The Pet Corner began almost 10 years ago when Pat and Gary Janco were volunteers, serving meals at Gracie’s Kitchen. They noticed senior citizens and veterans were requesting containers or doggy bags to take some of their food home to their pets. Pat and Gary came up with the idea of creating a pet food area, the Pet Corner. They started purchasing pet food and then enlisted the help of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Mission Church to help with donations of cat and dog food.

 

Pat and Gary’s own trained therapy dogs, Isla and Tootles, were able to greet guests at Gracie's Kitchen (before Covid), and the Pet Corner, along with Isla and Tootle’s friendly faces, opened up a whole new social dialogue of everyone sharing stories of their pets. Guests were grateful for the pet food, especially those on very limited budgets. The donations of pet food allowed seniors and veterans to direct the money they were previously spending on their pets toward their own important medical expenses, such as for much needed medications and prescription eyeglasses.