Last year, Zachary Wilson visited his local shelter to find a second dog to adopt. He saw cages filled with dogs, most with three or four. It shocked Zach, then 9. It was quite different from when he had visited just five months before, when the cages were nearly empty. A shelter worker explained to Zach that people are losing their jobs and their homes and dumping their dogs to save money. “When I saw how many dogs there were I got really sad,” says Zach, who later told his mom “We have to feed the dogs. And she said, ‘He is fed’ and I said, “No mom, ALL the dogs.”
So Zach, now 10, thought of starting a food pantry near their home in an Orlando suburb for dogs and cats, with help from his mom, Erica Wilson. Called The Animal Pantry of Central Florida, they recently received 5,000 meals from Halo, Purely For Pets — thanks to a promise Halo part-owner Ellen DeGeneres made while visiting Orlando — as well as from pet stores and neighbors. A local shopping center donated a storefront for storage and distribution. Since April of 2009, Zachary, with the help of his Erica and other volunteers, has donated over 75,000 pounds of food, helping some 10,000 different animals (and hopefully keeping them with their families). “I feel very happy that I know all those dogs and cats aren’t let go in parks or being put in the shelters,” says Zach. “And I am very happy they stay with their owners.”
Halo’s donation last month came just at the right time. “I was really happy because when we got the Halo food, I was very relieved,” says Zach. “We were running low on cat food, it really helps.” Adds Erica: “Because the food is high end, we saved that for special needs dogs, or dogs who used to be on holistic food.”
Zach, a cub scout, is particularly drawn to animals who have special needs. Erica believes it’s due to his sister Lexi, 13, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy. “We think one of the reasons that Zach sees the world as he does is that he’s spent his entire world in and out of hospitals,” says Erica. “So when he hears that a dog has to be put down because it has a gimpy leg, to him that means his sister is unacceptable, just because anyone has a disability doesn’t make them any less.”
The economy around the Orlando area continues to struggle, with no unemployment found anywhere, says Erica. “What we are finding is that people are still not finding new jobs, many times people pull up (to the pet food pantry) in trucks,” she says. “They have gotten rid of their house, their clothes, their jewelry and all they have is their dog.”
The overabundance of dogs and cats in shelters due owners’ financial hardships hit Zach hard recently. A few weeks ago, Erica says a local shelter put down 500 animals, mostly purebred dogs whose owners gave them up for financial reasons. “Zach was just flabbergasted,” says Erica. “He burst out in tears and said we have to work harder.”
Here is a clip from NBC TV in Orlando about Zach and the Halo donation.
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