl filled saves a life. Every day offers the chance for a forever home.
Every day, rescue partners face an impossible calculation. An animal arrives needing urgent surgery. The bill is real. The budget is not. The Medical Fund exists to change that equation, awarding grants to active Pack member rescues for urgent veterinary needs, critical surgeries, and other essential care. By prioritizing cases with a reasonable expectation of recovery and adoption, every dollar stretches toward the highest possible outcome: more lives saved. The Fund currently awards $5,000 in grants each month. We hope to double that with donor support in 2027.
There are Many Ways to Join Our Pack:
- Give What You Can
A recurring gift of any size gives Rescue Pack the stability to plan bigger and reach further. Even a small monthly donation keeps a route running all year. Visit rescuepack.org/donate. - Back the Medical Fund
A gift of $5,000 underwrites a full month of Medical Fund grants. Gifts of any size add up to surgeries, second chances, and adoptions. - Join Us
Corporate partners, food and supply donors, and community groups make the logistics possible — from pallets to pop-up events. - Share the Mission
Follow, forward, tell a friend. The animals waiting in rescues across the region are counting on more people finding their way into the Pack.
The animals in rescues and homes across the Great Lakes region don’t know your name. But they feel the result of your generosity in every full bowl, every warm bed, every life-saving surgery, and every family that got to keep the pet they love.
Thank you for an amazing start to our anniversary year. We can’t wait to show you what we build together by years.
Kathy Wiesner, Founder/Director, Rescue Pack
Rescue Pack is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Charity Navigator 4-Star Rated | Candid Transparency Seal | EIN 81-1738093