As November 1 approaches, local food banks and shelters continue to brace for the impending increase in demand for food.
While many are concerned about how they will be able to eat as well as feed their families, some are also worried about how they will be able to feed their pets.
Sandra Smith, Director of Community Programs at the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh told KDKA Radio that there are programs that will help people not only feed their pets, but keep them.
"We want to keep animals in the homes where they're already loved and keep them out of the shelter. So we have programs like our Ellie's Pet Pantry where we provide pet food at no cost to people with the idea that, you know, by providing that assistance, they'll be able to keep their families together," she said.
She said that although the increase in demand has affected their budget, the Humane Animal Rescue has been able to continue to help those in need with the help of donations.
"I will tell you this week we had two of our largest pet pantry distributions that we've had in history. We served about 500 pets this week alone and it was a challenge but we have a big donation coming this week so we should be able to stock up," she told KDKA Radio.
She also told KDKA Radio that if people want to help the shelters, one way they can do so is through adoption.
"Obviously adoption is a wonderful thing. This is going into the holiday season and having a companion for the holidays is fantastic. We have some amazing dogs right now we would love to see in home for the holidays," she said.
She added that if a stray pet was found, it would help to try to find the owner before bringing the pet to a shelter.
"If you find a stray pet, try to network it on your own. Most dogs and virtually all cats come the neighborhood where you found it. So check out the Facebook groups, try to post it that way and see if you can find the owner rather than bring it to a shelter," she said.
House Democrats pushing for help for people set to lose SNAP Benefits
In Harrisburg, House Democrats are pushing for the state to provide help for people set to lose SNAP benefits tomorrow.
They're sponsoring a bill to require the state treasurer to provide Human Service funds during the federal budget impasse to help continue funding the program for nearly two million Pennsylvanians.
Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity earlier this week suggested making a short term loan to the Department of Human Services to continue funding, a plan which the Shapiro Administration rejected.