Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation to add food for pets to pantries

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-trice-hungry-pets-0103-20110103,0,3227299.column

Nonprofit hopes clients will feed less people food to pets
Dawn Turner Trice

January 3, 2011

Olivia Barrera, 72, has a Yorkie named Ozzie who's 5 years old, weighs 5 pounds and lives with her in a tiny Humboldt Park apartment.

Ozzie defies the caricature of the yappy lap dog by barking only sparingly: With one mighty bark, he conveys his hunger when there's no water or food in his bowl. snip

This week, the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation, for the first time since its founding in 1990, will begin delivering dog and cat food to some of its food pantries, including the one Barrera frequents. It's an unusual undertaking for an organization as large as the federation, which serves on average 150,000 people a month.

A spokesman from the Greater Chicago Food Depository — Cook County's largest nonprofit food distribution organization, serving 142,000 people per week — told me that the move is indeed rare.

[xchrom]

1. awesome! thank you! nt

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Wonderful idea! K&R!

Especially among the elderly, some folks have a pet as their only companion. Food banks help many older people and it's the compassionate thing to help feed Ozzie, too. :)