Food stamps for pets will be handed out to low-income people by a New York-based organization in the near future. The pet food stamp program will be open to anyone in the United States.
A New York-based organization is looking to provide food stamps for pets of low-income families, and for people who get food stamps but can’t also afford to pay for their pets’ food. It, however, is not a federal government program and is run on donations.
The program, called Pet Food Stamps, will be open to anyone in the United States.
“There are over 50 million Americans who currently receive Food Stamps, many with dogs or cats, who simply cannot afford to feed their animals, and these cherished companions are dropped off at animal shelters where they will most likely be put to sleep,” reads a statement on the organization’s website.
The program appears to be gaining popularity, as 45,000 people have signed up for it in the past two weeks, founder Marc Okon told ABC News. “We’re not looking for government funding at this point,” Okon said. “Should the government be willing to provide assistance further down the line, we will look into it.”
Okon told ABC-7 in New Mexico that it is simple to register for the program. People who quality for government assistance can also likely sign up for Pet Food Stamps.
“I received a letter from a woman who is on food stamps. She lost her job recently. She’s a single mother of a severely disabled young boy, and she said his only companion and his only mode of communication is with the family dog and they’re thinking about getting rid of the dog because they can’t afford to feed it,” he told the station.
“It’s people like that that this program is aimed to help,” Okon added.
The program entails giving pet owners a free monthly home delivery of food supplies to maintain the health of their pets, the website states.
When an individual is verified and is an approved member of Pet Food Stamps, staff with the organization will place an order with www.PetFoodDirect.com based on how much was awarded.
