Meals on Wheels in Central PA expanded to help out Seniors with Pets

[LostinVA]

Lynnesin posted this in the Lounge yesterday, and I wanted to crosspost it here. So many Seniors go without food or meds so that their furry companions can eat and visit the vet. I checked after I read this article, and found that many, many Measl-on-Wheels groups are doing this. So many Seniors depend on their pets for their emotional and mental health.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/12/prog...

It's almost as if Salem, a sleek black cat who lives with Margaret Mazzarello in the B'nai B'rith Apartments in Harrisburg, knew why Theresa Fazzolari was visiting two days before Thanksgiving. Salem eagerly watched as Fazzolari pulled a pink cat toy from the grocery bag she brought. The bag also contained two big bags of Salem's favorite food, Friskies, and two packets of cat treats.
Mazzarello, 70, adopted Salem from the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area. "She is a wonderful companion," Mazzarello said. "She is so much company for me. I don't know what I'd do without her."

Two years ago Fazzolari started a local chapter of AniMeals, a program that supplies free pet food and supplies to homebound, low-income seniors.


"AniMeals serves a very special audience that may not have access to pet food anywhere else. So we really saw it as a need," humane society spokeswoman Kelly Hitz said. "A lot of Meals-on-Wheels recipients actually share their meals with their pets. AniMeals is geared to prevent that."

AniMeals has relied on donations from Purina, Wal-Mart and the Animal Rescue Food Bank in Wellsville as well as fundraisers, Fazzolari said. Now the Humane Society has opened its pet food bank to the program.

The humane society sometimes has to take in the pets of seniors who have had to surrender them.

"Anything we can do to help elderly people keep their pets is a good thing," Hitz said. "Studies have shown that pets are a positive in the life of senior citizens."

[donco6]

1. Cool idea.

Having to give up a pet because you can no longer feed it would be devestating.

[LostinVA]

3. Some Food Pantries are having "pet sections" now, too

[DemoTex]

2. The indy pet store where I shop, Saluda River Pet Food Center, has donation boxes for MOW

The donated pet food is distributed by Meals-On-Wheels (MOW).

[LostinVA]

4. That's terrific!

[GardeningGal]

5. Great idea....

Here's another link for the full story. I couldn't get it to come up on the other one.

http://www.pennlive.com/patriotnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1228965008240600.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

[LostinVA]

6. Oops, sorry -- I just cut and paste Lynnesin's OP

Damn her!

[jbane]

7. I got emotional when I read this post.

My 86 year old Dad has a cat "Millie". She is the source of his joy and this cat loves him.
This is a man who is a WWII vet, played college football and is generally old school tough but he's a total marshmallow for his cat.

[LostinVA]

8. Haruka's (my wife) grandfather is in his 80's, and his elderly poodle is his life

He went on a cruise with the whole family this past July, and he talked about her all the time, and talked to her via cellphone at least once a day. She's a sweet little dog, and keeps him very happy, and I think focuses his mind, as he's becoming very forgettful lately.

[Ezlivin]

9. Replaces Republican program to help Seniors eat their pets

Me, cynical?

After the past 8 years of Republican "leadership" I am willing to believe nearly anything.

Now I'm off to pet my little girls...

[Bozita]

10. Great idea. I'd feed my dinner to my dogs before letting them go hungry.

And, I don't think I'm alone.

[LostinVA]

12. I know I would, and I would go without medication so they could have theirs

[Hidden Stillness]

11. At Last They Realize How Important Animals are to People Who Love Them

This is wonderful, and I hope it continues the trend that any modern, compassionate society would do, where they understand that to many people, the animal/pet IS their family or only friend. This was the problem with Katrina/Rita, where older people (and some younger) could not abandon their beloved animals, and so they died because the assholes running the "evacuation" ordered them to leave them there, coldly. This has happened with other weather emergencies, too, and people have needlessly died because of the cluelessness of officials. Also, there was a recent thread on DU about the expansion of a battered victims' shelter, that will now accept their pets, because many abused people will not leave and abandon the pet to certain violent death by the abuser.

This also is needed, Meals on Wheels for the animal family member too, especially as the whole economy sinks to Despression. At least these things are good trends, among all the bad; it is always the animal lovers who civilize society. It is getting to the stage, by the way, that people can't afford to take their animals to the vet anymore; I have had to cut back on the kinds of things I can go in for myself, and way back on the number of routine visits (two beloved dogs).

[LostinVA]

13. Wonderful post

That's one raeson why I wanted to psot this today -- it's a single candle of compassionate shining its way through the bad news.

[Marrah_G]

14. Oh man- now I am freakin crying. Damn you LIV!

:cry:

[LostinVA]

15. I know, I know

I was like that when I read it yesterday.

[aquart]

16. Finally.

Pets save lives. Especially the ones everyone else has forgotten.

[tpsbmam]

17. My dogs' wonderful mobile groomer collects for them locally.....

She does it a couple times a year. She sends out an email to all of her clients ahead of time and they bring food to their dogs' appointments. She's collected a ton of food doing this!

[LostinVA]

20. That's wonderful

[hlthe2b]

18. Wow... the emotions are at the surface... This story makes me

so happy to read and admittedly a little teary-eyed. Thanks for posting. I can only hope that many others will follow suit.

[LostinVA]

19. I was surprised to see so many Animeals groups in NJ

I wish they had all teh chapters listed on one website, like MOW does,

[LostinVA]

21. kick for the Saturday animal lovers

[williesgirl]

22. I'll check out my local meals on wheels and see what they're doing. Thanks for posting. rec'd