Community Corner

Food Drive for Needy Pets Scheduled Saturday

The Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry is organizing a food drive to help provide assistance pets of economically challenged, disabled and elderly residents of the Hudson Valley from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the ShopRite in Cortlandt Manor.

People aren’t the ones feeling the pinch of the economy. Their pets are suffering as well.

The Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry, which is based in White Plains, served 216 clients as of Feb. 28. That is almost 100 more clients than the pantry served at the same time last year.

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That’s why volunteers are teaming up from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Saturday to hold a food drive for cats and dogs at the ShopRite located at 2094 E. Main St. in Cortlandt Manor. The food collected will help the food pantry feed pets from all over the Hudson Valley.

“We have quite a few volunteers coming to ShopRite, who was nice enough to let us use their frontage,” said Wendy Kelly, a Peekskill resident and one of the organizers of the event.

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Kelly said she found out about the organization after a reading a newspaper article. She donated to the organization at first, but wanted to do more to help and spoke to Susan Katz, the organization’s president.

After speaking, Katz and Kelly came up with the idea to have a pet food drive in northern Westchester County.

According to the pet food pantry, about 52 percent of its clients are seniors over the age of 65 with limited incomes. The other 48 percent include disabled persons, veterans with service/companion animals, families dealing with unemployment, and others meeting government standards for assistance.

While some pet owners are eventually able to get back on their feet, others continue struggle.

“Susan has tried to go directly to the pet food manufacturers to ask for donations, but the will only donate directly to the shelters,” Kelly said. “But this organization is trying to keep the pets and the owners together.”

About a dozen volunteers have come forward and the group will be easy to spot Saturday, Kelly said.

“We’re going to have photos of the volunteer's pets, their names and balloons,” Kelly said.

Anyone who wants to send an online donation to Hudson Valley Pet Food Drive can do so by going to  online: http://www.hvpetfoodpantry.org/. For more information, an application and pantry hours please call (914) 907-3433 or (914) 907-3487.


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