Fayette Senior Services was awarded $2,500 from the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets Grant from Meals on Wheels America to help fund its Ani-Meals program. The program is designed to give clients help with the cost and delivery of pet food so they are able to maintain the important bond between a pet and their owner.
This grant will allow FSS to continue to serve the current animals of Meals on Wheels clients and make the program accessible to new clients who are struggling to care for their companions.
“We are so thankful for MOW of America for this grant,” said FSS Meals on Wheels coordinator Natalie Hynson. “It helps us continue to provide pet food for our seniors who struggle to care for their best friends. These pets help seniors combat loneliness and find purpose in life that they may not be able to find elsewhere.”
FSS currently serves 25 animals in the program and this grant will either help fund their food for 16 months or could give them the opportunity to provide assistance to 10 additional pets.
Since 2009, Fayette Senior Services has been collecting and delivering donations of pet food for these animals on a monthly basis. It was discovered that many Meals on Wheels clients were finding it challenging to provide food for their pets when they were not able to leave their homes themselves. Some of these homebound seniors were going as far as to forego their own meals so that their pets could eat as well.
Fayette Senior Services’ Ani-Meals program has allowed many in our community to continue to care for their animals by providing them with much-needed pet food they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford or obtain.
“Being visually impaired, my animals mean everything to me. They are my companions, my friends. It means so much to me that Ani-Meals helps me take care of them so I can keep them close,” said Ani-Meals recipient Anita Messer.
FSS is always accepting donations of pet food for this program. If you are interested in making a pet food donation or becoming part of the volunteer Ani-Meals delivery team, contact Hynson at [email protected] or 770-461-0813, Ext. 127.
