Food Program 2025 and other news

Date: 8/12/2025

Winter Food Program 2024–2025 (November 2024 – May 2025)

Last winter, thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the hard work of our volunteers, we were able to care for the cats of Hydra through the cold months.

  • Food Distribution:
    • November, December, January, March, and April: 21 bags per month to 21 stations.
    • February: 46 bags (21 regular + 25 extra) to help the cats survive the hardest month.
    • May: 21 bags to the 21 stations.
  • Total Food Distributed:
    172 high-quality bags of cat food.
  • Cost to Hydra Ark:
    €7,927.53 (including VAT).

Since May 2025, we relied on pet shop box donations. Although this year donations were low, we managed to save and store food through June–October, creating about 9 sacks of 28–30 kg biscuits. These helped us restock the stations at the beginning of November 2025.

  • A heartfelt thank you to volunteers:
    • Valerie, Maria, Stefanos, Argyris
    • SAR volunteers: Popi Zogkou, Despoina Kypreou, Kaliopi Kokkou, Thodoris Moustakareas, Pavlina Proteou
    • Lefteris Mavros, Matina P, Irini Tavladoraki
    • Special thanks to Emmanouela, who keeps the stations going during the busy summer season when volunteers are caught up with tourist work

Your dedication makes the lives of Hydra’s cats so much better.

Winter Food Program 2025–2026 (November 2025 – April/May 2026)

With the start of this winter season, we are once again caring for our feline friends across Hydra.

Overview of November Activities

We began November by restocking our feeding stations with the food saved from summer donations, and we ordered 20 additional bags to ensure all stations are well supplied.

  • Stations:
    • Total stations decreased from 21 to 20.
    • AEN Hill station removed: Cats moved down to the Museum area, where they find more food from passersby.

Visits and Station Updates

During our Mandraki visit, we were thrilled to see the Municipality taking an active role in supporting the cats:

  • Two new feeders installed:
    1. One before Mandraki Bay
    2. One at Mandraki Bay
  • Our route included:
    1. Feeding the cats at the Slaughterhouse
    2. Filling our Hydra Ark station at Stravelakis
    3. Filling the Municipality feeder at Agios Noufrios
    4. Noticing another new municipal feeder about 15 meters from our old Mandraki station
    5. At Mandraki Bay, we did not fill the new municipal feeder because it was already full

Our old Mandraki station was in poor condition. While we had planned to repair it, the proximity of the new municipal feeder meant we could remove it. This aligns with our long-standing hope that the Municipality would support stations in hard-to-reach locations—places that are challenging to reach while carrying heavy food loads.

During our visit to Avlaki and Kamini, we were also happy to see two more municipal feeders. We filled the feeder in the Avlaki area, 20 metres from the Hydra Ark feeder. We will keep our old one in place since there are many cats, and a single municipal feeder won’t be enough. The cats in the Avlaki area do not receive enough food during winter, as there are no many inhabited houses there. The municipal feeder placed after Pyrofani was full.

We continued to the Kavouras station, which was also full thanks to the SAR volunteers, and then visited the Ypapanti colony, where we fed the cats.

We will share updates from the other locations soon. 

Why municipal support matters: It’s a huge relief and a joy to see the Municipality stepping in. We hope that eventually, all stations will be supported municipally, ensuring that every cat has access to food, even in the most remote spots. Of course, Hydra Ark and SAR volunteers will continue to refill both our stations and municipal feeders whenever we can.

Future Plans

  • We plan to repair and relocate the old Mandraki station to a safer, more practical spot.
  • Maintaining our wooden stations is getting harder:
    • Costs are increasing
    • Finding skilled repairers is challenging
    • Recruiting volunteers for winter refills is difficult, especially with bad weather and Hydra’s logistical challenges (no vehicles for transporting supplies)

Looking ahead: If maintaining our wooden stations becomes too difficult, we may need to replace them with durable feeder houses similar to the municipal ones. While this requires investment, it will ensure the cats are cared for sustainably and safely.

Partnership with SAR

We are deeply grateful to SAR and their amazing volunteers: President Popi Zogkou and Secretary Kalli Kokkou. They have taken responsibility of 10 stations this winter.

  • Hydra Ark will support them with 10 bags of food per month starting November (bags will be delivered tomorrow due to a delay).
  • Another 10 bags were distributed across 8 stations, and 2 new volunteers were assigned to Upper Hydra and the Cohen area.
  • The 10th station, once repaired, will be placed where it’s most needed in consultation with SAR and Mrs. Popi.

New House at Kourmada

We are happy to report a new house was installed for the cats at Kourmada. Both the cats and we are deeply grateful to the donors who made this possible!

Supplies and Orders

  • 10 bags purchased from Pet Area pet shop
  • 10 bags purchased from Healthy Pets pet shop
  • 20 bags ordered for December from local pet shops (supporting local business is part of our mission, and we are grateful for your support)

November has been a month of progress, gratitude, and hope. Despite the challenges of winter, transport, and logistics, Hydra Ark volunteers, SAR volunteers, and the Municipality are ensuring that the cats of Hydra are fed, safe, and cared for.

Municipal support is essential, and we hope it continues to expand so that even the hardest-to-reach areas are reliably covered. If our wooden stations cannot be maintained in the future, we will invest in durable, long-lasting feeders to keep every cat safe and nourished.

Help Us Continue Caring for Hydra’s Cats

Please consider supporting Hydra Ark so we can continue this work:

(No PayPal account required)

THANK YOU!

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