One of the bright spots of COVID-19<\/a> has been seeing shelters clear out. Because people have spent more time at home, they\u2019ve been able to find room in their schedules, homes and hearts for a fur baby. And while this is great news, there\u2019s another side to the pandemic: Record unemployment has made many people food insecure. When mom and dad are struggling to put food on the table, it begs the question: How can they fill up their dog\u2019s dish?<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of uncertainty,\u201d says Marc Peralta, Chief Program Officer at Best Friends Animal Society<\/a>. \u201cHow is that going to impact every aspect of their life, including pets that they may not have the resources and funding to keep? We want to keep families together, which includes the furry family members as well.\u201d<\/p>\n There are resources out there to help you help you feed your dog if you’re food insecure. Marc shares where to look, how to manage and why you shouldn\u2019t feel guilty about asking for help.<\/p>\n A Dalmatian dog eats her dinner in the family kitchen. Photo: SolStock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Marc says the best resource for pet parents is food pantries and banks. There are ones specifically set up for pets. Try Googling \u201cpet food pantry near me\u201d or \u201cpet food bank near me.\u201d If you\u2019re not having much luck, pick up the phone.<\/p>\n \u201cCall a local shelter because if they are not doing a pet food pantry, I can guarantee they\u2019ll know who is,\u201d Marc says. \u201cSame with veterinarians.\u201d<\/p>\n Communities often have resource numbers you can dial, such as New York City\u2019s 311.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/b>That\u2019s something else really quickly if you don\u2019t want to do Google searches,\u201d Marc says.<\/p>\n Marc also suggests sitting down and looking at your weekly and monthly expenses. Is there something you can cut temporarily that would enable you to purchase pet food?<\/p>\n \u201cI have been a man who has lived on very little at many points in my life,\u201d Marc says.<\/p>\n Check weekly circulars for coupons as well. You may be able to find some for dog food. If not, you may find some for people food and other necessities. If possible, you can put the leftover money toward dog food.<\/p>\n Pet supplies section in grocery store. Photo: Bill Oxford\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Often, pet stores and even big-box retailers like Wal-Marts will have an abundance of food samples you can stock up on. If they don\u2019t, you\u2019re struggling or if your dog only eats a certain kind of food and there aren\u2019t any samples available, call the vendor.<\/p>\n \u201cTell them the situation,\u201d Marc says. \u201cI\u2019d be shocked \u2026 if they wouldn\u2019t be willing to send you coupons to help you get through a tough time and keep you long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n It can be humbling \u2014\u00a0and even embarrassing \u2014 to ask for help. We promise our pets we\u2019ll be able to help them their entire lives, and you may feel inadequate for needing assistance. In these unprecedented times, Marc wants you to know you\u2019re not alone in these unprecedented times, and it\u2019s not your fault.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want to help,\u201d he says. \u201cThey need to understand that you need help. … Sometimes we have to rely on the help of others, and hopefully, we can give back at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n Featured photo: SolStock<\/a>\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n Read Next: <\/strong>8 Ways to Find Affordable Vet Care for Your Dog<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The post How to Feed Your Dog If You\u2019re Food Insecure<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post How to Feed Your Dog If You\u2019re Food Insecure<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n One of the bright spots of COVID-19<\/a> has been seeing shelters clear out. Because people have spent more time at home, they\u2019ve been able to find room in their schedules, homes and hearts for a fur baby. And while this is great news, there\u2019s another side to the pandemic: Record unemployment has made many people food insecure. When mom and dad are struggling to put food on the table, it begs the question: How can they fill up their dog\u2019s dish?<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of uncertainty,\u201d says Marc Peralta, Chief Program Officer at Best Friends Animal Society<\/a>. \u201cHow is that going to impact every aspect of their life, including pets that they may not have the resources and funding to keep? We want to keep families together, which includes the furry family members as well.\u201d<\/p>\n There are resources out there to help you help you feed your dog if you’re food insecure. Marc shares where to look, how to manage and why you shouldn\u2019t feel guilty about asking for help.<\/p>\n A Dalmatian dog eats her dinner in the family kitchen. Photo: SolStock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Marc says the best resource for pet parents is food pantries and banks. There are ones specifically set up for pets. Try Googling \u201cpet food pantry near me\u201d or \u201cpet food bank near me.\u201d If you\u2019re not having much luck, pick up the phone.<\/p>\n \u201cCall a local shelter because if they are not doing a pet food pantry, I can guarantee they\u2019ll know who is,\u201d Marc says. \u201cSame with veterinarians.\u201d<\/p>\n Communities often have resource numbers you can dial, such as New York City\u2019s 311.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/b>That\u2019s something else really quickly if you don\u2019t want to do Google searches,\u201d Marc says.<\/p>\n Marc also suggests sitting down and looking at your weekly and monthly expenses. Is there something you can cut temporarily that would enable you to purchase pet food?<\/p>\n \u201cI have been a man who has lived on very little at many points in my life,\u201d Marc says.<\/p>\n Check weekly circulars for coupons as well. You may be able to find some for dog food. If not, you may find some for people food and other necessities. If possible, you can put the leftover money toward dog food.<\/p>\n Pet supplies section in grocery store. Photo: Bill Oxford\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Often, pet stores and even big-box retailers like Wal-Marts will have an abundance of food samples you can stock up on. If they don\u2019t, you\u2019re struggling or if your dog only eats a certain kind of food and there aren\u2019t any samples available, call the vendor.<\/p>\n \u201cTell them the situation,\u201d Marc says. \u201cI\u2019d be shocked \u2026 if they wouldn\u2019t be willing to send you coupons to help you get through a tough time and keep you long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n It can be humbling \u2014\u00a0and even embarrassing \u2014 to ask for help. We promise our pets we\u2019ll be able to help them their entire lives, and you may feel inadequate for needing assistance. In these unprecedented times, Marc wants you to know you\u2019re not alone in these unprecedented times, and it\u2019s not your fault.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want to help,\u201d he says. \u201cThey need to understand that you need help. … Sometimes we have to rely on the help of others, and hopefully, we can give back at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n Featured photo: SolStock<\/a>\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n Read Next: <\/strong>8 Ways to Find Affordable Vet Care for Your Dog<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The post How to Feed Your Dog If You\u2019re Food Insecure<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"feed](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-910858704.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFood pantries can help you feed your dog if you’re food insecure
\n<\/b><\/h3>\nTry to save<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"feed](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-506033460.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLook for samples<\/b><\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t feel guilty about needing help
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/p>\nFood pantries can help you feed your dog if you’re food insecure
\n<\/b><\/h3>\nTry to save<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nLook for samples<\/b><\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t feel guilty about needing help
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n