Canada's struggling economy has affected many personal budgets and that has prompted a Sussex, N.B., group to lend a hand to some family members who may be neglected in tough times.

The Sussex Sharing Club started the province's first pet food bank last year, offering free food to owners struggling to provide for their pets.

'It's heartbreaking to know they're going to have to give them up because they can't afford to feed them properly.'— Maureen Sewell, Sussex Sharing Club

Maureen Sewell, the club's administrator, said she founded the program because she knows how important animals can be to people who don't have much else.

Sewell said she knows some owners do without food themselves to provide for their pets, while others worry about losing their pets because they can't afford to feed them.

"It's heartbreaking to know they're going to have to give them up because they can't afford to feed them properly," Sewell said.

The pet food bank opened last fall and its numbers continue to rise.

Stacy Bates and her dog Ice are thankful for the food bank. She said Ice has made her financial struggles easier to cope with.

"It's important to keep him. We just love the dog, you know. I'd miss him. I'd miss him a lot," Bates said.

Like many others, Bates and her family are being impacted by the downturn in the economy. Her fiancé just lost his job and that's adding strain to the family's finances.

"With the economics the way it is, I just can't afford it for my animals," Bates said.

Many New Brunswick animal shelters are finding out that Bates' situation is not unique.

Janet Foster, executive director of the Saint John Animal Rescue League, said the faltering economy means more people are giving up their pets. That is overloading shelters like the one Foster operates in Saint John.

"We had a lot of animals come in over Christmas time. We're at at least 150 cats — we're only set up to handle 80 at the tops," she said.