Upstate Giving, July 29, 2019

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Meals on Wheels gets grant for Pet Food Program

Meals on Wheels of Greenville has received a grant for $2,500 from Meals on Wheels America to support its Pet Food Program. The program provides donated dog and cat food monthly to homebound individuals served by Meals on Wheels who are unable to care for their pets on their own, according to a news release.

The Pet Food Program was started in 2003 after Meals on Wheels volunteers noticed that some clients were sharing their meals with their pets. Often, a dog or cat is the only companion a homebound individual has, and that companionship can help combat isolation and loneliness, the release said. The objective of the program is to ensure owner and pet have the nutrition they need and can remain together.

More than 125 Meals on Wheels clients receive pet food.

Meals on Wheels America has granted more than $100,000 to more than 40 local Meals on Wheels programs through the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets initiative this year. Funding is made possible in part through a donation from the former Banfield Charitable Trust. The grant program has distributed more than $2.5 million in funding and pet food donations, according to the release.