Last year, more than 46 million Americans used the federal food stamps program to feed their families. However, a federal program like this does not exist to help our pets, but there are organizations that can help. Lisa Chelenza has more for this edition of Pet Pointers.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

A new donation-based program called Pet Food Stamps aims to provide food for pets of low-income families and for food stamp recipients who otherwise could not afford to feed their pets. This program works out of New York and has no affiliation with the federal food stamp program, but uses similar guidelines to access need and is open to anyone in the United States.

A program like this isn’t new. Many animal shelters, rescue groups, low cost clinics and pet supply stores have been working with needy families to help feed their pets for years. David Sturgis, owner of Dog Daze Bakery, also runs a not for profit pet food pantry called “Hardeko,” which is already maxed out with their donation program. Sturgis said he has seen the devastating effects of not being able to properly care for a pet.

“If you can’t afford them, you have to give them up, better for family to keep the animal,” said David Sturgis, owner of Dog Daze Bakery.

More than 45,000 pets have already been signed up for the Pet Food Stamp program. Once need and income is verified, the families will receive pet food each month from pet food retailer Pet Food Direct for a six month period.

If your family is currently struggling to feed a pet, before give them up, call your local animal shelter or pet food retailers and ask if they have a pet food pantry program of their own.

To learn more about the donation-based food stamp program for pets, visit petfoodstamps.org.