F: Is for food for animals

With unemployment at a 26-year high, shelters across the city are reporting that dire financial straits are forcing many people to give up their pets. Last month, Bideawee received nearly 100 calls from people who said they could no longer afford to keep their pets, said President Nancy Taylor. NYC Animal Care & Control's operation director Richard Gentles said its safety net program - which helps care for pets while their owners try to get back on their feet - is also fielding a record number of calls. Thanks to a pilot program launched this week by the city's largest food bank, financially strapped dog owners won't have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. "We're recognizing the urgent need for people and pets to remain together during bad economic times," said David Grossnicke, director of food sourcing for the Food Bank for New York City, which has begun distributing dog food to about a dozen pantries in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. (Check www.foodbanknyc.org for participating pantries.)

The food - 6,000 pounds of Iams brand dry dog food - was donated by Bideawee and supplied free from Proctor & Gamble Pet Care. While 6,000 pounds of food sounds like a lot, it's expected to go fast. Grossnicke says in order for the program to continue and expand, the Food Bank must rely on additional donations from other pet food companies and pet supply chains. And cats need food, too. Success will also depend on demand, which one animal relief group says is growing fast."As soon as the word spreads that pet food is available, the pantries report a steady growth in demand for it," said Susan Kaufman, who runs the Manhattan-based Animal Relief Fund, which has been distributing donated pet food to city pantries. Sunday the Theater District presented the 11th annual Broadway Barks, hosted by stars Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore. Actors from Broadway shows shared the spotlight with gaggles of adoptable cats and dogs from dozens of city shelters and rescue groups.

Check www.strayfromtheheart.org. Every living creature needs help and that is an overlooked F.A.C.T