ALEXANDRIA, VA – Senior Services of Alexandria (SSA) supports Alexandria’s elderly residents and their pets too! SSA recently received a $12,500 grant for its AniMeals on Wheels program. Funding will be used to help with veterinary care, grooming services, and other needs.
The AniMeals on Wheels program is a collaboration with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. The grant is made possible through a partnership with Meals on Wheels America and PetSmart Charities.
“Senior Services of Alexandria is pleased to have received this grant that will provide monies for expanded care for the pets of current Meals on Wheels and AniMeals clients, said Mary Lee Anderson, SSA’s Executive Director. “Ensuring that Meals on Wheels clients’ pets continue to stay healthy is one step toward combating loneliness.”
“For years, we’ve been glad to help beloved pets stay with their owners, working alongside Senior Services of Alexandria through the AniMeals component of Meals on Wheels,” said Animal Welfare League of Alexandria Executive Director Stella Hanly. “This grant will allow us to extend those efforts to keep pets happy and healthy, and address the kinds of crises that might otherwise lead our clients to surrender a cherished friend.”
According to SSA, one in four seniors lives alone. Therefore, pets are often their closest companion.
This year, as part of a strategic effort to combat social isolation and loneliness in the elderly population, Meals on Wheels America and PetSmart Charities awarded $601,538 in grants to 79 local Meals on Wheels programs through the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets initiative.
