There’s a new effort underway to support struggling military veterans in Calgary and their four-legged friends.
MOMMS Premium Pet Foods is holding a pre-Remembrance Day pet food drive at its store in the Lake Bonavista neighbourhood in southeast Calgary.
The store is turning over the donations it collects to the Veterans Association Food Bank (VAFB), which provides food to both veterans and their pets.
“I’ve got a lot of family in the armed forces,” MOMMS owner Chris Malmberg said. “A lot of these veterans, with times being so tough, are having challenges feeding their pets.”
Many veterans count on their animals for help as they deal with medical conditions.
“My pet Dude is my service dog and he helps me in untold ways,” veteran Rod Elder said. “As far as my PTSD goes, any time I’m feeling down, he knows and he applies himself and cheers me up and keeps me going.”
Along with providing food, the VAFB also covers others costs associated with the veterans’ pets.
“Teeth cleaning, grooming, we’ve done a few surgeries for pets,” VAFB executive director Marie Blackburn said. “For many of our veterans, that’s all they have, so we want to make sure that those pets are taken care of.”
The pet food drive wraps up with a major donation collection at the MOMMS store between noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov 4.
“That’s fantastic! Now, with the housing crisis and the cost of living, people are short of money,” Elder said. “With this company stepping up for us, it really helps a lot – these animals are important.”
