Kibble on Wheels Receives $1500 Banfield Grant

Independent Living, Inc. Kibble on Wheels pet food and supply program is the grateful recipient of a $1500 grant from Banfield Charitable Trust. The funds will be used to administer the program, largely by purchasing supplies to supplement local in-kind donations.

The goal of the Kibble on Wheels (KOW) program is to eliminate the practice of homebound or low-income seniors and disabled adults sharing their meals with their companion animals. By sharing meals with pets, frail adults deny themselves nutrition and at the same time give their beloved animals inappropriate food.

Approximately 60 animals are served through the Independent Living KOW program.  A majority of pets are dogs and cats; a few clients have birds or other small pets. Through KOW, ILI provides free pet food and other available items, such as cat litter, treats and toys, to the pets of low-income clients receiving evening Meals on Wheels or other services from Independent Living.

The Kibble on Wheels program at Independent Living began in 2006 and was the first program of its kind in Wisconsin. It was the same year that Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) established We All Love Our Pets (WALOP) as a national initiative to keep seniors and their beloved pets well nourished.   WALOP focuses attention on the vital relationship that exists between homebound seniors and their pets, and the need for financial resources for nutritional services and pet food delivery.

MOWAA / WALOP has partnered with Banfield Charitable Trust to provide support for programs that address senior hunger and companion animal needs.  Grants from Banfield Charitable Trust are awarded to MOWAA members to begin or augment an ongoing pet program.

Independent Living is a member of MOWAA and has been the sole provider of evening Meals on Wheels in Dane County since 1989. The evening Meals on Wheels program was the first in Wisconsin to earn Magnet Accreditation at the exemplary level from MOWAA, in 2010.

Banfield Charitable Trust is the nonprofit foundation with Banfield Pet Hospitals. In addition to providing preventive care to clients in need, the Charitable Trust also supports childhood education programs, veterinary education programs, and programs based on the family-pet bond. Banfield Charitable Trust works to keep pets and people together.

Also working with WALOP is Mounds Pet Food Warehouse, which donates pet food to various organizations including Independent Living.  Locally, WPS Health Insurance employees have organized an ongoing donation program to provide supplies to KOW, too.