In an effort to build a stronger relationship with their community, the Charleston Police Department in West Virginia has been distributing pet food to those who need it. The program hopes to keep pets and owners together. It has slowly been expanding into food banks, schools, and police offers have the opportunity to deliver food to people they meet on calls at their own discretion. However, the department still needed help to meet the city’s needs.
Hoping to expand its reach, Greater Good Charities’ Rescue Bank* stepped in to deliver 24 pallets of pet food for distribution!
In a city where the poverty level is at 20% (the national average is 15.1%), these donations allow animals to have access to healthy meals. Many of the pet owners who are benefitting from this program used to neglect their own needs to meet their pet’s needs, like using their limited food stamps to buy pet food, stealing it, or simply giving their pet their own meals provided by soup kitchens. This program aims to relieve pet owners of that kind of stress so they can focus on their own well-being and success.
“There are no words to describe how grateful I am for your organization. When the driver opened the back of the truck, my eyes filled with tears because of how many people this donation will help,” Officer K. Messinger, Humane Officer for the CPD, said.
She says that her goal is to keep pets happy and healthy in their own homes. In fact, when we last spoke to her, she was babysitting a couple of pups in her squad car.
We couldn’t do this without you. Thank you.
*Rescue Bank is now the Greater Good Charities GOODS program!
