What Is Fill The Van?
Launched in 2024 by SeaMonkey Apparel, Fill The Van began as a simple mission to support local animal shelters and families in need by helping restock the Manatee County Animal Welfare Pet Food Pantry. What started as a community-driven effort has grown into an annual initiative, bringing together local businesses, community partners, and the SeaMonkey Tribe to make a meaningful impact on animal welfare throughout our community.
In our first year, we collected over 900 pounds of pet food and supplies, along with hundreds of dollars in monetary donations. In 2025, that impact grew to more than 3,200 pounds of donated goods and thousands of dollars in financial support. Now in its third year, Fill The Van continues to build on that momentum, proving that when a community comes together, even small acts of kindness can make a big difference in the lives of local pets and the families who love them.
Interested in helping? Check out our wish list of items or make a monetary donation using the link below where 100% of your donation is used for supplies.
What We're Collecting
Every donation makes a difference! We're collecting essential supplies, toys, treats, and unopened pet food to support local animal shelters and the pets who need them most. Check out our current wish list below!
Toys & Treats
- Benebone or Nylabone toys for aggressive chewers
- Jolly Balls and large, durable Kong toys
- Cat toys and cardboard scratch pads
- Single-ingredient dried sweet potato or chicken jerky treats
- Churu squeezable treats and catnip
- Milk-Bones and Pupperoni treats
- Peanut butter (no xylitol) and canned Easy Cheese
Everyday Essentials
- Pee pads and poop bags
- Large and small towels
- Flat blankets (no stuffing)
- Paper towels and Dawn dish soap
Unopened Pet Food
- Pedigree Complete Nutrition dry dog food (Chicken or Steak & Vegetables)
- Meow Mix Original Choice dry cat food
- Friskies Seafood Sensations (Salmon, Tuna & Shrimp) dry cat food
- Sheba Perfect Portions Pâté wet cat food
- Other unopened wet or dry dog and cat food
Who We Support
This year, SeaMonkey Apparel's 'Fill The Van' campaign is proud to support the Humane Society of Manatee County, Humane Society of Sarasota County, and Friends of Manatee County Animal Welfare. These incredible organizations dedicate their time and resources to rescuing, sheltering, feeding, and caring for animals in need, providing essential services and helping give countless pets a second chance at a happy, healthy life. We're honored to rally our community behind the people who work tirelessly to protect and improve the lives of animals throughout our community.
Where You Can Donate
We're making it easier than ever to help Fill The Van! This year, we've partnered with DogPERFECT to expand our donation drive and make giving back more convenient for our community. A longtime supporter of local animal welfare, DogPERFECT was instrumental to the success of last year's campaign, helping us collect essential supplies and make a meaningful impact on local shelters.
With their continued support and the generosity of our community partners, we've more than doubled our donation drop-off locations since last year! That means more opportunities to drop off supplies, get involved, and help us fill the van for local animals in need.
Find a donation location near you and help us make 2026 our biggest year yet! Every bag of food, toy, and donated supply brings us one step closer to making a difference.
Our Proud Supporters
More Than Apparel
We have always believed that a brand is only as strong as the community it serves — and for us, that belief goes far beyond words. Our community focus was truly put to the test in the wake of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, when so many of our neighbors found themselves in unimaginable circumstances. Without hesitation, we jumped into action, providing hundreds of meals to those impacted by the storms as well as to the tireless first responders who worked around the clock to help rebuild. It was in those moments that we were reminded of exactly why we do what we do — and it only strengthened our commitment to showing up for the people around us.
Just Getting Started
The spirit of giving back carries through everything we do year-round. We are proud to regularly participate in and sponsor environmental clean ups, and we have even adopted our own road as part of our ongoing dedication to protecting the beautiful spaces we all share. We partner with various animal organizations throughout the year, including our beloved annual Fill the Van campaign, where we rally our community to stock up local animal shelters with the supplies they need most. And because we know that everyone deserves dignity and warmth, we also regularly donate clothing to those experiencing homelessness in our area. SeaMonkey Apparel isn't just a clothing company — it's a movement, and we are honored to have a community that moves right along with us.
Fill The Van Campaign
In 2024, we launched our first ‘Fill the Van’ campaign supporting Manatee County Animal Welfare. The concept was simple - with the help of our supporters, we aimed to collect monetary donations, pet food donations, and supplies to help restock the Pet Food Pantry at Manatee County Animal Welfare, which had been depleted. We proudly collected 900 pounds in good and supply donations but we were just getting started...
In 2025, with much more planning and with the support of various local businesses and community members, we were able to collect over 3,200 pounds of food and supplies in addition to over $1,800 in monetary donations to the Humane Society of Manatee County and Friends of Manatee County Animal Welfare.
What started as a simple idea driven by a community need has now become a staple event for us, bringing businesses and people across the community together. We can't wait to see what 2026 brings us.
Our friends and partners
Though SeaMonkey Apparel spans across the country, we strive to maintain our local roots and do what we can to support local businesses and organizations. Our "SeaMonkey Gives Back" program allows us to partner with different non-profits and provides us the opportunity to donate back and support their cause.
Below are some examples of these organizations and how we have partnered with them.
