Cost of living: RSPCA launch pet food bank in Scarborough to help struggling owners

The animal welfare charity set-up its Pet Food Bank Project in December 2020 as a result of financial pressures during the pandemic.

The service - in which RSPCA branches and frontline staff work with local food banks - has seen demand soar since its introduction due to the cost of living crisis

The scheme now covers all regions in the North of England with more than 100 pet food banks serving communities in need.The Pets at Home Foundation is kindly supporting the scheme and has given a generous donation of £160,000 this year to help.

The RSPCA will now be working with food banks across North and East Yorkshire to support them in offering pet food parcels to clients using their service.

Among the ones they are working with in this region is the Rainbow Centre in Castle Road, Scarborough.

RSPCA inspector Laura Barber, who is coordinating the scheme in the area, said: “Sadly, it seems as though the cost of living increase means that many people are struggling to afford to feed themselves and their pets and are relying on the food banks more and more.

“The scheme began because we could see that many people were falling on hard times during the pandemic and we wanted to make sure that those who were struggling could still stay with their beloved pets whilst they got back on their feet.

“But as the cost of living crisis took over we saw an increase in people struggling and becoming more and more reliant on the food banks..

“The RSPCA understands that pets are family members and know how important it is to keep owners with their pets, wherever possible.

"Keeping them together during difficult times benefits both the owners and the animals’ wellbeing and also helps to tackle some of the strain on animal rescue centres who are struggling to cope with the amount of animals coming to them.”

Mark Hardy, manager at the Rainbow Centre, said: “We get a lot of people in need of food and clothes as they have fallen on hard times. Often they would ask for pet food which we didn’t always have in stock - but now thanks to the partnership with the RSPCA we can help pet owners in need.”

Paul Creelman (MBE), a client support worker at the centre, said: “We have seen demand for our service really increase with the cost-of-living crisis. We get a lot of homeless people who come to us for help. Sadly, often they are homeless because they are not allowed to have pets in their rented properties and they don’t want to be separated from them so they live on the streets.”

One woman, who uses the food bank, said: “I have a dog aged 15 and a cat aged eight. I have mental health issues so have always struggled financially, but my pets really are the reason I keep going.

“I live alone, but they are my family - they come to greet me when I come home and keep me company all the time. I have struggled to feed them in the past and would go without myself to make sure they didn’t go hungry. Being able to get help from this centre has made a real positive difference to me and my pets.”

The RSPCA has sadly seen a reduction in the number of pets being rehomed; and an increase in animal intake via the frontline inspectorate. Worryingly, the animal welfare charity fears many of the animals being picked up by their officers are linked to the cost of living crisis - particularly abandoned animals.