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Animal ATTRACTION |
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August 2009
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From Elliot Gershenson, IM President & CEO of Interfaith Ministries:
"We are always seeking to deepen the programs we operate - to make them more meaningful for our clients. As we continued to look at our senior meal programs we realized that for many of our clients their pets were a lifeline that kept them focused and healthy. At the same time, we found that some of our seniors were sharing their Meals on Wheels food with their pets - which is bad for the senior and bad for the pet. Not wanting our seniors to feel the need to make this choice, we began our newest program aniMeals on Wheels. aniMeals on Wheels is a free service provided by Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston. Its goal is simple - to provide donated pet food for the cats and dogs of hundreds of homebound seniors who cannot get out to buy food for their pet companions. This enables seniors to keep their companion animals and saves their pets from an uncertain fate. Twenty volunteers came out last month to deliver pet food for the first time. Because of their efforts, over 100 seniors received food for their pet companions which totaled 116 dogs and 57 cats. We expect these numbers to grow over the next year as we identify all of the seniors in Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston who need this service. This new service is entirely volunteer driven. We are looking for 2 or 3 energetic individuals who love seniors and have a passion for animals to be coordinators for aniMeals on Wheels. As we develop this service, we are exploring a partnership with our local SPCA which will mean sustained supplies of pet food, as well as access to other much needed pet services such as spay/neuter and veterinary care. To learn more how you can help, please email Tiffany Harris, IM’s Volunteer and Events Coordinator, at: tharris@imgh.org. I am inspired by aniMeals - because it’s just one more example of IM’s commitment -not only to seeing that seniors remain independent- but also to improving the quality of their lives. Pets play a critical role in giving our clients hope and love. Many thanks to our initial core of volunteers and to IM’s wonderful staff who make a real difference every day. 3 CommentsLeave a comment |
BRAVO! I think this is great! Our pets are our family members. It's so unfortunate that many seniors who can't afford to properly care for their furry family members have to give them up. So often a pet can help give people purpose, exercise, joy, and love. Thank you Meals on Wheels for implementing this program to help seniors feed their pets!
Bravo indeed! Pets are are truly improve quality of life.
I think this is great for both, the senior and the pet. How would a senior in need of this assistance noticy your service?