Veterinary specialty center hosts holiday pet food drive
For the third straight year, Veterinary Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove will be conducting a pet food and supply drive for Nina's Pet Food Pantry, a program of Young at Heart Pet Rescue, during the holidays.
Nina's Pet Food Pantry provides pet food to the food pantries in Palatine Township and St. Vincent DePaul in Lake Zurich.
"A lot of human food is collected for food pantries. Unfortunately, the same people that need food for themselves also are struggling to feed their four-legged family members," said Dawn Kemper, executive director of Young at Heart Pet Rescue.
"Too many families end up having to surrender a pet to a shelter when they hit hard times and just need food. The pet food pantry helps to keep pets out of shelters and to keep families together."
"We see the importance of the human/animal bond everyday when families come to our hospital to get their pets treated," said Becky Murray, a licensed professional counselor and certified veterinary technician at Veterinary Specialty Center.
"Our employees are passionate about pets and helping out in that community to help with rescue and other programs that help pet families stay together."
Nina's Pet Food Pantry doesn't have a physical location, but because of donations to the pantry, Palatine Township and St. Vincent DePaul are able to provide pet food for families that qualify for their programs. Young at Heart was able to launch Nina's Pet Food Pantry thanks to a donation from the Weiner family in loving memory of their Portuguese water dog.
"Our beloved dog, Nina, died in October of 2008 and, at the time, we recognized that she was used to being in a king-size bed and comfortable home," Laurie Weiner said.
"Senior pets are used to the creature comforts and, after she died, we wanted to do something in her memory. Steve did some research and found Young at Heart Pet Rescue."
"We met with Dawn and the board and they were just on the cusp of expanding into some new programs, and money is always an issue with a nonprofit," Steve Weiner said. "The board said that one way we can help keep more pets out of the shelters is to work with local pet food pantries and offer pet food so people don't have to make the decision between paying an electric bill or feeding their pet."
Donations may be dropped off at Veterinary Specialty Center, 1515 Busch Parkway in Buffalo Grove, between 6 a.m. and midnight through Monday, Jan. 5. Canned cat and dog food and bags (20 pounds or less) of dog and cat food are needed. Treats, toys, gift cards to pet food stores and monetary donations are also accepted.
"It's ironic that Nina did know what the word 'pantry' meant," Laurie said. "We would say 'pantry' and she would go into our pantry, hop on the stool and pick out a treat."
Past drives at Veterinary Specialty Center have brought in more than 700 pounds of pet food and helped keep the shelves stocked at Nina's Pet Food Pantry for several months. Learn more about Veterinary Specialty Center at www.vetspecialty.com and Young at Heart Pet Rescue and Nina's Pantry at www.adoptaseniorpet.com.