ATLANTA PET NEWS
Food banks prevent pets from losing out
Published on: 07/13/08
Ask anyone at a local food bank and they'll tell you that as the economy has gone down, demand has gone up.
So it just stands to reason that if people need help getting food, so will their pets. That's why a new Atlanta-area group has launched a pet food bank — and two existing suburban pet food banks are looking for help to expand.
"With the mortgage foreclosure crisis, and the downturn in the economy, people are trying to figure out how to feed their kids. If you have to pick between feeding your kids and feeding your pet, of course, the pet is going to be the one that loses out. But if we can help them get food for their pets, then we can keep those pets in their homes, instead of the pets being dumped at a shelter or just abandoned," said Ann King, owner of Blooming Cookies.
King, who has a long history in the animal rescue community, started the enterprise about a month ago along with PALS (Pets Are Loving Support), an Atlanta group started 18 years ago to help terminally ill people keep their pets. Over the years they've expanded their mission to helping the sick and elderly keep their pets as well.
"We get calls all the time from people who need help with their pets, but they don't fit within our program," said Kevin Bryant of PALS. "That's why we jumped at the chance to partner with Ann on this pet food bank. Now we're going to be able to help a lot more people."
King's organization, while new, has one advantage over two suburban pet food banks — the suburban groups have no warehouse space.
"We work with groups like Meals on Wheels, food co-ops and food banks to deliver the pet food we collect," said Tom Wargo, whose group, Daffy's Pet Soup Kitchen, serves Gwinnett and Douglas counties, as well as Winder in Barrow County. "Other times we deliver food directly to the people."
Daffy's started in earnest about a year ago, but for a decade before that Wargo said he helped out where needed through his construction company. Wargo said most of the food they collect comes from donations at drop-off points, as well as donations from stores like PetSmart and Petco. But because they have no place to store food, they're limited on what they can accept.
"We're kind of at a holding point," Wargo said. "We could do a lot more if we just had the warehouse space."
Steve Monahan, whose group Meals Fur Pets has been helping hungry animals in Cobb and Cherokee counties since 2006, said he also needs a place to store pet food.
"Right now we're distributing about 4,000 pounds of food a month, but I could double that if I had somewhere to store donated food," Monahan said.
He said most of the food they collect at nine drop-off sites, as well as from company donations, is given to other groups to distribute, like MUST Ministries and food pantries. Volunteers also deliver about 20 percent of the food directly to pet owners.
"But right now we can't even meet the need," Monahan said. "Some people need food every week, but we can only deliver it every other week."
Supplies of cat food are especially in short supply, he said.
King said they are meeting with company officials of pet stores and pet food manufacturers to see about getting large donations of pet food. They've also set up drop-off points at more than 20 locations so people can donate dog and cat food.
Bryant said people who need to get pet food will be able to pick it up monthly at the PALS office, or, if they can't pick it up, volunteers will deliver it the second Saturday of each month. There will even be food available for pets that need special diets, he said. Barking Hound Village, a local doggie day care and boarding facility, also will offer some free spay/neuter certificates to people who need them, Bryant said.
"While we're located downtown, there's no geographic limits," Bryant said. "We'll try to help anyone who needs it in the metro area. We just hope people will swallow their pride and ask us for help. It's for the animals. And it's what we're here for."
For help in the Atlanta area, contact King at 404-876-2200, Ext. 314, www.bloomingcookies.com, or PALS at 404-876-7257, www.palsatlanta.org.
For help in the Cobb and Cherokee county areas, go to www.pawsfordisabilities.org .
For help in Gwinnett and Douglas counties, go to www.daffyspetsoupkitchen.com or call 678-725-4992.
###
|