Sad This Can Happen in America: Seniors Reduced to Eating Dog Food To Survive (3690 hits)
JANUARY 22, 2014 According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 9 percent of people age 65 and older in the state of Delaware are living in poverty. Their poverty is so severe that they are eating dog food because they cannot afford to buy human food. But senior citizens in Frederica, Delaware, are now filling their pantries with good wholesome food thanks to help from their community.
The small community of just over 700 people, located outside Dover, came to the rescue to help their senior citizens. The local director of the senior center took the story to WBOC-TV and just a short time later Walmart Community Foundation donated $25,000 for food. As a result, the senior center is now able to provide bags of food for their low-income seniors.
About 40 percent of people who come to the center are low income, many living on just $400-$500 a month. They can come to the center when it is open for a meal, but when the center is closed they may have nothing to eat. The generosity of donors like Walmart and volunteers to distribute the food has now changed all that. It's a heartwarming story of people coming together to help each other.
As Renee Hoffman, Executive Director of the Frederica Senior Center describes their attitude about their senior citizens, "They took care of us. Now it's time we take care of them."
Dogs and cats are carnivores, and do best on a meat-based diet. The protein used in pet food comes from a variety of sources. When cattle, swine, chickens, lambs, or other animals are slaughtered, lean muscle tissue is trimmed away from the carcass for human consumption, along with the few organs that people like to eat, such as tongues and tripe.
However, about 50% of every food animal does not get used in human foods. Whatever remains of the carcass — heads, feet, bones, blood, intestines, lungs, spleens, livers, ligaments, fat trimmings, unborn babies, and other parts not generally consumed by humans — is used in pet food, animal feed, fertilizer, industrial lubricants, soap, rubber, and other products. These “other parts” are known as “by-products.” By-products are used in feed for poultry and livestock as well as in pet food.
Jen: Is this true? I just can't believe it. There's just too much food thrown away that I would believe eating out a trash can more acceptable. But, I don't think dog food would hurt anyone, it's just I don't see where anyone would have to eat dog food as a meal today. Future, day perhaps. I saw in a episode of The Road Warrior where a man ate dog food.
I hope their lives get better I realize that there is a great need to really to get better care for our Seniors.
Yes, its true dear heart. I think eating dog food or food from the garbage are on the same level. What can we do, but count our blessings. We also have to look out for the least of these... lend a helping hand... a meal... like we did back in the day.
