John Legend helps Long Beach launch food pantry for pets of unhoused people

While John Legend's silky-voiced crooning may feed music lovers’ souls, he visited Long Beach on Friday to deliver more substantial nourishment: 2,500 pounds of dog food to help unhoused people care for their pets.

The city unveiled a new pet pantry stocked with cat and dog food, leashes, collars and other basic supplies for people who have animal companions but not permanent housing.

Legend’s recently launched brand of dog food and treats, Kismet, donated food for the pantry. The nonprofit Project Street Vet was already working with the city to provide basic veterinary care for pets of the unhoused, and now it will handle restocking the pet pantry, city Homeless Services Bureau Manager Paul Duncan said.

For people who have lost their housing, belongings and other staples of daily life, “their pet can be the one thing that grounds them and moves them forward,” Duncan said. 

The pet pantry is at the city’s Multi-Service Center, a hub of homeless services on the west side of Long Beach. People can pick up pet supplies whenever the center is open, typically between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

About 40 pets and their humans were scheduled to stay at the city’s emergency shelter Friday, with more on the waiting list, Duncan said. There’s no cap on how many pets the shelter can accommodate, and letting people keep a beloved cat or dog with them makes some more likely to accept the offered help.

Veterinarian Kwane Stewart, who cofounded Project Street Vet and is Kismet’s chief veterinary officer, said he started a pet pantry in Los Angeles’s Skid Row in 2023, “and it was so successful I knew I wanted to do more of it.”

Legend’s large household reportedly includes several dogs and a cat. He and wife Chrissy Teigen launched Kismet earlier this year.

“We love our pets and we know how important they are to our lives, and we know how important they are to so many other people’s lives, too,” Legend said.

While some people view the homeless as a blight on the community, he said, “they’re human beings and they need love, they need care, and they need all the help we can afford to give them.”

Mother and daughter Keshia and Payton Andrews were among those who lined up at the pet pantry launch Friday to pick up some food for their dog and two cats, all of whom are “animals that found us,” Keshia Andrews said.

Payton Andrews said a friend’s mom told them about the pantry, and she appreciates that “it’s affordable for everyone.”

For those who want to help, Long Beach holds quarterly pet food drives, or donations of pet food and treats, collars, collapsible bowls and other supplies can be dropped off at all city libraries.