If People Are Hungry, Their Pets Are, Too

A key solution for solving hunger at both ends of the leash lies in the collective action between organizational partnerships and community involvement.

Brand Provided | By Aimee Gilbreath and Linda Nageotte | Published 2 weeks ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Feeding America

For so many of us, our pets are more than close companions — they are family. In fact, of the 86.9 million US households that have pets, a full 97 percent consider their pets to be part of their family. Yet, as much as our pets contribute to our family unit, our homes and our joys, they also share our hardships. And for far too many people, this includes hunger.

Food insecurity is one of the defining challenges of our time. With over 47 million people across the US experiencing food insecurity, hunger knows no boundary, no zip code — it impacts 100 percent of communities across the nation. Despite signs of an improving economy, high food costs and expenses such as rent have intensified food insecurity for many families. Food banks have reported increased pressure from the growing number of people experiencing food insecurity. With an estimated 30 million pets facing hunger alongside their owners, it is likely that people seeking support from food banks have a pet at home in need of assistance, too.

Access to healthy, nutritious and consistent meals should not be a luxury — for people or pets — and the pathways for providing accessible food for people facing hunger should not be mutually exclusive to those designed for pets facing hunger.

Feeding pets is not just an act of goodwill; it is also important to our overall community health, as pets can positively impact our wellbeing — providing companionship, emotional support and health benefits. Our pets can serve significant service and therapeutic roles and provide vital companionship and social connections for many families, individuals and senior adults, and can lead to better physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Yet as families grapple with high costs for essentials including housing, groceries, medication and transportation, many are finding it increasingly challenging to manage the expenses associated with their pets. 41 percent of pet parents already report difficulties in keeping up with the increasing costs of pet care and one in five pet parents experiencing food insecurity have reported foregoing their own meals to instead feed their pets.

A key solution for solving hunger at both ends of the leash lies in the collective action between organizational partnerships and community involvement.

PetSmart Charities launched the annual Pet Hunger Awareness Day® campaign as a call to action that coincides with Feeding America®’s Hunger Action Month® (September) to elevate the conversation around the full impact of food insecurity on people and pets. Our two organizations began our partnership in 2017; and since then, over 298 million pet meals have been provided across the Feeding America network of partner food banks. Additionally, more than 13 million meals have been provided through PetSmart Charities’ five-year partnership with Meals on Wheels America; and over 40 million meals have been donated through additional efforts across the US — culminating in 350 million meals for pets in need.

Since 2021, local Feeding America partner food banks have also reported a consistent increase in demand for pet food as part of this partnership. By making pet food available at food bank distributions, people can gain access to resources for both their families and their pets. This critical support helps pets stay with their loved ones and do what they do best — offer unconditional love.

Serving people in need can be an incredible entry point for serving pets in need, too. Through building comprehensive strategies that leverage the resources, spaces and infrastructure dedicated to combating hunger, we can accommodate pet parents seeking nutritious meals for their entire families — two-legged and four-legged members alike.

As we recognize the second annual Pet Hunger Awareness Day and Hunger Action Month this month, we’d encourage others to reach out to their local food banks to uncover pathways to supporting pet-hunger relief programs in their community — from in-kind donations of pet food to volunteering to help with a distribution event. All efforts make an impact.

Collectively, we have both an opportunity and an obligation to address these challenges holistically and shift the conversation on how we can work to nourish both people and their pets — so they can thrive together. Because when people build better lives for their pets, the quality of their lives can improve, too.

Aimee Gilbreath

President, PetSmart Charities

Aimee Gilbreath is President at PetSmart Charities — the leading funder of animal welfare in communities across North America.

Linda Nageotte

President and Chief Operating Officer
Feeding America

In her role as President & COO, Nageotte helps define and implement strategy for Feeding America; co-leads work to design a strategic framework for the national network; and oversees a critical portfolio including sourcing and supplying food, network relations, technology, research and innovation, and board governance.

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Food & Beverage