Look for the opening of a Somerville Pet Food Bank this spring that will work to keep pets fed and with their families.

“People facing economic hardship have to make difficult decisions,” said organizers of a Thursday event in support of the food bank. “In some cases, they have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. In other situations, they have to surrender their pets to shelters or abandon them.”

To prevent the need for those ugly choices, the Pet Food Bank will work with the Somerville Homeless Coalition to coordinate aid – so long as it can get funded.

Somerville Foundation for Animals and Somerville Dog Festival organizers Adam Parker, co-owner of Porter Square Veterinarian, and Marjie Alonso, a dog trainer and behavior consultant, put together a fundraiser, “Mass Hysteria: A Local Beer and Taco Fiesta,” for Thursday featuring tacos from caterer Cuisine En Locale; a silent auction and entertainment; and tastings from four local breweries, including Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge. The Thursday night event sold out.

Information about the Somerville Foundation for Animals is here.

This post took significant amounts of material from a press release.