This Hunger Action Month, it’s imperative to broaden our understanding of who is food insecure. Beyond the child struggling to learn on an empty stomach or the parent worried that their food won’t last until the end of the month, there is an aging adult who doesn’t know the source of their or their beloved pet’s next meal. The companion animal that provides love and joy, particularly important for socially isolated aging adults, is equally vulnerable in times of hardship.

During COVID, when food bank lines stretched for blocks, Congress enacted emergency allotments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — a temporary benefit that, according to the Urban Institute, kept an estimated 4.2 million people above the poverty line in the last quarter of 2021. Yet these benefits do not pay for pet food, and aging adults often have significant difficulty accessing SNAP benefits. When these emergency benefits expired in March 2023, the Consumer Price Index recorded historically high grocery prices with pet food prices soaring as much as 30% since 2019, according to Petfood Industry, a publisher tracking industry topics and trends.

Approximately 10% of Maryland residents live at or below the federal poverty line, many of whom are over 60 years of age, and they collectively own tens of thousands of dogs and cats.

For many, pets are cherished members of the family, providing companionship, emotional support and unconditional love. For seniors living alone with limited mobility, studies have shown animal companionship both extends and improves quality of life. When pets go hungry and become malnourished, it affects the health and well-being of the animals and adds stress to their families, compromising the health of older adults. Those facing food insecurity should not have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets.

The Maryland SPCA and Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland (MOWCM) understand firsthand how detrimental surrendering companion animals to rescues and shelters is to human mental health and how it creates an unrealistic burden on the wider community. In 2023, the average cost to care for a shelter pet during their time at the Maryland SPCA was more than $980; feeding that pet at home costs less than $100 a month.

Each year, MOWCM serves nearly 5,000 older adults 1.4 million meals and provides support services that keep them living safely and independently at home. In 2008, the Maryland SPCA and MOWCM created a partnership to bring pet food to Meals on Wheels clients with cats and dogs. Since then, the Maryland SPCA expanded the service to be a full-fledged pet food pantry, Kibble Connection, which has provided over a million meals each year since 2022.

This partnership provides an important safety net that supports all members of our community. We recognize that most assistance programs are tailored solely to human members of households, neglecting the critical role that pets play in the lives of so many. Recognizing pets as integral family members means extending support systems to include them in times of need. This Hunger Action Month should serve as a reminder that food insecurity affects people of all ages and their beloved pets. We call upon our government to take concrete steps by updating eligibility criteria for food assistance programs to encompass pet food provisions alongside human provisions.

You can help neighbors facing food insecurity. A gift to Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, or of pet food to Maryland SPCA, will help ensure that older adults and their pets remain together.

Let’s seize this opportunity to take meaningful action and ensure that no family member, human or animal, goes hungry. Together, we can build a stronger, more compassionate community.

Stephanie Archer-Smith is executive director and CEO of Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland. Jessica Lanzillotti is executive director of the Maryland SPCA.