Why Help Animal Food Banks Over The Holidays?
Updated: Nov 30, 2022
Originally Published: Jan 01, 2021
Why Help Animal Food Banks Over The Holidays?
Helping animal food banks in holidays for volunteers is one of the perfect ways to spend their times. However, volunteers would rather say how much they would like more people to join them.
Despite what you celebrate over the holidays, most people recognize these days as a time to spend with loved ones. Many people will go crazy with Christmas shopping or spend hundreds of dollars to prepare the perfect meal.
And while the holidays and spending money go hand-in-hand, this can be a very difficult time for a lot of people.
The Animal Food Bank strives to lower this stress by collecting pet food for people who are asking themselves: “am I going to eat today or is my pet going to eat?
We recently surveyed our clients and a staggering 66% of respondents said that if we were unable to help them, they would need to choose between feeding themselves or their pets. A staggering 56% said they would have had to surrender a pet if we weren’t able to help them with pet food.
Nobody should ever have to ask themselves this question, but this is the harsh reality for a lot of people. Just like the demand rises for turkeys at grocery stores or gifts at retail stores, demand for services from non-profits such as the Animal Food Bank also skyrocket during the holidays.
December is the busiest month for the Animal Food Bank , and with the service relying solely on donations, they need your support.
Homelessness and the holidays
The Animal Food Bank works to help low-income pet owners but also those experiencing homelessness. Owning a pet is massive commitment and is an ongoing investment but imagine not having a steady income.
For homeless people, a pet may be the only living thing that shows them companionship and love in their lives.
A homeless person with a pet may consider their pet to be their safety and security when they are out on the streets. When it comes to the holidays, everyone should spend time with their loved ones. And for many, their only loved one is their pet.
In order to do this, their pet must be able to eat. You should also consider that lots of homeless shelters do not accept people with pets. This makes it even more difficult for these people to find food for themselves and their furry companions.
The Animal Food Bank works year-round to ensure the homeless can keep their pets fed so they do not have to give them up. You wouldn’t want to spend the holidays alone and neither should they.
Low-income families and the holidays
Low-income families who are already struggling to make ends meet will have additional costs to worry about when it comes to the holidays. Maybe their daughter wants the newest Barbie doll, or their son wants that cool monster truck that drives itself.
What their children don’t understand is that their parents might not have enough money to pay all of the bills for the month without using money that would be spent on Christmas dinner.
Luckily, there are many non-profits in the community that help families get through the holidays and if a family has a pet they are struggling to feed, the Animal Food Bank is here to help.
For households that are already experiencing food insecurity, helping feed their pets is one less thing they have to worry about. This is one of the main reasons why helping animal food banks should be important for everyone.
What can you do for helping animal food banks?
With the holidays quick approaching, the Animal Food Bank is gearing up for an increase in demand. You can help by donating pet food and supplies.
The Animal Food Bank accepts dry and wet food, as well as unopened and opened. If you are a pet owner who recently changed your pet’s food and now you have an opened food bag, the Animal Food Bank will gladly take it instead of you throwing it away.
Other items such as cat litter, pet beds, toys, bird cages, leashes and anything in between are also accepted. Monetary donations are also very important and will be put towards food that is in high demand within the community.
If you are part of a business that is looking for ways to give back this holiday season you may want to consider helping the Animal Food Bank. You can do this through an employee food drive, offering a donation of services and/or products or even becoming a drop off location for donations.
The holidays are a busy and stressful time for lots of people. Helping the Animal Food Bank will ensure a pet will sleep with no empty stomach… and you can even save it from surrendering during the holidays.
