This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

DYBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A nine-year-old Pennsylvania boy is making a difference in the lives of some four-legged friends looking for forever homes.

“I just feel bad for them being stuck in a crate all day,” Caleb Merron said. “They get abandoned, and they need to be loved, too.”

Merron entered a photo of his dogs Sadie and Charlie in an online competition; the pair won fan favorite, and Caleb won a year’s worth of Purina Dog Food.

Instead of keeping the food, Merron donated it to Dessin Animal Shelter to help dogs in need.

“It’s really nice to donate to people. They need food because soon the animal shelter is going to eventually run out of money so they need that free dog food,” Merron said.

Shelter managers told WNEP they haven’t been getting a lot of dog food donations lately, so the act of kindness could not have come at a better time.

“Recently we haven’t really been getting the trucks filled with the broken bags and everything, so every little bit helps. This food will probably last us at least six months if not longer which is a huge impact for the animals,”  administrative assistant Caitlyn Robbins said.

Merron will hand over 12 coupons for free dog food to the shelter as soon as he receives them.