Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., is proud to announce that it has received a Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grant through Meals on Wheels America for its pet support program, Pets on Wheels. Funding will be used to provide food, supplies, and improved access to care for the pets of home-delivered meals clients, which can often be a financial and physical challenge for older adults to manage on their own.

Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., Receives Grant From Meals on Wheels America and Petsmart Charities

“Older adults are such an important part of our communities.  I am proud to serve them through our Senior Services Program in Hernando, Sumter, Lake, and Polk Counties”, said Michael Georgini, CEO of Mid Florida Community Services, Inc.  “I can’t thank Meals on Wheels America and Petsmart Charities enough for supporting our clients and their beloved animal companions.”

Funding for this grant was made possible through a partnership with PetSmart Charities, part of Meals on Wheels America’s strategic effort to combat social isolation and loneliness among seniors across the country. This year, PetSmart Charities’ support allowed Meals on Wheels America to grant $354,500 to 98 Meals on Wheels programs through the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets initiative, which ensures that homebound seniors and their animal companions can live happy, healthy lives together.

“The companionship a pet offers enhances the physical and mental health and well-being of homebound seniors, which is particularly valuable as so many older adults are feeling even more lonely and isolatedamid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander. “We’re grateful for PetSmart Charities’ ongoing support, which has allowed us to invest Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grants in more local Meals on Wheels programs than ever before. This support will enable Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., to provide pet supplies and care to local seniors, making it more feasible for seniors to remain safe and healthy at home with their beloved companions during this public health emergency and beyond.”

Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., is a member of the National Community Action Partnership and the Community Action Network, which was born out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.  Mid Florida Community Services, Inc.’s, mission is to strengthen partnerships, mobilize resources, and provide integrated services that promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families in the communities in which they live.

ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA

Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

ABOUT PETSMART CHARITIES^®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 600,000 shelter pets each year. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $430 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 17 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

Follow Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., on Facebook: Facebook.com/MidFloridaCommunityServices

Follow PetSmart Charities on Instagram: @PetSmartCharities 
Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs 
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities 
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc