(Jaromir Chalabala / Shutterstock.com)
Pets can be great company for people especially for those that live alone. It’s no wonder that pet ownership went up during the pandemic. In fact, more than 3.2 million households in the UK acquired a pet from March 2020 to March 2021, reported The BBC.
But, due to the recent economic downturn, many people are struggling to feed those extra mouths, reported Positive News. Many people are purchasing cheaper brands or feeding their pets leftover table food. Others have been forced to rehome their pets which is traumatic for the pets and the owners. Now there is a solution to keep these pets healthy, well fed, and in their homes.
To lend a helping hand to those in need, a group of organizations, businesses, and volunteers came together across the UK to provide needed pet food and supplies. There are more than 160 pet food pantries operating in the UK
Animal Food Bank Support UK
One of these organizations is Animal Food Bank Support UK, a Facebook group that coordinates 150 community support workers who help deliver pet food and supplies to people who cannot afford to feed their furry loved ones.
The group was founded in December 2022 by Anita Arthur, a volunteer for an animal rescue organization. “I noticed the amount of dogs coming in, and we couldn’t help them all,” Arthur told Positive News. “Most of the dogs being sent to Geordie Bullies were because owners could no longer afford to feed them,” she added.
That’s when she realized that she could do something to help people keep their pets. She could feed them.
“[They are] angels without wings,” cat owner Pete Dolan said after the organization delivered bags of food, bags of treats, and biscuits for his two cats, Charlie and Frankie. Dolan receives disability benefits and was struggling with the rising cost of living. He posted on the Facebook page and a volunteer brought him the much-needed pet food.
“I wasn’t even able to buy food for myself,” Dolan said, “so I asked Animal Food Bank Support UK if they could help me out with some cat food, which they did without any hesitation. I cannot thank them enough.”
Berkshire Pet Food Bank
The Best Friends Pet Store launched the Berkshire Pet Food Bank in 2022 to offer pet owners food, bedding, and even toys, reported Wokingham Today, to help people in financial need to keep their furry family members. The food bank provides for dogs, cats, rabbits, and even hamsters.
The pet store owner Ridwan Sai, was moved to open the food bank when he learned about people having to give up their pets because they could no longer afford to take care of them. He told Wokingham Today: “I was just looking on BBC News and saw reports from Dogs Trust and the RSPCA about the amount of dogs that have been given up just purely because people can’t afford to feed them.
“Of course there’s lots of news about food banks for people and I kind of put two and two together and thought ‘actually, yes, it’s a great idea.’”
The food bank receives donations from organizations, veterinarians, stores, and from ordinary people and there are donation drop-off points around the borough. There is also an Amazon wish list for those wanting to donate. You can give food pouches, cans of bags of dry food, biscuits, litter, small toys, and even beds, according to Country Living.
If you don’t have a pet food bank in your area, you can start your own. All it takes is some planning, a social media page, and a place to collect and keep donations. Helping to feed hungry pets and keeping them in their homes is truly an act of kindness.
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