Chewy review: Allowing discrimination against the rescues they claim to support

Chewy has a food distribution program that uses a local large non-profit to organize and warehouse and distribute the food. My rescue was part of it for two years then in 2023 after applying for the new year and without being told in advance that there was a problem I was cut out with no explanation. I asked and was told it was because I was not in good standing with the local county shelter. I replied to them that I was not signed up with them due to the amount of animals I saved and kept from going to the shelter - upwards of 200-300 a year and that I was not in bad standing. They refused me. They told me the shelter had told them this when they asked while looking at my application.

It was suggested to me by another large rescue I work with regularly to write the director as she was knowledgeable about rescue work and was very nice. I explained the situation to her, and she replied that I was already told why I was kicked out. I was very upset and posted the email and accidentally showed the name of the person who sent the emails. I complained on my rescue page about the shelter. At that time that it occurred I messaged a girl that volunteered there who I thought we were on good terms asking her if she knew what was going on and she just ghosted me the whole conversation. At no time did I harass her or was told by her to stop talking. So at the time I wrote Kate Rengel, she told me regardless I was banned for life for posting the name of the email person, harassing workers and making a negative post online about them. All lies and made-up drama. The shelter at the time also said that they had no issue with me and had not spoken to anyone at Vocal about my rescue.

I wrote Chewy rescue department because I am signed up with them as a rescue and told them I was being picked out and discriminated against. They told me to write their director Colman Munoz and we arranged a phone call where I explained everything. He said he would look into it. He eventually came back to me to say that he had met with vocal and that they were so great, and everyone was so nice and that no one else had a complaint against them and that it is Chewy's own policy that the rescues who get the supply donations work with local shelters.

I informed Colman that two rescues I knew as friends that were in my same county were accepted and that neither one worked with the shelter. I also informed him that North Central Florida Humane society in Gainesville had quit working with the local shelter due to a falling out and that they also continued to get their donations. SO, the accusation and rule applied to me as a reason to be rejected was not consistent.

Colman eventually told me that I needed to get in with the shelter and have them state I was in good standing and to write a letter of apology to Kate Rengel. He stated that if they didn't accept me, he would take care of them on that end implying that he would make sure they accepted me. I did all this. I humbled myself and wrote a apologetic letter to Kate asking her to recheck with the shelter.

Two weeks later after not hearing back I wrote her to ask the status and she told me only that I would not be getting anything from them this year and to be prepared to not get it in 2024 and to make plans for that. I see now that they already had decided to not include me.

I wrote Colman to tell him - I even had sent him a copy of the letter to her which he said was good. He reneged on his promise and told me to go find food elsewhere so sorry.

I was furious and hurt. This situation and blatant discrimination against me put me in a serious depression and many sleepless nights.

My rescue is run mostly out of our own personal pockets, and we rescue close to 300 cats a year and help hundreds of people with their animal problems. $50,000 a year for almost 8 years running with almost no grants or help while these large organizations with millions in donations are in charge of everything and then use their positions of power to hurt people they don't like. Ashley Rhoener the email person has made it clear she doesn't like me.

I worked all year to get in with the shelter which I am now signed up with and have taken animals and given food and supply donations to.

By the way the shelter also got kicked out for no reason and my small shelter here has to go buy food for the animals there while the organizations with millions and everything roll up there twice a month and fill trucks up with donations from chewy via vocal. My local food bank -very kind and generous people told me they applied and were told no because vocal doesn't work with my county? Even though multiple places here get help from them so that also is a blatant lie.

I applied for 2024 and I was waiting and my friend with another rescue messaged me to ask if I had been accepted since they had got their acceptance email a week earlier. I said no. I wrote Kate Rengel and Ashley Rhoener and was ignored. I wrote Chewy again - several times and was ignored. The two rescues that still won't work with the shelter got accepted.

Also, Vocal has on their page that any rescue can apply for free litter since they have plenty - I was not even offered that. Just buying litter has cost my rescue a couple thousand extra dollars that could have been used to help animals.

Chewy is blatantly ignoring and allowing this place to discriminate and hurt small rescues why they hand the supplies out only to people they like and threaten anyone who complains with being removed. It's a disgusting abuse of power and Chewy is allowing it.