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Families facing financial hardship now have another option to help them keep their pets at home.

Fairfax-based nonprofit Britepaths has added dog and cat food to its SNAP Gap Pantry, addressing an expense that federal food assistance does not cover. The organization celebrated the expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 30, which was also National Pet Hunger Awareness Day.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps low-income individuals and families buy groceries, but its benefits cannot be used for pet food. Britepaths created its pantry to help fill such gaps by supplying necessities excluded from SNAP, including diapers, laundry detergent, hygiene products and toiletries.

Executive Director Abra Kurt said animal shelter surrenders had risen 43 percent that year, primarily because of economic pressures. Feedback from Britepaths clients showed that the problem was also affecting families served by the nonprofit.

Britepaths has begun asking clients whether they have companion animals, how many they have and what kinds. Kurt said the organization will adjust its offerings if those responses reveal needs beyond food for cats and dogs.

A September Stuff the Bus collection supplied more than 700 pounds of dog and cat food, allowing Britepaths to launch the expanded pantry. Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read added two more bags on the morning of the ceremony.

Read, a former Britepaths board member, praised the nonprofit for asking families directly what they need. She said pets benefit children and parents and expressed hope that Fairfax businesses would join the effort, potentially serving as pet-food donation sites.

Kurt said the program resonates with the organization’s staff and leadership, many of whom have pets themselves. She described a shared love of animals as one reason supporters gathered to celebrate the new service for client families.

Aisha Ali, Britepaths’ senior director of development and communications, said the organization continually seeks community feedback as families’ circumstances evolve. Because pets are family members, she said, helping pay for their food can prevent the distress of surrendering an animal—particularly for children.

Britepaths plans to watch how clients use the service and continue adapting the pantry as the community’s needs change.