Milwaukee pet supply nonprofit uplifted by community after death in family raised questions about its future

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee non-profit hosted a pet donation event on Sunday, Nov. 17 for pet owners facing financial struggle after a devastating family loss of their own.

Vicky Van Lare, the founder of Roxz’s Resources & Awareness, said she gave out over 100 pounds of pet food to people who were in need of it.

“No animal should be surrendered or go hungry or go without some of the bare bone basic needs that they need,” Van Lare said.

While supporting a mission aimed at helping others in a time of need, Van Lare experienced her own hardships this year after lost her son due to an accidental drug overdose in October.

While grieving the death of her son, Van Lare became uncertain of what the future would hold for the organization. She said her son played a big role in their operations, forcing her to make the difficult decision to temporarily close her doors.

“He did a lot of the behind the back-end stuff for me,” said Van Lare.

As a result, the organization faced a significant monetary loss for the months of November and December. Van Lare said those months are some of the hardest months for pet owners to sustain animal care and other needs.

Van Lare hesitated to share the loss publicly, but she eventually put out a plea on Facebook where she was met with overwhelming support from the community.

“The Amazon wish lists, the Chewey wish lists, the boxes that are coming, the people that are just dropping stuff off at our garage door has just been overwhelming,” said Van Lare.

With the help from the community the nonprofit was able to reach two-months' worth of donated goods that will be contributed to community pet feeds.

Van Lare says she hopes to continue serving the community and pets in need, which is something her son would have wanted.

As for the future of the nonprofit, Van Lare’s goal is to open two pet pantries throughout the city within the next year. Roxz’s Resources & Awareness’ will also be hosting two more donation events and community pet feeds in December.

The nonprofit encourages those in need to follow Facebook page for more information.