This Thanksgiving a local organization is offering hampers to pet owners who may be struggling to provide for their animals. Parachutes for Pets will be on site at Boyle Street Community Services downtown to provide hampers to pet owners on Sunday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The hampers have a wide variety of supplies including food, water, toys and walking gear, said Edmonton operations manager Mo Antov. “There is a lot of support in general for food assistance for owners but there are not necessarily a lot of options for their pets and we don’t want to see any pets going with an empty stomach this time of year,” he told CTV News Edmonton in an interview Friday. Parachutes for Pets first opened in Calgary in 2019 and expanded to Edmonton in May. It has a pet food bank, a pet thrift store and a safekeeping program where animals are cared for at their facility while families face emergencies. “There’s been a huge need in the city over the years, especially lately,” Antov said. “For us, the human-animal bond is very important and we want to do everything we can to keep owners with their pets.” Aside from Sunday’s event, people can access assistance or make in-kind donations at their 8108 Coronet Road location, near the Argyll neighbourhood. The organization also welcomes monetary donations which can be made online.
