With economic pressures only increasing, pet-owning families of all types are being forced to make heartbreaking decisions about their pets’ futures. With many Americans facing the highest inflation rates anyone can remember, it’s their own basic needs that are becoming unaffordable—sometimes necessitating sacrifices in pet care. In fact, our local pet food pantries saw demand triple last October during the recent explosion in interest. This really underscores that essential link between human suffering and animal suffering.
For Sarah Lungwitz, a 46-year-old auto parts store worker from Central Illinois who recently moved her family from Chicago to Morton, one such individual grappling with these challenges. Due to PTSD and severe depression, her daily fight becomes all the more overwhelming. With her income barely covering her bills, Lungwitz fears she might have to surrender her beloved pets: her cat, Bambi, and her two dogs, Spike and Chloe.
“I don’t even make enough money for all my bills let alone groceries.” – Sarah Lungwitz
Lungwitz’s situation reflects a broader trend. As the government shutdown drags on, over 800,000 furloughed government employees are missing paychecks. The spread of this economic strain has led to a dog food pantry explosion as more and more families are forced to depend on them. Angela Chapman, who operates a pet food pantry in rural Ohio, told them about the alarming increase. In October, the number of families that were actively looking for help ballooned to 125, well above the monthly average of 75 to 100 families.
As Michelle Cheramie, founder of Zeus’ Rescues, saw first-hand during the pandemic, there is a disconnect between the growing need for services and access to them. Families now look to her pet food pantry for help. In October alone, they distributed a metric ton of pet food—double the average monthly supply.
“This is the highest demand I’ve seen in 20 years.” – Michelle Cheramie
The effect of economic hardship on pet ownership should be obvious by now. As our friend Kirsten Peek from the Petfinder Foundation told us, the primary cause of animal intake to shelters is stress from the economy. The emotional bond a lot of us have with our pets makes these decisions very hard.
“We do know a lot of people will feed their pets before themselves.” – Anonymous source
For millions of families across the country, pets are much more than companions, they’re emotional support animals. As worry increases for many about their economic prospects, one thing people are turning more to for comfort are their pets, showing resilience during these stormy times. Paula Shaw remarked on this phenomenon, stating, “People are exceptionally panicking. I don’t know what a better word would be.”
Lungwitz is not alone in her concerns. She’s figuring out how to continue supporting her two teenage daughters while navigating through disrupted SNAP payments. At the same time, she’s worried about what to do for Bambi, Spike, and Chloe. Illinois nonprofit, Change Lab Solutions, fortunately, came to the rescue. Volunteers coordinated a grocery gift card, helping Lungwitz buy food—not just for herself, but her animals as well.
Nonprofits such as Feeding Missouri are already pivoting to address this escalating demand. Kim Buckman noted that many food pantries have begun stocking their shelves with pet food to accommodate families struggling to make ends meet. Like Kandi Finch, who named her nonprofit after a beloved pet, she expects a wave of demand as well.
“We’re expecting, at least in the short term, that there’s going to be a surge.” – Kandi Finch
Many shelters are faced with decisions about where to go from here. They’re even planning on reallocating their funds, pulling money away from veterinary care to purchase more pet food for families in need. This highlights the difficult truth about pet ownership today. They cannot manage the fight to protect their animal companions and at the same time make sure that they get to live and survive.
