Think of donating dog food during this season of giving

The season of giving has officially started. We will spend the next few weeks making lists of gifts to buy, fighting traffic, racing for parking places and running in and out of crowded stores while we try to find what we want to get for those we love.

It’s so much fun when we know we’ve gotten just the perfect gift someone dear to us has always dreamed of or if we’ve gotten the right gifts they need but would never buy for themselves. And it’s so much fun for us to watch as they open them knowing they’re going to be delighted. They react with sincere gratitude when they’re just the right presents.

And we’ve all had those experiences when we just couldn’t think of the right gift but we do the best we can and take chances on gifts we hope they like. Then there’s that awkward moment when they open them and we see those glimpses of disappointment.

Yet everyone who’s ever received an ugly sweater or dish cloths as gifts tries to be so gracious and gives their best efforts at sounding appreciative. We all know those gifts that will quickly be regifted or donated. We’ve all been there.

While you’re in the spirit of giving let me tell you about the perfect gift. That’s the gift of food for hungry dogs.

My nonprofit animal welfare group, Central Georgia CARES, has made it easy to help the many hungry pets and the families who love them have enough food to feed them. It’s guaranteed to be the perfect gift.

All this week, and continuing through Sunday, CARES has been collecting donations of dog food so we may continue to help the many pets in need in our area. We help with both dogs and cats, but because we’ve helped so many and our inventory of dog food is completely depleted, we’re concentrating our food drive only on dog food right now.

You’d be surprised how many hungry and sometimes starving animals we learn about. We also get many requests from families facing hardship who need help feeding their pets. So, as our supply permits, CARES may provide temporary pet food support to families who need a little assistance during challenging times.

CARES also feeds homeless or feral animals we learn about. There is nothing sadder to me than knowing there are pets with no family and no idea where their next meal will come from. So we do what we can to help.

Thanks to Libbie and Malcolm Walthall, it’s really easy and convenient to drop your donation of dog food off. Just bring it this weekend to the Walthall Exxon Station located at 4433 Forsyth Road in Macon.

I’ll be telling you more in the weeks to come about the great work CARES does and the impact it has on our community for animals and the people who love them. In the meantime, partner with CARES today and tomorrow by picking up some dog food and heading over to Walthall’s Exxon. The hungry dogs will thank you.

This story was originally published November 22, 2016 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Think of donating dog food during this season of giving."