Pets of the Homeless is helping Dandenong’s Cornerstone Centre to provide meals for people who don’t have a home, thanks to a donation from Sunbites’ Good Fuel Fund.
Cornerstone is a community organisation that provides meals, emergency relief, community engagement programs and referrals for homeless and marginalised people in and around Greater Dandenong.
The organisation partners with other local service providers to host a range of different services including a shower truck, laundry van, a homeless-person’s health nurse, vaccinations and many other services.
Cornerstone CEO Naomi Paterson said the organisation has been working with Pets of the Homeless since 2020.
“At the time, many locals experiencing hardship were visiting Cornerstone for food assistance, and we had become aware of the need for pet food for many of our community members who were struggling to feed their pets,” she said.
“One of our team members will collect a donation of pet food from Pets of the Homeless, roughly once each month. When our supplies are running low, we will place an order.”
The Sunbites Good Fuel Fund – an initiative designed to fuel local charities – has awarded a $25,000 donation to Pets of the Homeless Australia to help centres like Cornerstone continue to do good.
Founded in 2015, Pets of the Homeless provide almost 30,000 meals to pets a month.
Pets of the Homeless Australia founder Yvonne Hong said animal bonds were extremely important to those who are homeless.
“Having a pet can help ease our loneliness, help us reduce stress and anxiety and most importantly they connect us to society,” she said.
“For someone who’s struggling, that connection is sometimes the only thing that keeps them going and that is why it is so important for us to help maintain that human animal bond.”
The donation from the Sunbites Good Fuel Fund will enable Pets of the Homeless to continue assisting people experiencing homelessness and help them to stay together with their pets.
“As the only Pet Food Bank in Victoria, the $25,000 donation from the Sunbites’ Good Fuel Fund will enable Pets of the Homeless to provide almost 30,000 meals to over 55 of our community partners assist with veterinary care and provide a safe home for pets when their owners are unable to take care of them,” Ms Hong said.
Sunbites is committed to supporting charities that are fuelling their community and will be donating $25,000 each month from April to November of this year to a local charity.
