Along with the opening of a new animal shelter, the Guilford County Animal Services Department has been expanding its services that help animal owners care for their pets.

To that end, the department has created a new “Mobile Pet Assistance Center” – now becoming known simply as “MPAC.”

In the program, Animal Services staff, as well as volunteers, travel to different spots in the county each week and set up a mini-mobile animal services tent. There, the team offers free pet microchip vouchers, free rabies vaccinations and assistance with free pet food.

The MPAC team also gives out free pet supplies such as leashes, food bowls, collars, beds, blankets and bowls.

Those interested can follow Guilford County Animal Services on Facebook and other social media platforms to find out where the Mobile Pet Assistance Center will show up next.

Lisa Lee, the assistant director of Guilford County Animal Services, said the MPAC program allows the department to reach out and help more people – and it also, she said, increases community awareness of the programs available.  She added that it helps the department share the large number of donated items it gets from businesses such as Chewy, as well as from members of the public.

On Saturday morning, July 9, the service was at the McLeansville Fire Department on Frieden Church Road in McLeansville. Many pet owners enjoyed the services offered – especially with a price tag of $0 at a time when food and gas prices are disturbingly high.

Many of these county programs have operated in the past out of a building at 710 Huffine Mill Road in Greensboro, with residents going there for services. However, according to Guilford County Animal Services staff, as word of the offerings spread, the phone calls to the department “exploded.”

Many pet owners from all over Guilford County wanted the same kind of help, and a trip to Greensboro wasn’t always easy.

The MPAC team plans to visit “every corner of the county” in the coming months at places like recreation centers, fire stations, parks and popular shopping centers.