Seasons of Suppers Pet-Food Drive Underway

The Seasons of Suppers campaign is underway and once again aiming to feed a record number of pets owned by homebound seniors who receive meals from Meals On Wheels.

The campaign, now in its fourth year, is run by the Banfield Charitable Trust in partnership with Banfield, The Pet Hospital and Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA).

The Banfield Charitable Trust said that it hopes to double monetary donations this year to fund, or start, new pet feeding programs through We All Love Our Pets (WALOP) grants. Last year, the trust raised $42,000 in monetary donations, which funded more than 50 WALOP grants. Meals On Wheels programs throughout the country can apply for these grants to initiate or sustain pet-food distribution programs locally.

In addition to the money raised last year, the campaign also collected thousands of pounds of pet food that local Meals on Wheels programs distribute. Banfield collected 13,000 pounds last year at its main campus in Portland, Ore.

“MOWAA’s mission is to eradicate senior hunger by 2020,” said Enid Borden, president and chief executive officer of the association. “That is our focus, and we do it one day at a time, one nutritious meal at a time and one senior at a time.

“One thing we have seen firsthand is how important pets are to these homebound seniors. In many cases, their pets are their only family. It goes without saying that keeping pets as nutritionally healthy as their owners is critically important. In more cases than we can count, the Season of Suppers campaign has made that possible — and a home is a much brighter place when the whole family gets the nutrition they need.”

There are three ways veterinarians and pet owners can participate in the campaign, which ends Dec. 31:

• Purchase pet food and place it in the Season of Suppers donation bin in any Banfield pet hospital. The trust suggests items that are easy to transport, such as small bags and cans.
• Donate money at Banfield pet hospitals.
• Contribute online. A donation of $30 can help Meals on Wheels programs feed one pet for one month.