The Diana Fund – Help for Pet Owners Providing Pet Food

Owning a pet is a big responsibility. The proper care of the dog or cat can be expensive, with vet bills and the cost of pet food. A pet can and should be part of the family. In these turbulent times, having a dog or a cat can be a crucial part of staying sane! Just being able to sit down and pet a dog or cat can lower one's blood pressure and provide a little respite from the craziness.

Working from home, I have to respect and listen to when Elmer and Pebbles come up and nudge me. They want a brief rub, a treat, to go to the bathroom and they know that usually I need a break from what I'm doing. It's a win-win.

Just as people fall on hard times, and they and their family suffer from food insecurity, their pets can suffer from food insecurity as well. That's where the Diana Fund comes in.

The Diana Fund, administered through the Bar Harbor Food Pantry, can provide pet food to those who need help in providing the proper food for their pets. The Diana Fund honors Diana de los Santos, who up until recently was the Animal Control Officer for Bar Harbor and Mount Desert. She was the Bar Harbor Animal Control Officer from January 1, 2010 and added the Town of Mount Desert in 2017. She was the Director of the SPCA of Hancock County from June 2012 to May 2019.

She started the MDI Food Pantry in November 2008. She worked with the Bar Harbor Food Pantry and also loaded up her vehicle the 1st and 3rd Sundays and offered pet food at the Food Pantry, at the Neighborhood house and Harbor House. The goal was to keep pets in the homes they knew, rather than have them be surrendered because of what was "hopefully temporary" financial situations.

Diana along with Krista Thorsell started the Facebook Group MDI Lost/Found Pet Alert in 2010, which has been responsible for the reunification of thousands of pets with their families on MDI

If you would like to make a donation to the Diana Fund, you can do so HERE and then check the box "Dedicate my donation in honor or in memory of someone" and write in "Diana Fund"

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