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PETSMART CHARITIES

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HEALTHY, HAPPY LIVES FOR SENIORS AND THEIR PETS

HOW IT WORKS

One in four seniors lives alone and, for many of them, their pet is their closest companion and only source of comfort. Many struggle to access the food or services needed to maintain their pets’ health and sometimes will even sacrifice their own nutrition by sharing their delivered meals to ensure their pets are fed.

To help address this issue, PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, has committed $3 million to Meals on Wheels America to fund a three-year national partnership to ensure that more seniors and their pets live healthy, nourished lives, together.

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

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CREATING IMPACT

PetSmart Charities supports grants to local Meals on Wheels programs that help develop new, and expand existing, pet programs to deliver food, cat litter and other supplies. Funds also improve access to pet care that includes preventive veterinary care, temporary pet boarding and grooming such as nail trimming to keep both pets and their seniors safe.

At the same time, both organizations partner on research initiatives to better understand the needs of homebound seniors and their pets, ensuring strategic investment of the scaling of successful programs across the Meals on Wheels network.

THE RESULT

“PetSmart Charities’ unprecedented generosity will support our ongoing efforts to deliver so much more than just a meal to our nation’s most vulnerable older adults,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO, Meals on Wheels America. “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.”

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