For Nicole Wilks, the Animal Food Bank started when she met a man who is homeless and his canine companion, Odin, a few months ago.
Thoughts of the pair kept her up at night, wondering how she could help.
Now she has found a way — a pet food bank.
“We actually look down on them for having a pet. Meanwhile, the pet is likely to keep them out of trouble.”
She and her fiance, AJ Frey, have enlisted friends and family to help pick up more than 500 pounds of cat and dog food, treats, toys and litter from four Kelowna and West Kelowna locations over the past week.
To help Central Okanagan Food Banks, like the West Kelowna location, it receives donations from pet stores and box stores, but as soon as they come in, they go out again.
“If a person is on a very fixed income, they have very little social life to no social life, so having a pet that they can be responsible for allows them to get out a bit and someone to wake up with,” said Gary Lynch, manager of the West Kelowna Central Okanagan Food Bank.
To view the Animal Food Bank’s wish list, or to find a drop-off location to make a donation, visit animalfoodbank.ca