Retire-to Volunteering

071 Kim Carrier—People and Pets Together Not Just Another Mouth to Feed—People and Pets Together Have you ever been sick or emotionally down and had your pet climb up next to you, loving you completely and easing your distress? Kim Carrier attributes that unconditional love from her two dogs with helping her heal. They were her "saving grace" in very difficult time. Kim also recognized that others were not so fortunate. Job loss and medical crises, especially, can so easily push a family to the brink financially. In desperate times too many people feel they have no option but to give up their pets in order to feed their family. Yet living with pets can have such positive effects in times of instability. Especially for children, their animals provide emotional support and actual health benefits. In 2009, in the midst of the adversity of the Great Recession, Kim founded People and Pets Together (PPT) to give families an alternative to having to surrender their pets. Through both the organization's own pet food