South Lake Animal League joins national pet food program
Groveland
ROXANNE BROWN | Staff Writer
roxannebrown@dailycommercial.com
The South Lake Animal League -- a non-profit no-kill rescue serving Florida since 1988 -- has created a program to provide food for dogs and cats when owners might otherwise be forced to surrender their pets to a shelter.
The program is an ongoing national effort to regularly supply donated pet food to local people who cannot afford to properly provide for their pets.
"It was brought to our attention that some people in our community were being faced with the choice of feeding themselves or their pets," SLAL President Doreen Barker said, adding that the choice involves keeping a roof over their head or feeding their pets.
"We believe that pets are important family members, and by helping to keep these pets in their homes, we will maintain the human-animal bond that is so important -- especially in difficult times.
"I just can't imagine going through hard times already, then having to deal with the stress and sadness of giving up your pet, too."
In its new venture, the SLAL has teamed up with a national program and area businesses to become a collection site for Pets of the Homeless.
The Animal League supports the program's ob-jective by collecting pet food and pet supplies and working closely with the local food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters who have agreed to distribute the pet food to the homeless.
"We don't always have a surplus, so by doing this, we'll have a lot of food to give to the pan-tries," Barker said.
Pets of the Homeless is just one of the programs in the South Lake Animal League's Operation Outreach Depart-ment. They also assist Lake/Sumter Hospice with pet placement and care, provide low-cost spay/neuter options.
Friday, March 23, 2012 - www.dailycommercial.com/0322312an