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KEEPING SENIORS AND THEIR PETS TOGETHER

Because you can't underestimate
the value of a pet's love

KEEPING SENIORS AND THEIR PETS TOGETHER

Because you can't underestimate
the value of a pet's love

    SUPPORT THE PETS
    WHO SUPPORT OUR SENIORS

    Research shows that seniors with pets are less likely to exhibit depression and experience illness, and that animal ownership can help to address loneliness and social isolation – issues that are often exacerbated among older adults. But taking care of a pet – feeding, grooming and veterinary care – can be financially and physically burdensome to seniors. More often than not, a devoted animal lover with limited access to food will feed their hungry pet before they feed themselves.

    One in four seniors lives alone, and for some seniors, the Meals on Wheels volunteer who provides them with a nutritious meal, friendly visit and safety check may be the only person they see all day. Their pet is their main companion and best friend, so we recognize how important it is to keep seniors and their pets together. In fact, Meals on Wheels America surveyed our local member programs in 2019 and found that roughly half of them provide pet services of some kind, most commonly providing pet food deliveries to homebound clients. Pet assistance programs have become an increasingly common extension of Meals on Wheels’ “more than just a meal” offering, because we know that there are myriad health and wellness benefits linked to animal ownership and the companionship and sense of purpose pets provide to seniors.

     

    That’s why Meals on Wheels supports both our seniors and their pets – to ensure that they can live nourished, healthy lives, together.

    PETS MAKE SENIORS HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER

       Senior man with dog

    SENIORS WITH PETS

    Pet Facts

    COMPARED TO NON-PET OWNERS


    Sources: Stanley, I. H., Conwell, Y., Bowen, C., & Van Orden, K. A. (2014). Pet Ownership may Attenuate Loneliness Among Older Adult Primary Care Patients Who Live Alone. Aging & Mental Health, 18(3), 394–399. http://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2013.837147; Siegel, J.M. (1990). Stressful life events and use of physician services among the elderly: The moderating role of pet ownership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 1081-1086.

    OUR GRANTS HELP KEEP SENIORS AND PETS TOGETHER

    In October 2015, Banfield Charitable Trust handed over all funding and grants administration responsibilities for their Pet Assistance Grant Program to Meals on Wheels America. Between 2007 and 2019, the grant program distributed more than $2.4 million in funding and pet food donations to 330 local Meals on Wheels programs across the nation to keep pets and their homebound seniors together.

    That work has since expanded via a national partnership with PetSmart Charities initiated in the fall of 2019. Together, over the following three years, we are committed to investing in local Meals on Wheels  programs in order to launch and expand pet support resources in more communities across the country. In 2020 alone, two specialized grant programs awarded $454,500 in funding to 122 Meals on Wheels providers in 36 states—with one grant program targeting communities most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural disasters. We are also undertaking a major research initiative to better understand what Meals on Wheels clients and their pets need, and how local Meals on Wheels programs are uniquely able to support seniors and their pets aging in place together.

    MEALS ON WHEELS AND PET SERVICES IN THE NEWS

    All News

    PETSMART CHARITIES® RENEWS $3 MILLION GRANT TO MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA TO BENEFIT SENIORS AND THEIR PETS

    Feb 16, 2023

    ARLINGTON, VA., Feb. 16, 2023 - PetSmart Charities®, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, has renewed a commitment of $3 million to fund a second, three-year partnership with Meals on Wheels America, the national leadership organization supporting community-based programs dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This three-year grant will continue to support new and existing pet assistance services, including pet food deliveries, access to veterinary care, and other critical services, for pet-owning older adults.

    Pets provide vital social connections for many older adults and can have a significant positive impact on their physical and mental health and well-being. Yet, caring for a pet may also present other challenges, particularly for those with limited mobility and/or financial constraints, leading local Meals on Wheels programs to offer services to ease those challenges and help older adults and their pets stay together. A study released released by Meals on Wheels America and PetSmart Charities found that more than one in five clients reported going without food to feed their pets in the past two years.

    "This meaningful partnership has made an incredible impact,” said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. “For many older people, pets are their only consistent source of companionship.  Their loyal presence eases feelings of isolation and can help improve physical and emotional wellness. We’re proud to support these innovative programs in collaboration with Meals on Wheels America, ensuring the critical needs of both people and pets are met.”

    This commitment is a continuation of a three-year partnership that distributed more than 380 grants to local Meals on Wheels programs to support older adults and their pets, funded critical research, and supported the development of key resources to expand pet programming between 2020-2022.  Through the support of this partnership, more than 25,000 older adults and 41,000 pets were served. Last year, Meals on Wheels America found that 97% of clients agreed that pet programming helps them keep their pet.

    “PetSmart Charities’ sustained support of Meals on Wheels helps preserve the extraordinary relationships many homebound seniors have with their furry companions by removing some of the common barriers they face to pet ownership,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America.

    For more information on Meals on Wheels America, please visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org. For more information on PetSmart Charities and how grants are making an impact across North America, please visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

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    ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA
    Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org. 

    ABOUT PETSMART CHARITIES®
    PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 600,000 shelter pets each year. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting nearly $430 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 17 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

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    THE NEED FOR SENIOR PET SUPPORT IS GROWING


    Seniors are the fastest growing population in this country and with that growth comes the perpetual increase in demand for Meals on Wheels services. As more seniors live longer and choose to age in place, the need for pet assistance will increase right along with the population trends.

    Together, we can ensure that homebound seniors do not have to give up their beloved pets simply because they can’t make it to the vet or to the store to purchase food. To contact a local Meals on Wheels program and learn more about what pet services they may offer and how you can help, click here, enter your zip code and connect with the program nearest you.

    HELPING A PET LEAVES A SENIOR FEELING NOURISHED, TOO 

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