Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

"The significance is that that meal, per federal guidelines, meets the one-third recommended dietary allowance for them,'' says Sandy Centazzo, president of Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island. "So if they're not eating that, they are not even getting the one-third requirement they need.''

The statewide meals program currently feeds about 1,700 people Monday through Friday and has about 150 people on a waiting list, Centazzo says. Before funding cutbacks forced her to lay off nine workers and sell off almost half of its two-dozen delivery trucks, Centazzo says the agency served about 2,200 people.

Of the 1,700 clients, Centazzo says about three dozen also regularly receive pet food -- all of which has been donated or purchased through a grant offered by the agency's national organization.

Cramer -- and Tula -- are regular recipients.

"It's very helpful,'' says Cramer, "because I'm on Social Security disability and I'm out of work.''

Centazzo says no matter how hard economic times get, many of her clients want to hold on to their pets as long as they can: "Most of our clients are 85 [years old] and up and, in many cases, they have no family left and the only thing they might have is a pet which is everything to them.''

Marley Rave, a spokeswoman for Meals on Wheels Association of America, says the national group first launched its pet food initiative in 2006 "because we found there were seniors who were feeding half of their meals to their pets, so they weren't getting the nutrition they needed.''

The program, called We All Love Our Pets, partnered up with the 700 Banfield pet hospitals around the country (including those in Warwick and Johnston) to collect pet food donations around the holidays. The program also offers $1,000 grants to local meals programs so they can buy pet food.

Richard Such, another Meals on Wheels driver who delivers lunches in the East Providence area, says 4 of the 40 clients he sees every day have pets.

"A few of them can't get out and can't afford it and they are always thanking me'' for the additional pet food, he says.

Says Rave: "The economy is struggling and companies are closing, but you can't forget the charities that serve seniors. We serve seniors and they're out there and they need food. It's a basic of life.''

Those interested in donating pet food to Meals on Wheels can drop it off at the Providence headquarters, 70 Bath St.