Partnership hits milestone while helping seniors and their pets across the country

Key Facts at a Glance:

• WHO: Meals on Wheels America (supporting 5,000+ community-based providers) and PetSmart Charities (providing grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families).
• WHAT: Announced delivery of 20 million pet meals to homebound seniors and their pets—a 33% increase from 2025—throughout a six-year partnership expanding pet-inclusive senior care.
• WHEN: Pet Appreciation Week (June 7-13, 2026).
• WHY: To address senior hunger, isolation and pet care costs—eliminating the impossible choice seniors on fixed incomes face between feeding themselves or their pets—while improving health outcomes, supporting aging in place and expanding access to reach more seniors through Meals on Wheels America's End the Wait™ effort.

ARLINGTON, Va., June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Meals on Wheels America, the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based providers dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation, and PetSmart Charities^® are honored to announce another major milestone in their partnership: 20 million pet meals delivered to homebound seniors and their animal companions nationwide—a 33% increase from 2025. The milestone, just in time for Pet Appreciation Week (June 7-13, 2026), demonstrates the organizations' shared commitment to keeping seniors and their animal companions together by supporting the delivery of pet food, access to veterinary care and other essential resources. The continued collaboration builds on Meals on Wheels America's broader effort to End the Wait™—a national commitment to reach older adults who are still waiting for services due to limited resources and growing demand.

The milestone 20 millionth pet meal was delivered to Lois, a Meals on Wheels client from Savannah, Georgia, and her cat, Grace. Lois, after returning from an eight-month stay in the hospital due to a devastating cancer diagnosis, faced feelings of loneliness and isolation that were only alleviated by visits from Meals on Wheels volunteers. When the cat appeared at her door, malnourished and alone, Lois named her Grace and found her lifeline. Today, through this partnership, Lois doesn't have to choose between caring for herself and caring for her companion.

"Pets are more than companions — they're family," said Ellie Hollander, president and chief executive officer of Meals on Wheels America. "No older adult should have to choose between caring for themselves and caring for a beloved pet. This long-standing partnership helps seniors maintain the companionship, comfort and stability that pets provide while ensuring they can continue receiving the support they need to live safely and independently at home."

Meals on Wheels America is proud of the continued impact this partnership has on older adults within the network. For six years, the generosity of PetSmart Charities has helped expand the reach of the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets program, allowing local Meals on Wheels providers to serve nutritious meals to both seniors and their pets in more regions while also broadening services to include access to veterinary care, grooming, emergency boarding and dog walking in many communities.

For homebound seniors like Lois, pets provide a vital source of social connection. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Meals on Wheels, 98% of Meals on Wheels clients with pets say their animals help them feel less lonely, leading to improvements in both mental and physical health. Yet seniors on fixed incomes often face an impossible choice: feed themselves or their pets. This partnership eliminates that burden. Caring for pets is just one of the ways Meals on Wheels providers are able to reduce health care utilization and costs, social isolation and loneliness and improve seniors' ability to age in place, as well as their food security, diet quality and nutritional status. 

"For older adults like Lois, pets are often sole sources of companionship," said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. "Research conducted by our friends at Meals on Wheels America revealed that 97% of local recipients say support from the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets program makes it possible for them to keep their pets. That's a meaningful impact on this investment in uplifting the human-animal bond that brings so much joy to both."

For more information on Meals on Wheels America, please visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/lovepets. For more information on PetSmart Charities and how grants are making an impact across North America, please visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

About Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting approximately 5,000 community-based providers across the country dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. Powered by a trusted volunteer workforce, this network delivers a comprehensive solution that begins with a meal and is proven to enable independence and well-being through the additional benefits of tailored nutrition, social connection, safety and much more. Through public awareness, funding, programming, education, research and advocacy, Meals on Wheels America empowers local providers to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. At a time when demand for Meals on Wheels services is growing, and many seniors are left waiting, Meals on Wheels America is dedicated to helping End the Wait™ and ensuring every senior who needs Meals on Wheels gets it. For more information, or to locate a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org. You can also find Meals on Wheels America on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok and X.

About PetSmart Charities^®
PetSmart Charities^® is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart^® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities has helped 10 million pets connect with loving homes. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. PetSmart Charities' grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter and disaster relief. Each year, millions of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities directly at PetSmartCharities.org, while shopping at PetSmart.com, and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting more than $600 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart LLC, PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator consecutively since 2003 – placing it among the top one percent of rated charities. To learn more, visit www.PetSmartCharities.org.

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SOURCE Meals on Wheels America