Banfield Grant to Provide Additional Storage Space

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties has been awarded a grant by the Banfield Charitable Trust of Portland, Ore., to provide a storage shed that will house pet food collected each year in our annual pet food drive.

Over the years Banfield has been a generous partner with our agency, helping to build our pet food collection program into the largest among Meals On Wheels agencies in the country.

"We're grateful for Banfield's generosity," said Teresa Barry, CEO of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties. "They have facilitated the growth of our pet food program and made a tremendous difference in the lives of our clients who have pets."

Based on a recommendation from Banfield, Royal Canin donated eight pallets of pet food to our agency in 2009, and followed that with a whopping 36 pallets of food in 2010. (See the WKYC-TV report from January 2011, "Meals on Wheels feeding furry friends too.")

The bulk of the food collected is stored at a warehouse facility in Wooster owned by board member Bill DeRodes. However, we typically keep several hundred pounds of food on hand just inside our shipping dock in Massillon. A new shed will allow for such storage while freeing up space for equipment and regular shipments that arrive for our commissary.

Once the grant check is received, we plan to have the new shed in use by fall.