ANDERSON — About six years ago, Linda Stohler found herself struggling to buy food, not only for herself, but for her dogs.
“I’m on disability and towards the end of the month — about a week before I get my check — I kind of run out of food,” said the 73-year-old. “The food bank told me about Ernie’s.”
Ernie’s Heart Pet Food Pantry provides temporary pet food assistance to qualifying households so owners can feed their pets instead of giving them up. Applicants bring proof of financial hardship, and the pantry gives them pet food each month.
The organization says donations are down and it is struggling to keep its doors open.
Stohler admits without assistance from the pantry, she would have gone without eating in order to feed her dogs.
“I would have gone without some of my own food for my animals,” she said. “I wouldn’t let them go hungry.”
Stohler said some people don’t understand the sacrifices others are willing to make for their animals.
“A lot of people don’t think too much about it,” she said. “I mean, they think you can buy a little bit of dog food and give them a little bit of this or that and that’s it — a dog is like a child.
“They depend on you. They give you love, they are there for you, and they deserve to be taken care of.”
A year ago, Stohler said she was diagnosed with a heart infection and the doctors said the odds of her survival were slim.
“The doctors call me a miracle,” Stohler said.
She said doctors preformed a surgery to replace a valve in her heart and she spent the next six months in recovery and had to learn to walk again.
“God was a miracle to help me,” Stohler said. “My dogs were a comfort to me when I was down and each day was hard. Without them, I’d have had a harder time making it.”
And Stohler says she is not alone.
“My daughter goes (to the pet pantry) too and she is on disability,” Stohler said. “She has a real hard time making it. Every penny she’s got goes out for her trailer, her lot rent and everything she’s got. She only has $50 a month to buy dog food, gas and whatever else she needs. It’s a big thing for her and it helps her make it to the end.”
Jan Smith, founder of Ernie’s Heart Pet Food Pantry, said this time of the year she worries about the longevity of her organization.
“It’s not so much with the food, it’s the fact we still have to pay rent,” she said. “I spend a lot of time making connections for food, but we have gotten so big, we have to have a place to store it.”
Moving around
For years, the organization has bounced from location to location, relying on the generosity of the business community for free or reduced rent locations. Circumstances, however, would change and the pantry was forced to move.
“We have been looking for other spots and free spots, but we have done that before and people need the space back,” Smith said.
Smith finally settled into a space at 423 E. Eighth St. in Anderson where her rent runs about $400 a month and the utilities are $200. She said the monthly cost to provide food assistance to about 800 is approximately $600.
“Basically, it’s a battle each month, but there are certain times of the year when it’s a whole lot tougher,” Smith said.
She said if they could raise $1,000 a month, they would be fine. Last year, the organization held a rent drive to assist with expenses, but this year things got hectic and it did not have the fundraiser.
Unlike traditional food banks, the pet pantry doesn’t typically see a resource boost around the holidays, Smith said. But people are still struggling to feed their animals, especially around this time of the year.
“We have people living on Social Security and that dog or cat is their life,” Smith said. “Most people do not come to us unless they absolutely need it. They don’t want to take it if they don’t need it.”
Other clients may experience a lack of work, are underemployed, or experiencing some form of homelessness causing them to struggle to feed a pet.
Pantry could close
Smith said if something isn’t done soon, closing the pantry could become a reality.
“It’s kind of scary because it’s a real possibility,” she said. “Years and years ago, I was blessed to having the money myself to keep it open, but things change and I just don’t have it.”
Among those helping to keep the pantry open are those who have benefited from the organization firsthand. Smith said once people get back on their feet, they try to help the pantry.
Stohler is one of them, donating about $20 a month.
“I know they are having a struggle with money, but you know, my mom was an old Christian woman and she always taught me to give to someone else because it always returns to you,” Stohler said.
She said it would only take 100 people donating $10 a month to keep the pantry open.
“A hundred people is not that much here in Anderson,” Stohler said. “Even if they gave $5 that would help the shelters, by keeping the dogs out of there, and it would help the people because they would have their dogs.
“To me, it’s a life-giving thing to help keep the dogs out of the shelter and to have people keep their dogs at home,” she said. “Animals are God’s creatures, and I believe we are supposed to take care of them. They look to us just like a child does and they give us comfort.”
Follow Traci L. Miller @_TraciMiller on Twitter, email her at traci.miller@heraldbulletin.com, or call her at 765-640-4805.
To help
Ernie’s Heart Pet Food Pantry is located at 423 E. Eighth St. Visit its Facebook page for a link to a GoFundMe page, or call 765-425-5407.
