Food banks across the country kicked into high gear for the holiday season this week in an effort to feed America 's hungry . But a few instead homed in on an often overlooked casualty of hard times -- the family pet . `` It 's the forgotten pets that go by the wayside , '' said Ann King , founder of an Atlanta-based nonprofit group called Save Our Pets Food Bank . Appalled by tales of pet owners compelled to hand over their cats and dogs to shelters , King formed her organization in 2008 in an effort to provide cash-strapped owners a way to keep their canine and feline friends . Each year , between 3 million and 4 million cats and dogs in shelters are euthanized , according to The Humane Society of the United States , a Washington-based animal advocacy group . `` I 've had people say to me , ' I 'm down to my last half bag ( of pet food ) and I do n't know what to do , ' '' King said . `` People sometimes just cry because they need help . '' But King , also the pet food bank 's executive director , said that unlike traditional food banks , her group does n't typically benefit from a resource boost around the holidays . `` Most people do n't think to give to us and funding is a big problem , '' she said . `` A lot of the homeless shelters also do n't allow pets . So a lot people often just drive up to the local animal control centers and push their dogs out , '' unable to feed them , she added . Some people , out of work or under-employed , are forced to live in their cars but still refuse to say goodbye to their animal companions , she noted . `` They do n't want to turn their pets over to shelters , because many of the shelters are full and ( their pets ) will be put to sleep , '' King said . `` People do n't realize that pets , they 're family too . '' One such family member is a 12-year-old German shepherd named Giorgio -- a favorite of Nadine Turner 's late husband , who died of prostate cancer more than a decade ago . `` He loved that dog , '' said Turner , 57 , who became homeless earlier this year after moving to Atlanta in search of work . `` He 's the last link that I have to my husband . `` Whatever I do , I have to do my best to keep him alive . '' Turner , a former business owner and insurance broker from Oakland , California , said she lost her business in 2009 . Bunking with friends , she was ultimately forced to camp out on a park bench with her dog near a Kroger food market in downtown Atlanta . `` No shelter would take me and that dog , '' she said . She eventually turned to King 's organization , which paid a week 's motel bills , plus Giorgio 's food and medicine . `` I now have a job lined up with another Insurance company , '' as well a prospective apartment for rent , noted Turner . But she still must find a way to pay a $ 350 deposit . `` If I ca n't , me and Giorgio will be back in front of that Kroger 's . '' Turner 's story is not unusual , noted King , whose group currently works with about 500 other food banks nationwide . She also partners with corporations such Del Monte and Mars , as well as the Halo Pet Foundation , headed by comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres . Since 2008 , King 's organization has swelled to more than 30 volunteers . And through corporate and private donors , it 's shelled out more than a million pounds of pet food , trucking and mailing the donations to thousands of down-on-their-luck families . Nationwide networks , such as Rescue Bank -- with which King is affiliated -- have helped to connect the efforts of like-minded organizations . `` Rescue Bank is doing for pets what the food bank network has successfully done for people in this country for more than 40 years , '' said Debra Fair , vice president at Mars Petcare US . `` This partnership is the perfect way to give much-needed support to the shelter and rescue communities and change the lives of homeless pets everywhere . ''
Ann King is the founder of an Atlanta-based nonprofit group called Save Our Pets Food Bank . The group provides pet food and medicine to pet owners , who are unable to afford for it . ` She says that in her area there have been more than 100 cases where pets were left without food. Each year , between 3 million and 4 million cats and dogs in shelters are euthanized .