Garland has started the Granite Bowl Pet Pantry in order to make sure people in the area don’t have to choose between feeding themselves or their pet.
“The idea came from realizing that many people go through temporary difficult times in their lives such as an illness, fire, or loss of job, and they find it hard to feed their family let alone their beloved family pet. Sometimes they have to surrender or rehome the pet, not because they want to, but because they don't know what else to do,” she says.
“It is very stressful for the family to have to give up the pet and its very difficult on the pet to be rehomed.”
She is looking for donations of food, as well as a place in New Glasgow to store it.
She already has several bags of dog and cat food, and is running out of room in her home for it.
Garland began collecting the food in November. By Christmas, she had helped five families.
She says a pet food bank would not only help people who don’t want to give up their furry companion, but would also ensure that no extra pets go to overcrowded shelters.
“If people can help feed them, it helps the shelter and the family.”
At this point, Garland is only looking to help people or families going through a temporary crisis.
However, if the program grows, she’d like to offer the service to low-income families and anyone who would like to feed strays, but can’t afford it.
“If I’m given a lot of food, I’ll reach out to others.”
She wants to keep it simple, and doesn’t want to deal with cash donations.
Donations of any size are appreciated, she says.
“A can (of food) is more than what I had.”
Garland can be contacted through her Facebook page, Granite Bowl Pet Pantry, or through email at [email protected].
Donations can also be dropped off to her at the Great Canadian Dollar Store at the Aberdeen Business Centre.
On Twitter: @NGNewsAmanda
