PetSmart gives $500K grant to Meals on Wheels for pet companions
PetSmart Charities, the philanthropic arm of PetSmart, has awarded a half-million dollar grant to Meals on Wheels America to reduce isolation and hunger in seniors through service grants for pet assistance. The grant is aimed at seniors in underserved areas. PetSmart’s efforts come on the heels of $3 million in funding to Meals on Wheels.
Under the grant funding, the monies will be used to create or bolster pet assistance services for seniors with companion animals. The program acknowledges the importance of pets in mental wellbeing, but those pet owners may struggle to care for the animals given physical limitations.
"Pets are important members of the family, especially for seniors," said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. "Working in partnership with Meals on Wheels America has given us a seamless connection to pet parents in need of support. Receiving pet food right alongside their own meals may reduce financial strain and prolong the time people and their pets have together. It's an innovative way we can look out for both ends of the leash."
Funding will be used at the local level through numerous Meals on Wheels locations throughout the United States. Under the grant funding, local networks will facilitate the care of pet assistance, in particular in underserved areas.
"With this generous funding from our partners at PetSmart Charities, we can more fully support the on-the-ground-work needed for us to better understand and navigate barriers local programs face in providing pet services in communities that have historically gone without," said Ellie Hollander, president, and chief executive officer of Meals on Wheels America. "We will be able to bolster growth and capacity-building among historically under-resourced and overlooked programs in the regions that need it most. With this grant from PetSmart Charities, we can significantly move the needle toward our goal of increasing the number of seniors and pets Meals on Wheels can help keep together for years to come."
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