PetSmart Gives $3M to Meals on Wheels to Help Seniors and Their Pets

PetSmart Charities has allocated $3 million to Meals on Wheels America to fund a three-year collaboration to support a national pet food pantry and veterinary care program, to supply home-delivered meals and veterinary care to pets of seniors in need, reports AZ Business Magazine . The money also will underwrite research to help both organizations better understand the needs of Meals on Wheels clients and their pets. "We know there is a large population of seniors struggling to make ends meet and facing the difficult choice of going hungry or surrendering their beloved pet," said PetSmart Charities Acting President Deborah Turcott. "This partnership will help ensure they won't have to make that choice." Meals on Wheels CEO Ellie Hollander added that the alliance "will support our ongoing efforts to deliver so much more than just a meal to our nation's most vulnerable older adults. We know that seniors with pets are less likely to exhibit depression, report feelings of loneliness, and experience illness, and our partnership will enable more of these invaluable, mutually-supportive relationships to be sustained in communities across America for years to come."