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<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><FONT size=7>The cupboard was
bare</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><FONT
size=7></FONT></STRONG>
<DIV><BR><STRONG><FONT size=6>Pet-food pantries are doggedly working to keep
animals from being abandoned or going hungry during tough
times</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=6></FONT></STRONG><BR> </DIV>
<DIV>By Sharon L. Peters Special for<BR><EM>USA TODAY</EM> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Animal lovers are marshaling forces in hopes of minimizing the
number of pets that go hungry or land in shelters because their owners can no
longer afford to feed them.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Free pet-food pantries are being established in cities and
towns across the nation by volunteers concerned about the recession's effect on
pets. And the long lines of pet owners showing up by the thousands for free
kibble are growing more diverse each week. Lower-income people are now joined by
middle-class folks pummeled by the economy: white-collar workers recently laid
off; elderly people who had been receiving regular cash from relatives who can't
afford that anymore; military spouses unable to find work to earn some
discretionary income; students who've lost their part-time jobs; high-earners
with high debt who are dramatically downshifting.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>"Some (clients) are a little embarrassed, but everyone can
have a financial problem, especially in this economy, and that's why we're
here," says Atlanta businesswoman Ann King, who launched Save Our Pets food bank
this year after hearing of hundreds of pets being abandoned or left at
Atlanta-area shelters because owners were in financial straits. Demand has grown
20% every week since the food bank began last summer, she says; now the group
gives away more than 3,000 pounds of cat and dog food a week. On distribution
days, as many as 200 people line up for a month's supply of pet
food.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>"A lot of the people we serve are right on the edge. They
barely missed getting food stamps or have a new job starting in a few weeks or
they're waiting for government assistance," says Darlene McCaslin, who started
Pikes Peak Pet Pantry in Colorado Springs last year. "If we can help during this
awful period, it helps them keep a pet dear to them, it helps the animals and it
helps the shelters seeing a big increase in the numbers coming in."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Since January, McCaslin's group has distributed more than
11,000 pounds of dog and cat food to owners of more than 1,800
pets.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>"It means the world to me," says Rose Laxson of Colorado
Springs. "When feeding yourself is uncertain, it is so comforting to know you
can feed your pet." Laxson, who has an English bulldog named Elmo, recently
received her nursing-assistant certification. But she's eight months pregnant,
and until she gives birth and gets a job, she's living with her parents and
scraping by.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Pet food banks — operated by local animal shelters or groups
of animal lovers — employ a variety of means to gather food or the money to buy
it. Most get donations from retailers of torn bags of food or dented cans; some
have lined up pet-loving sponsors such as veterinarians who place donation boxes
in their offices; most have beat the bushes for citizen donations that they use
to buy pet food from retailers at a discount.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Most pet owners discover the whereabouts of local pet food
banks by contacting animal shelters, traditional food banks or other social
service organizations. But many who newly need help have little or no
familiarity with social-service networks and aren't sure where to turn. McCaslin
has posted contact numbers for nearly 30 pet food banks across the nation on her
website (pikespeakpetpantry.org), an action she took after being contacted by
hundreds of needy pet owners.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>There does not appear to be any national clearinghouse or list
to guide pet owners to the nearest temporary-food distributor, according to
several national and regional pet-welfare groups. The Humane Society of the
United States, when contacted, said creating a national list is an "overlooked"
but "definite" need and this week put online a preliminary list that will be
added to regularly (visit HSUS.org and click on "pet tips").</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Atlanta's Save our Pets also is compiling a state-by-state
list to post on its website (saveourpetsfoodbank.org) by January.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Many hope the economy's meltdown will educate the public about
a reality that shelters and rescue groups have long dealt with: Pets are usually
the first casualty when a family's finances go bad. The Dakin Pioneer Valley
Humane Society in South Deerfield, Mass., serving the state's lowest-income
county, realized years ago that temporary pet assistance was vital and set up a
pet food bank. It has seen a 25% increase in demand in recent months. "But,"
says executive director Leslie Harris, "the fact is, the economy is always bad
for someone."<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>