This Partnership Gives Hungry Seniors and Pets the Food They Need

Around 47 million people in the U.S. experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America. It affects every single member of a family, including a family’s pets. PetSmart Charities estimates that 30 million pets live in homes with people experiencing food insecurity.  But food banks rarely stock pet food for those who need it, leaving pet owners who struggle with food security in the difficult position of leaving their pets hungry or sharing scarce resources with their furry companions. 

A partnership between Meals on Wheels America and PetSmart Charities is addressing this invisible issue by providing senior pet parents with food for their pets along with regular meals provided by the charity. The crisis is closely linked to elderly food insecurity, another issue that is urgent but not often talked about.

“Unless you know someone that's suffering with senior hunger, you really don't see it,” said Ellie Hollander, CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “It's behind closed doors. There are 12 million older adults who are food insecure, and one in three are lonely. The short story is that the senior population is growing exponentially and at least 50 percent of older adults have pets. So if there are households with food insecurity that have pets, it is very likely that pets are also suffering from food insecurity.”

Though Hollander advocates for Meals on Wheels and its mission, she is also eager to emphasize how urgent and widespread hunger is in the U.S. 

“I could talk for hours about how we are not meeting the need,” she said. “We know that our Meals on Wheels programs across the country are dealing with growing waiting lists for meals and social connection. Even though we're serving about 2.2 million seniors annually —  meaning a meal, eyes and ears, a friendly visit, a check-in on wellness and health of that senior — we know there are millions of seniors who need that and are not getting it.”

Even so, the partnership between the two organizations is giving hungry people and pets the food they need. “We've delivered over 13 million pet meals along with human support,” said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. 

Providing meals for pets and their humans also addresses senior loneliness, as it gives older pet owners more resources to care for their non-human companions. Seniors report that having a pet improved their well-being and decreased loneliness, according to a Meals on Wheels survey. The health of their pet means everything to them, with 1 in 5 senior pet parents forgoing meals to feed their furry companions. 

“Many of the seniors that we serve are on a fixed income and are making daily trade-offs,” Hollander said. “It's almost like their child. So are you going to feed yourself first or are you going to feed your pet? They're going to share their meal with their pet, and a number of seniors that are on Meals on Wheels take multiple medications, which require good nutrition. So we don't want them to make a trade-off, or not pay their utility bill, or not go to the doctor because they can't afford not only their own meals, but they can't afford nourishment for their own pets.”

In short, pet health means human health and vice-versa. Owning a pet and caring for it — taking it for walks, for example — can also help seniors have a more active social life.

“Our point of view is that they are inextricably intertwined, the well-being of people and their pets, in addition to the emotional and mental health benefits,” Gilbreath said. “According to the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, seniors will stay ambulatory longer if they have a dog to walk. People will be more connected in their communities because when they go out and walk their dog they are meeting their neighbors. So you might have a neighbor who realizes they haven't seen someone in a few days, maybe I should check in on them.”

The partnership also identified other issues that both organizations would like to solve. Serving seniors means serving people who are homebound and have a hard time accessing services. So there are other things senior pet owners need, like veterinarian services and grooming. 

“In addition to providing meals for pets, we're starting to think about other things,” Gilbreath said. “It's also about veterinary services. It's about grooming. It's about dental care. It's about vaccination. Things that we take for granted, but if you are homebound or you have limited mobility, you need a helping hand to be able to do that.”

Ultimately, the partnership is about keeping seniors and their pets together. It’s heartbreaking and life-changing to have to give up your pet due to poverty, especially during an age where loneliness and isolation are epidemics. A simple way to solve this is to give people what they need at their doorstep: nutritious meals for them and their beloved furry family members.