Needy pet owners get helping hand
Many people in need are going without food to feed their pets, according to the manager of a Taranaki foodbank.
Nearly two-thirds of New Zealand households own a pet and, for households with children, that number is 71%.
New Plymouth Community Foodbank manager Sharon Wills has seen evidence of people putting their pets' needs before themselves all the time.
"It's every day someone will say, 'Look, I've got a cat or I've got at dog, and I need to make sure I feed them,' and people are really concerned. People love their animals."
Wills had no qualms about helping people struggling to feed pets.
"People say we shouldn't be helping people who've got animals and they need to be getting rid of them, but you know, if you've had your cat or your dog for 10 years, eight years, they're part of your family."
Wills said the foodbank did not buy or collect pet food specifically, but if it had some, it gave it out to people who asked for it. The alternative was people would tend to their animals and not themselves.
Wills said vet bills were another worry that could also tip people over the edge, forcing them to seek help from foodbanks.
A recent qualitative study - based on interviews with 23 women and five men and published in the Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Association journal, found that people experiencing poverty went without food to provide for pets in their care.
Study author and doctoral student Lesley Pitt said pets provided the people in the study with a sense of security and companionship.
"The latter part was particularly important, as it reduced social isolation," she wrote. "When participants had companion animals, they prioritised food for their animals over food for themselves and went without other material goods to care for the needs of their companion animals."
Pitt said the implication of her study for social workers was that they needed to be conscious of the role pets played in the lives of people living in poverty.
During August, the Petstock Foundation will partner with the New Zealand Food Network to raise $100,000 across New Zealand and Australia to help struggling households feed their pets.
According to the Food Network, from July to December 2024, its partner food hubs reported that the top reasons Kiwis sought support were: 93% rising cost of living
59% unemployment
67% low household income
51% unexpected bills or expenses.
NZ Food Network chief executive Gavin Findlay said people going without to provide for pets was something its members saw on the front-lines of food insecurity all the time.
He was grateful for the Petstock Foundation initiative.
"As more families struggle to put food on the table, we welcome this opportunity to alleviate this burden on both the pets and their owners.
"We know that families on stretched budgets often face the hard choice of feeding themselves or feeding their pets. With the Petstock Foundation's support, we can help take away that impossible decision, so no family member or pet goes hungry."
Petstock Foundation's Naomi Mancktelow said the Big Hearts Project aimed to empower individuals and families struggling to feed their pets.
"We know that people who experience hardship also tend to experience social isolation," she said. "We also know that having a pet companion can alleviate this."
Mancktelow invited people to donate $2 to the Petstock Foundation, via its website.
"This small donation will make a big difference. You will not just fill a bowl - you are supporting the emotional wellbeing for families under pressure, keeping pets in loving homes where they belong, and empowering a better future for pets and people."
Meanwhile, Wills welcomed the fundraising drive.
"It is amazing," she said. "It just takes the pressure off us.
"We like to ask people, 'What do they need?' They'll say, 'Fruit and vege, meat and pet food. I've got a cat, I've got a dog etc,' so we'll just try and help them with those needs."
Will said demand for the foodbank service was still huge.
"To the end of July this year, we'd given out 2880 food parcels and that had helped feed more than 7000 people.
"At the end of last year, we'd given out given out 5245 food parcels and fed just under 15,000 people, so we'll definitely match those numbers this year."
How Kiwis can support: Donate just $2 in-store or online: Pet lovers can donate at the Petstock counter in-store or online at www.petstock.co.nz
100% of funds donated to the foundation supports its charitable partners and projects like Big Hearts, with all operating costs covered by the business
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