CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- By the end of every week, the food bin at Susan and Bill Furr's home is often empty.

It costs the couple $125 a week to feed their pets: six dogs, four cats and two pet pigs. That’s tough enough for any couple, but even tougher for the Furrs because medical problems caused by a car accident mean Susan Furr can't work.

But as hard as it is to make ends meet, she said she can't imagine getting rid of any of her pets.

“They're just my babies. I don't have children, so they're just my babies,” she said. “They're just a joy to me to have them all, and if I lost one of them, it would kill me.”

It’s a feeling to which many animal lovers can relate.

“It's sad. You feel bad. You want to help everybody you can,” said NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr.

Truex and fellow driver Ryan Newman are teaming up to help this week by asking fans to donate pet food in large barrels stationed at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and throughout the community.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control officials said the donations couldn’t come at a better time. They said there are plenty of dogs given up by families who can't afford to feed them.

Recently, the cost of ownership has become the No. 1 reason for giving up a dog in Charlotte.

Truex said he couldn't imagine losing his own dog.

“Lexie, our dog, is like our child. You know, she's part of the family. She means a lot to us,” he said.

The driver is also helping with a photo shoot. He and other NASCAR stars will be featured with their pets in a book published by the Ryan Newman Foundation. The proceeds will go toward rescuing animals.

And in a sport where fans are extremely loyal, Truex said he knows the impact they can have.

“If everybody just gives back a little bit, it will go a long way,” he said.

Perhaps no one knows that better than the Furr family. They recently got some short-term help from donations at Animal Care and Control.

But they said they now find themselves again asking how they'll feed their loved ones.

“My animals mean more to me than anything else,” Susan Furr said.

Eyewitness News found out Tuesday that a member of the NASCAR community has come forward to help the Furr family feed their pets, but that person wants to remain anonymous.

That person said no one should be forced to give up their animals because they can't feed them.

The pet food drive is going on all week. To find out how you can help, click here.