CULLODEN - When Odana Chaney decided to open her dog boarding business in Culloden, she said she wanted to look for a way to provide more than just a service to the community.
"If I'm a small-business owner in a very small community, then I need to make sure that people know that I value them, and I need to be able to give back to them because the only reason that I'm allowed to do what I do is by the grace of their business," said Chaney, who owns Dogwood Boarding at 2085 U.S. 60 in Culloden.
As a way to give back her community through her small business, Chaney founded the Scout's Honor Pet Food Pantry for the purpose of providing senior pet owners in Cabell, Lincoln and Putnam counties with nutritiously sound food for their pets.
By lessening the financial burden seniors face when caring for their pets, Chaney said she hopes to sustain the health and quality of life for both the pet and the owner.
Chaney said she first recognized the need for the program while working as a receptionist at a local veterinarian's office.
"You hear about the story about the little old lady who is splitting her meals on wheels with her dog, but you never come to it face to face. I saw that happen every week," she said.
Chaney said she heard countless stories about elderly pet owners having to choose between their own basic needs and that of their pets.
Chaney said she remembers one story where an elderly man sold everything he had in order to pay more than $1,000 for knee repair surgery for his dog.
"He ended up selling the camper he was living out of just to pay for the surgery," she said. "He sacrificed everything."
As pet lover and dog owner herself, Chaney said she was well aware of the financial burden that comes with having a pet but had never been put in such a challenging situation.
"I've seen (senior citizens) have to give up animals because they can't afford its care or they have to sacrifice their own care when they already are at a vulnerable point in our population. That's really a miserable situation to be in," she said. "But I thought what is the easiest simplest way that I can work on fixing that - providing free nutritious food for their pets"
Though Scout's Honor Pet Food Pantry is sill in the beginning stages, Chaney said she has already been able to raise nearly $6,000 to get the program off the ground.
"I feel good that people support it and understand the need and understand that it's not just feeding some animals, it providing medical and quality of life benefits for both parties," she said.
Chaney received her first significant financial boost in November when she was awarded second place in the 2017 West Virginia Good Jobs Business Plan Competition in the Community Impact category.
The award was accompanied by a $5,000 check, which she said will be used as seed money for future investments as well as getting the project up and running.
She added that some of the grant funds will also be used to set up another part of Scout's Honor: the Emergency Relief program.
This program will be designed to help families who have fallen victim to disasters like a fire or flood, by giving them a few needed essentials in caring for their pet after a catastrophic loss.
Most recently, she was also able to raise nearly $900 through a Facebook campaign on Giving Tuesday, which is the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.
She said this money was used to purchase 880 pounds of pet food, which will be distributed to partnering food pantries the week before Christmas and will mark her first pet food donation.
Chaney said she will rely on the pantries she partners with, many of which are in churches, to identify seniors who are in need of the services she provides.
"It's hard to get people in need to actually take charity, but if you say it's for their animals, they'll usually take it," she said.
As part of her mission, Chaney said she is also looking to educate pet owners on the importance of proper nutrition, which can lessen the likelihood of costly medical procedures.
