{"id":2636,"date":"2020-07-15T20:00:09","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T20:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.humanepa.org\/?p=2636"},"modified":"2020-07-15T20:01:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T20:01:18","slug":"the-stories-behind-the-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.humanepa.org\/?p=2636","title":{"rendered":"The Stories Behind The Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Humane Pennsylvania\u2019s community outreach team is all about helping people in our community take better care of their pets. We start from a baseline of no judgment \u2013 our mission is not to shame people for what they can\u2019t provide but to step in and fill gaps where needed, whether that\u2019s offering free food, hosting vaccine\/microchip clinics, or providing other essential services. In many instances, to describe these services are \u201clifesaving\u201d is not an exaggeration.<\/p>\n

Very often, though, we hear people say \u201cif people can\u2019t afford to care for their pets they shouldn\u2019t have them\u201d.\u00a0 That sentiment is of course rooted in good intentions \u2013 after all, without proper care the animals suffer. But it misses the larger point — pets aren\u2019t luxury items reserved for the privileged few.\u00a0 And many times the people who wind up needing our lifesaving support are truly lifesavers for their pets. Here are just a few examples:<\/p>\n

One of our Spike\u2019s Pet Pantry clients currently has 6 cats and 3 dogs. That would be a lot of pets for someone who has a considerable amount of disposable income, let alone someone who barely scrapes by, so it would be easy to say \u201cwhat a foolish, uncaring woman she must be to have taken on that many animals!\u201d But if you were to dig deeper and actually ask about her story you\u2019d find that she never set out to acquire any of those pets — each one was either abandoned or needed a new home because their existing owner found themselves in an even worse financial position than hers. Taking those animals into her home was an act of kindness.<\/p>\n

A recent addition to Spike\u2019s Pet Pantry\u2019s client list is a young couple who had no intention of taking on the expense of an animal but heard a tiny kitten struggling to escape from a storm drain and just couldn\u2019t leave him behind. The free services we\u2019ve been able to provide allowed them to save that kitten and ensure he has a permanent loving home.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the road crew worker who comes to Spike\u2019s Pet Pantry still in uniform to get free pet food.\u00a0 She was able to make ends meet with her 2 dogs and 2 cats, but now that her son and daughter-in-law have had to move in with their own 3 pets because they lost their jobs, money is just too tight. Without our help, their family would have lost something even more precious than just their income \u2013 they would have lost their beloved family members.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to judge from the outside \u2013 it\u2019s a lot harder once you start learning peoples\u2019 stories.\u00a0 Every day we meet exceptional people who are going to great lengths to ensure the best possible care for their animals.\u00a0 We are grateful that we can be their safety net.\u00a0 And we are grateful to each and every one of you who has donated your time, money and contributions of food and supplies to allow us to continue serving others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Humane Pennsylvania\u2019s community outreach team is all about helping people in our community take better care of their pets. We start from a baseline of no judgment \u2013 our mission is not to shame people for what they can\u2019t provide but to step in and fill gaps where needed, whether that\u2019s offering free food, hosting …
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