TulsaPets Magazine September 2021

40 TulsaPets • September/October 2021 PETS ARE IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE HOMEBOUND. R Pets are important to people, especially the homebound. They foster a sense of security, help combat loneliness and increase a person’s wellness. The importance of companionship animals have become even more vital as the pandemic has placed our most vulnerable neighbors into deeper isolation. The PAWS program is a pet food program that helps ensure that seniors maintain healthy diets without sacrificing their meal to protect their pet from hunger. SUPPORT THE MEALS ON WHEELS PAWS PROGRAM Get involved today at MealsOnWheelsTulsa.org/PAWS You can provide a month’s worth of meals for a companionship animal for only $15.00. PAWS Program Supplies a Month’s Worth of Supplemental Pet Food to Homebound Recipients T he PAWS (Pets Assisting Wellness in Seniors) program supplies a month’s worth of supplemental pet food to our homebound recipients, which supports the animal companions of these individuals. By doing so, we ensure our recipients maintain healthy diets without sacrificing to feed their pets. “Volunteering for PAWS is an honor and a blessing,” says PAWS volunteer Kim Goza. “Unconditional love…That’s what PAWS is really giving when they give food to a pet owner who could not have found a way to provide that need.” Our recipients count on our pet food deliveries to keep them and their pet compan- ions together in their forever home. “Without that unconditional love they receive from their pet, most would have no one to bring them joy, hope or purpose in life,” says Goza. “That’s what PAWS is all about. Providing a means to continue to have that unconditional love we all need.” We’re not just delivering pet food anymore. Our PAWS program can now assist our homebound clients in getting their animal companions both to and from veterinary appointments and provide financial support when needed. Last month, one of our volunteers transported a pet to their neutering appointment after the client had rescheduled the appointment three times. The client said she felt blessed to have the assistance. The PAWS program was just recently awarded the Karen Gibson In the Contract Award by the Mid-Continental Kennel Club for the second year in a row. Pet food deliveries happen in the morning, on the third Saturday of each month. If you would like to support the PAWS program through a donation or by volunteering, please visit MealsOnWheelsTulsa.org/PAWS.