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Community Corner

Animal Friends Needs Food Donations

Pet food supplies are depleted at Animal Friends, and its partner organizations also are suffering.

It isn’t only people who are affected by the economy. Animals Friends put out an urgent call today for pet food donations, especially dog food.

Animal Friends’ Chow Wagon program faces a critical pet food shortage due to a drop in donations and pet food supplies, according to Jolene Miklas, the organization's director of communications,.

“Every June, we seem to hit a dry spell with donations as schools let out and scouting groups stop meeting for the summer,” she said.

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Summer schedules tend to be hectic and many regular contributors get busy with other activities and forget to make their regular pet food donations to Animal Friends, said Miklas.

Eula Houston, animal care coordinator at Animal Friends, said she had never seen its food supply so low, according to Miklas.

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“We especially need dog food right now and we always have a need for kitten food,” she said.

Animal Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and well-being of animals. The Chow Wagon provides food to pet-owning families in need. In the past five years, the Chow Wagon has supplied nearly 100,000 pounds of food to more than 1,300 families. 

Because of the shortage, Animal Friends has had to limit supplies to its partner organizations, which may cause a critical shortage on their end as well.

The Center for Hope in Ambridge, one of those partner agencies, distributes pet food at its food pantry.  Center Director Dave Otto said the pet food is a big help to some of its clients.

“If we have a widow on a fixed income and she has a pet, without the donation of pet food, she may be forced to choose between buying her medicine or feeding her pet,” he said, “We don’t want her to have to make that decision.”

“She may have to sacrifice her own health to take care of her pet – the pet food donation really helps,” he added.

Donations of pet food, animal treats and toys may be dropped off at the Caryl Gates Gluck Resource Center at Animal Friends, 562 Camp Horne Road, Ohio Township. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Saturday-Sunday. 

Monetary donations may also be made by mailing a check made payable to "Animal Friends" to the same address.  Donations are tax-deductible.

For more information, telephone 412-847-7000 or www.thinkingoutsidethecage.org.

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