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13 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,M arch 31,2022 insidehalton.com You Have a Growing Family. We Have Life Insurance to Grow with You. Mitul Patel, Licensed Life Insurance Advisor 905-771-3000 ext. 37003 mpatel@caaforlife.com Trusted Advice, for Life CAA Club Group Advisory Services is the registered business name of 2760704 Ontario Inc. 60 Commerce Valley Drive East, Thornhill, Ontario L3T 7P9. (FSRA license no. 37824M) ®/™ CAA trademarks are owned by, and use is authorized by, the Canadian Automobile Association. (228022-3/22) Though the Oakville and Milton Hu- mane Society (OMHS) recognized the need for a pet food bank before the pandemic, COVID-19 drove home the reasons it was so important. With people isolated and others experi- encing financial hardships, it was needed more than ever. One elderly couple now using the pet food bank had started cutting down on their own food to provide for their dog, who provided the couple with companionship and helped with their mental health through pandemic lockdowns. Their walks with their dog also provided exer- cise. "We wanted to keep pets in their homes with their families," said Heather Hubert, the project co-ordinator for the Oakville and Milton Humane Society. "Nobody should ever have to give up a pet." OMHS applied for and received a grant from the United Way of Halton Hamilton's Community Emergency Support Fund to start the program this time last year. Origi- nally partnering with Kerr Street Mission, the need became apparent. OMHS quickly expanded to work with six community groups. A year later, OMHS has doubled to work with 12 partner organizations dis- tributing pet food through 20 different pro- grams in Oakville and Milton. To date, OMHS has provided 100,000 meals for pets. "It's incredible," said Hubert. "A year ago I couldn't have imagined this." OMHS collects pet food donations (it al- so accepts cash donations through www.omhs.ca/petfoodbank to purchase food) and distributes it to its partners. Among needed items are wet cat and dog food and kitty litter. NEWS PET FOOD BANK KEEPS ANIMALS WITH THEIR FAMILIES The Oakville and Milton Humane Society recently celebrated the first anniversary of its pet food bank, which has provided more than 100,000 pet meals. OMHS photo HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM