Pet food banks to get big boost from new Petco drive

Nov 04, 2010 Pet food banks to get big boost from new Petco drive When the Petco Foundation launches its national food bank drive for the holiday season Friday, Tom Wargo is going to be one happy man.He knows the contributions will mean he doesn't have to turn away as many people who can't afford to feed their pets. Wargo is the director of Daffy's Pet Soup Kitchens in Georgia. He says when he started his soup kitchen in 1997, people referred to him as the He's a hero to thousands now."The idea is to help families feed their pets so they don't have to take them to shelters,'' said Petco Foundation executive director Paul Jolly.http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/paw-print-post/2010/11/04/foodbankx-inset-community.jpg" width="230" height="180" cutline="The Petco Foundation holiday food bank drive starts Friday." credit="Handout" class="c7" />"Petco's contributions to us are helping in more ways than one,'' says Wargo, adding when people come to the food banks, he and other volunteers get a chance to open conversations about spay and neuter programs. Again, fewer animals for the shelters.It's really the perfect point of contact for families to learn about caring for pets,'' says Jolly.Jolly says many of the stores will have a can of food at the register that can be purchased and adding to the food bin. The stores can tell customers or those in need which food bank or shelter is serving their area.READERS: What a great effort this is to help families and pets stay together. Any contribution helps, including foods for senior pets and pets requiring special diets. Right now, it's just for cats and dogs. Here's another story about a volunteer who helps collect and distribute food for cats in Oregon.To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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