Food drive helps to fill empty pet bowls

By Lethbridge Herald on October 9, 2023.

Canine participants Skye and Annie-May scour the pumpkin patch Saturday during the Pet Food Drive at Fort Whoop-Up. Herald photo by Justin Seward

Justin Seward – LETHBRIDGE HERALD

Forever Friends Pet Services in partnership with the Lethbridge Interfaith Food Bank hosted its inaugural Pet Food Drive in the Fort Whoop-Up parking lot on Saturday.

The community was  encouraged to donate a bag of pet food to assist families in need and in return could pick out a pumpkin to take home.

The organization points out that there is a sense of empowerment for those struggling with food insecurity by helping to keep enough food on the table as well as food in pets’ bowls.

“I think just due to the increased cost of food and pet food, people are struggling in the community to feed their pets,” said Chelsea Block, Forever Friends Pet Services assistant manager.

“I spoke with  the manager of the Humane Society yesterday and she said that one of the main reasons people are surrendering their pets is actually because they can’t afford to feed them anymore. So we’re just trying to collect some pet food so that we can keep pets in their home a little bit longer and help people out if they’re struggling.”

Block says it’s been an issue for quite a while.

The drive’s goal was to reach 500 pounds of  pet food and organizers say the community came through, helping surpass that amount with a total of 526 pounds collected.

“It looks like we have a lot of people in the community that are willing to help out and yeah a lot of people that care about pets,” said Block

Forever Friends Pet Services were trying to come up with ways to help out the community and reached out to the Interfaith Food Bank.

“And they said they do have a need right  now for pet food,’ said Block.

“It is something that they offer if people ask for it and I guess they’ve been asked quite a lot lately for pet food but they don’t have as much.”

The organization plans to make it an annual event.

“We’re really grateful to Forever Friends for their recognition of the struggle many families have in not only meeting their own food security needs, but in ensuring they are able to keep their pets healthy and happy,” says Danielle McIntyre, executive director with Interfaith Food Bank in a press release “Pets offer love, companionship, emotional support and help with issues such as loneliness and isolation in addition to encouraging active lifestyles. There is nothing more heartbreaking for a pet owner than the thought of not being able to adequately care for their pets, and we see the struggles that shelters and rescues are experiencing right now. This is a great initiative to help people who are struggling to keep their pets.”

Bags and cans of dog food and cat food and treats were being accepted and pets were able to get photos done in the pumpkin patch set-up with the fall colours.