Mobile pet food bank makes paw-sitive impact

Article content

Dozens of people lined up next to Bear Clan Patrol headquarters on Selkirk Avenue on Friday morning to receive free bags and boxes of pet food and treats.

Article content

The Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS), Bear Clan Patrol, and Feed the Furbabies Canada teamed up to host a second mobile pet food bank offering free dog and cat food and treats to help ease some of the increased costs of owning a pet – from vet care to food – that has put so much pressure on the community.

Article content

“It’s incredibly important,” said Meghan Irwin, WHS Director of Behaviour and Retail Operations. “At the Winnipeg Humane Society, we do have an emergency food bank and we’ve seen that the demand for it has increased over 25% since last year and we know there are some barriers. Accessibility, (and) transportation are big barriers for people so for us to be able to be in the community on a great bus route within walking distance of the community members who need the support, it’s fantastic. It’s amazing.”

Article content

Article content

The first mobile food bank was held last November and they ran out of roughly 800 pounds of food within an hour, Irwin said. As a result, they made sure to have twice the amount of food to hand out.

The WHS emergency food bank provides just over $1,000 worth of pet food a month to the community, relying mainly on donated items to keep the food bank stocked but has also had to purchase products to keep up with the increased demand. The food for the mobile bank was the result of a generous donation from Mars Petcare, Humane Canada, and Feed the Furbabies Canada.

“We’d love to do this as often as we possibly can,” said Irwin. “It really comes down to the generosity of our donors. The vast majority of our food has been donated by Mars Petcare, so thanks to their support we are able to do these programs. The more donations we get in, the more we can do it, the more we’re happy to bring it out to where it’s needed.”

Article content

“It’s about getting the needs of our community filled and this is one way we can help fill the needs of our community by stepping up and partnering with these great organizations to help our community,” said Angela Klassen, Downtown West Broadway coordinator for Bear Clan Patrol and the organization’s missing person liaison.

“We know that there are a lot of people who are poverty-driven here and we know that it is something that they can’t afford so we want to try to help them out by bringing it in for them. We know that they’re struggling here in the North End and this is one way that we can help meet that need.”

For Brian who came to get food for his eight-year-old cat, the mobile food bank helps him make sure she has enough to eat.

“It means a lot to me and a lot to her,” said Brian, who did not want to give out his last name.

“She always comes first before I buy anything for myself.”

“A lot of people have pets as service animals and they are a comfort to them,” said Klassen. “They are a support system for them and we can’t say that if you can’t support an animal you need to give it up. People are entitled to these rights and this is just one way we can help.

“Just because you’re down on your luck doesn’t mean you deserve anything less than anyone else.”

gdawkins@postmedia.com

X: @SunGlenDawkins

Article content