Animal charities are setting up pet-food banks and other support programs to meet rising demand from needy owners who can no longer afford to feed their pets, says The New York Times.

The move comes as shelters deal with a flood of animals from recession-battered homes. The Petco Foundation, the charitable arm of the pet-store chain, is teaming with a New York nonprofit group, the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, to set up a national network of animal food banks supplied from donation bins at Petco stores.

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