TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Food banks around the country have seen longer lines and more demand dating back to the start of the pandemic. And in the last few years pet food banks have seen the same.
At the Hermitage Cat Shelter near 22nd and Craycroft in Midtown Tucson, volunteers are handing out pet food, toys and treats on the third Thursday of every month. It’s part of the ‘Food for People’s Pets’ program that started in 2008.
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Lori Gray is one of the recipients who lines up every month to get the litter and food she needs for her cat and two dogs.
“They’re my service dogs. If I didn’t have them, I would be lost without them,” she said. “I live off of SSI [supplemental security income]. This helps me out a lot… At least $40 a month.”
Recipients need proof they’re receiving financial assistance and their pets are spayed or neutered.
But while demand has surged, supply is harder to come by.
“It’s hard to get pet food,” volunteer Teri Bambauer said. “It’s very expensive. Even for us to supply the food that we do, we don’t nearly get the donations that we used to.”
The pantry distribution used to happen weekly, but now it only happens monthly.
Bambauer says the shelter takes monetary and food donations from the community, but she also asks local stores if they have any near-expiration or unused food to donate.
She keeps giving her time to a place that gave her peace of mind; she had traumatic brain injuries after surgeries to remove brain tumors seven years ago.
“So this just helps with a lot of things,” she explained. “Occupational therapy, it helps me with me with numbers and names… It’s rewarding. It relieves a lot of stress.”
It also relieves financial stress in the community, keeping beloved pets out of crowded shelters.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
