Food Stamps for Pets Now Available

Food stamps for pets, now who would have thought of this idea?? Well, they have and food stamps for pets has become a reality.

A new donation-based program named “Pet Food Stamps” wants to provide food stamps for pets when their families go broke or are unable to buy food for their pets.

Pet Food Stamps is based in New York and anyone from the US can sign-up. So far, more than 45,000 pets have signed up. This has happened in just the past two weeks according to Pet Food Stamps founder and executive director Marc Okon.

The organization will verify the income of the family and once done they will receive pet food each month from pet food retailer Pet Food Direct for six months.

“We’re not looking for government funding at this point,” Okon told ABCNews.com. “Should the government be willing to provide assistance further down the line, we will look into it.”

The only  way to apply for the program is through an online application, but Okon said applications would be accepted through mail once the program moved to its new office.

Okon said the program’s nonprofit status was  still pending.

There is currently no federal pet food stamp program in place, although the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service tries to provide protection for animals in case of emergencies or natural disasters. The 1966 Animal Welfare Act also makes no mention of providing food for pets.

Okon’s program isn’t revolutionary. Other animal shelters and rescue leagues around the country, such as the Washington Animal Rescue League, have been providing pet food banks, in addition to discounted pet care, for years.

“One of our missions is to provide income-qualified families with discounted pet care, vaccinations, vaccine clinics, neutered clinics and vet care,” said Washington Animal Rescue League spokesman Matt Williams. “We have a new medical center on site. … We also have a food bank run entirely on donations.”

The new pet food stamp program comes at a when monthly food stamp assistance could be phased out. A temporary food stamp boost for low-income families was initiated in April 2009 to help offset the effects of the 2008 recession and is set to expire on Oct. 31, 2013, unless Congress passes legislation to extend the benefits.

Approximately 46.6 million people used the federal food stamp program in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.