Bobbie Gardner is an animal lover who is allergic to dogs and cats. She no longer owns pets, but she knows firsthand that they are cherished companions for many.
The Boise grandma is part of a group of volunteers trying to prevent homebound seniors in the Treasure Valley from losing their pets because they can?t afford to feed them. Once a month, she loads up her Suzuki with bags of donated pet food and delivers it to a half-dozen or more residents in Boise and Meridian.
?They?re very appreciative,? said Gardner, a nurse who works part time. ?They say it?s so important to them to keep their animals with them, and if we didn?t help them they wouldn?t be able to.?
The pet food delivery service ? run through the Idaho Humane Society ? is done in collaboration with Elks Meals on Wheels. Volunteers with Meals on Wheels deliver meals each day to 800 seniors in Ada County, including 400 homebound seniors and 400 at dining centers.
?For many of these people who receive Meals on Wheels, it is their only daily source of nutrition,? said Grant Jones, development director for Elks Meals on Wheels. ?It?s very critical that they eat all of that and that they don?t have to make a choice between themselves and their pet.?
The Idaho Humane Society has been assisting with pet food donation for needy seniors for years. In late 2008, the nonprofit launched a separate delivery service to ease the burden on Meals on Wheels volunteers.
?It was just asking them to do a lot extra. In some cases, that pet food is very heavy, very bulky,? Jones said. ?It just made it easier.?
At about the same time, shelter officials began to notice that many families were giving up their pets due to financial hardship.
?We determined that people were using food stamps to buy food for their pets ? tuna for their cats, little wieners for their dogs,? said Christine Wiersema, development director at the Idaho Humane Society. ?That?s taking food away from the family, so that?s not good.
?We reassessed things because we want to keep these families together,? Wiersema said. That?s when the shelter?s Pet Food Pantry was launched.
The pantry, housed in a construction trailer, is also a collection site for the Meals on Wheels pet food delivery service. They collect and distribute about 7,000 pounds of pet food a month.
?This could be my whole job,? Wiersema said. All of the food is donated by the community or purchased with cash donations.
There are pet food donation drop-offs at 60 locations in the Valley, including Zamzows stores and veterinary offices.
Some businesses hold food drives to help out. The Idaho Athletic Club held four drives this year and donated 10,000 pounds of pet food. Hewlett-Packard employees contributed 640 pounds and $780 in cash.
Twice a month, about 100 families pick up food to feed for up to four pets. They may receive the donated pet food for up to six months.
The Meals on Wheels pet food delivery service is separate from the food pickup operation. It currently provides food to 225 animals at residences throughout Ada County.
About 10 to 15 volunteers gather the first week of the month to pack the pet food into their vehicles. They spend an hour or two delivering it over the next day or so.
Wiersema said many of the seniors in the delivery program have older and/or special-needs pets. Grants from two foundations allow the shelter to offer medical treatment and other care for those animals.
While talking to one pet owner, volunteer Gardner discovered that he was living in frigid temperatures due to a broken furnace. She called local agencies and businesses until she found one that would work with him on a payment plan for a new furnace.
In that way, the pet food delivery service is about so much more than pets, Wiersema said.
?It?s just one more touch from the community ? that sense we can all take care of each other,? she said.
Katy Moeller: 377-6413
Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/12/26/1929828/pantry-gets-food-to-pets-of-needy.html
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