With a lifelong love for animals, Morgan Vitale is finding ways to give back to Springfield's pet owners amid trying times. In a recent partnership with a local rescue, she opened a 24/7 pet food pantry Aug. 21 and Springfield's first 24/7 microchip checking station in April.
Vitale is the founder and owner of Token & Friends Pet Services, a business offering pet sitting, transport and grooming services. She said growing up in Florida, she and her mom would help facilitate wildlife rehabilitation during hurricane seasons. From a young age, she knew she wanted her work to involve animal care, receiving her veterinary assistant certification through a high school program, and have it give back to pets in need.
"I just always had that love for animals
in my heart," Vitale said, surrounded by her five dogs in her living room. "Where I'm going now with everything, it's been so fulfilling."
Through her business, she already partners with local rescues, offering the volunteer transportation and grooming. But recognizing a need in the community for more pet resources, Vitale has dedicated more of her free time to creating ways to give back.
Pantry cannot keep up with demand
While several pet rescues around Springfield operate a pet food pantry, Vitale said there is a need for access to the resource outside of typical business hours for those with different schedules. That's why she partnered with HavaHeart Rescue to install a 24/7-accessible pet pantry box that provides easy access for anyone in need of dog or cat food, bowls, leashes and toys. The box is installed outside of HavaHeart at 2228 W. College St.
"We also need access to helping people when resources are low and they just need something to hold them over," Vitale said. "We've given them a place to where you take what you need and leave what you don't, and you do that in the good faith of the animals, knowing that you are helping yourself and helping others at the same time."
To get the pantry started, Vitale created a stockpile of different types of pet food. But after only a week of the pantry's opening, she said that supply has already been diminished.
"We are seeing that there is a lot more [need] out there than what we were expecting, and so we are needing to put out more than what we were prepared for," she said.
Vitale was spending her Friday pre-bagging pet food into smaller bags to refill the pantry and hopefully build the stock back up. She said the greatest need right now is for volunteers to help bag food. Supply and monetary donations are also welcome via the HavaHeart website, Amazon wish list or in person at the intake building. She added that she has seen folks not only take needed things from the pantry but also leave things in the box.
Hopes of making a greater impact
Vitale had been researching and trying to find a way to bring a 24/7 microchip checking station to Springfield since the start of 2026. In April, in partnership with the Springfield Animal Advocacy Foundation, SAAF, Spay Neuter Clinic, she made this a reality, unveiling Missouri's third such "Check the Chip" station, the first in the Queen City.
The box outside SAAF at 1600 N. Washington Ave. helps those who have found a lost pet scan them for a microchip. If the pet does have a chip, a look-up website helps identify which company the animal is registered through to help contact the owner. Vitale and SAAF representatives are the direct contact between the microchip companies and owners, though she said she is hoping to bring on volunteers to help make those connections.
Since installation, Vitale has noticed an uptick in lost pets being reunited with their owners. With this success as the backdrop, her goal is to eventually have chip checking stations in all four corners of Springfield and elsewhere in the southwest Missouri region. The biggest challenge is finding businesses that own their building and are willing to facilitate the installation of the box, because they do create more foot traffic.
When it comes to the food pantry, Vitale said she will see how the current pet pantry does as it remains up for longer before venturing to install another.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield business owner opens pet food pantry, microchip station
