Today’s seniors are part of the “Greatest Generation”; they survived the depression, world wars, and our rapidly changing technology. Books have been written on this generation that believed your word was your bond, that a hard days work was a good thing, and helping your family and community was not only an obligation but also an honor. Today’s seniors are not quick to ask for help, many seniors deny services with the sentiment that there are others more in need than themselves. Many seniors are forced to make tough decision. With the rising cost of living those on fixed incomes must make tough decisions about where their money goes. Often times necessity versus necessity battle it out for the limited dollars. Will money go to food, medicine, housing, heat, transportation and the list goes on and on?
Many seniors who are living on fixed incomes and who are receiving Meals on Wheels decide the best way they can afford to care for their most trusted friend, their pet, is to divide their meal between themselves and their cats and dogs. Pets are often the only companion a senior has and it has been shown that seniors with pets are less lonely, less depressed and have lower blood pressure. People need to love and be loved and pets offer unconditional love. Pets give some seniors a reason to get up to take care of their furry friend and offer companionship to those alone. Many seniors are concerned that they can not afford to take care of their pets or skimp on themselves so they have enough money to take care of their pets.
Sharing their Meals on Wheels is one way that seniors deal with the expense of food but it is not a healthy solution for the senior or their pet. Meals on Wheels is the full nutritional value that a senior needs so if they give part of it to their pet they are not getting the nutrition they need to stay healthy and to deal with chronic health problems. In addition, feeding human food to pets is never a healthy solution. Though our pets may be part of our family they are not human and need other types of food.
Locally a group of non-profit and for profits are working together to address this problem. Feed Pets 2 is a pet food drive to collect food so that our seniors in the Champlain Valley do not have to worry about how to feed their pets or share their Meals on Wheels with them.
Beverly Hill, Volunteer Coordinator for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging, initiated the Feed Pets 2 campaign to help seniors and their pets. According to Hill “By helping senior’s pets, we help maintain the health of the pets and ensure that the seniors eat their own food which helps maintain their own health.”
Dr. Michael Romp, proprietor of the Banfield Animal Hospital in Williston, was eager to sign onto the Feed Pets 2 campaign. According to Romp, “When a single daily meal prepared for a person is shared with a pet, neither one is getting the proper nutrition they need to stay healthy. We want to keep pets healthy so they can give their companions many years of friendship and unconditional love. We know the human-animal bond contributes to happier, healthier lives for people with pets. Senior and homebound Vermonters need their pets. For many of them, their pets are their only friend.”
Across the Champlain Valley people have joined this campaign to make sure this holiday season is a little brighter for our seniors and their pets. Steve Martin, Manager of the St. Albans Coop store, has been working with local companies that produce pet food to secure corporate donations. According to Martin he thought Feed Pets 2 was a “great way to reach out to the community. Many quality feeds are made here in Vermont and the people at Blue Seal stepped up to the plate to offer a lot of support. Blue Seal is local right here in Richford so we are supporting local business and helping seniors.”
Gilbert Goodyear of Paris Farmers Union in Middlebury is also working the phones trying to secure corporate support including a donation from Iams and Nutro. Goodyear has been told he looks like Santa Clause and his store has a company cat named Charlie so they seemed like a perfect fit for this project. Goodyear believes that Feed Pets 2 is a “good thing to do for everyone involved, good that I can help, it fits into our way of doing things.” Evan Wisell, Marketing Manager for Pet Food Warehouse readily agreed to be a drop off location. According to Wisell “Through their Feed Pets 2 Program, I know that CVAA is really helping a lot of pets in our community. At Pet Food Warehouse, we’re very concerned with helping our community’s pets, so partnering with them on this terrific project is a perfect match.”
Over 830 seniors in the Champlain Valley alone receive Meals on Wheels each day, many of them have pets so the need is great and as we get into the cold months of winter and the cost of fuel rising people will be in even great financial need. During a season of much giving, the Feed Pets 2 campaign is unique in that it helps people and animals and it is local. During the month of December visit one of the drop-off locations so man’s best friend gets the proper nutrition and our seniors do not have to choose between feeding themselves or their furry friends.
Feed Pets 2 Drop-off locations
- Banfield Animal Hospital- Williston
- Pet Food Warehouse- Shelburne & South Burlington
- St. Albans Coop store- St. Albans
- Franklin County Senior Center- St. Albans
- Paris Farmers Union-Middlebury
For more information call 802-865-0360
Sarah Lemnah writes on senior issues for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging. This article originally appeared in the Burlington Free Press.
