Growing up, Earle Ashe said there was never a stray dog or cat he didn’t feed in his neighborhood. Animals, he said, have always been a passion of his — a passion that led him to donate 2,250 pounds worth of dog food to the Central Alabama Animal Shelter Friday.

“I just hate thinking about all these animals with not enough food,” Ashe said. “I figured this would help them out a good bit.”

Opening up the back entrance of the shelter, Ashe unloaded several bags of food out of his large truck. Helping him was Christopher Triplett of Dallas County Animal Patrol and Marvin Molina.

“This is definitely a lot of dog food,” Triplett said with a laugh as he hauled several loads to the feeding area. “This will keep the animals full and happy for quite some time.”

Molina said it was hard to believe someone would be as generous as Ashe and donate so much to the shelter.

“This is great, and definitely appreciated,” he said. “This donation is huge.”

After giving his hefty donation, Ashe toured the shelter, spending time with the animals.

“I wish more businesses would donate to the shelter because there are so many animals here,” he said. “I love animals, I’m just trying to help out.”

Ashe recalled his childhood and how his mother would leave scraps out on the front porch for strays. With a laugh, he said he thinks that’s where his love of animals comes from.

“I don’t think there was a hungry dog or cat on our street when I was growing up,” he said.