Holidays are drive time. From clothing, toys, food, or household items, just about everything and everyone has a collection drive to help those in need. Now let’s add one to the list.

Animal Hospital on Midway, with the cooperation of Help House, is asking the residents of Whidbey to help our four-legged friends in need. From now until Jan.10, the Animal Hospital is holding a pet food drive.

Around the holidays, Veterinarian Dr. Donna DeBonis says that she and her clinic staff see a tendency for people to put off routine care for their pets.

“They usually spend what little money they have to buy gifts, or food for themselves,” she said.

The veterinarian conceived the idea recently when her son asked her to gather some items to send off for his school’s food drive.

“I immediately thought ‘sure, I can get some pet food together to donate — wait, I wonder if anyone else has thought of donating pet food.’ Pretty soon I was thinking about how everyone always thinks of donating food for humans but not for pets,” DeBonis said.

Through Jan. 10, people can drop off bags and cans of dog or cat food at the Animal Hospital on Midway (located at 250 NE Midway), or at Help House (1091 SE Hathaway in Oak Harbor). Help House has agreed to take pet food donations as space permits.

Those interested in receiving donations to help feed their pets can pick-up food at the Animal Hospital on Midway or at the Help House, just outside in the produce stand.

Both Help House and the Animal Hospital on Midway are trying to keep it as simple as possible, which is why you can donate and collect at either site. Science Diet pet food is also available to purchase for people to donate to the drive.

The Animal Hospital on Midway has even contacted Hill’s Science Diet, who agreed to make a donation to the Oak Harbor pet food drive.

Almost daily people ask Help House for dog or cat food, according to Help House Director Bill Nance. “If we have it, they can have it, if not we can’t help them,” he said.

Throughout the year Help House receives occasional donations of pet food from people in the community, through food drives or from local grocery stores who offer dented cans or torn bags to Help House.

“Sometimes we have six to seven hundred pounds in a week, sometimes nothing — it really just depends on luck,” Nance said.

DeBonis and her staff say the drive isn’t just to help those people and their pets who regularly depend on support from Help House or other food banks.

“It’s even for people with regular income who just happen to fall behind,” DeBonis said.

Nance says a need for pet food exists in the community and adds that Help House is “appreciative of anyone willing to step forward to meet a need during the holiday season when budgets are tight as people are making ends meet at this expensive time of the year.”

Dana Gurich, veterinary technician for the Animal Hospital on Midway, summed it up.

“We want to help families feed all of their family members,” she said.

Contact Cynthia Woolbright at cwool

bright@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.