The COVID-19 pandemic has meant more people are turning to pets to keep them company, but for many it comes at an added cost.
Newcastle's Senior Citizen of the Year Jan Chamberlain leads the Hamilton South Community Solutions group. She said a lot of people in the area have pets, but the cost of them means they often neglect their own needs.
"A lot of people in Hamilton South are either seniors or they have medical challenges or they are on their own," she said.
"Because there is that social isolation a lot of them have animals for company and so I think that a lot of people care for their animals more than they care for themselves. A lot of money is spent on vets and food and everything else and sometimes they neglect themselves."
Students at St Therese's Primary School have been donating pet food to the Hamilton South Community Solutions group for the past month.
Ms Chamberlain said the large amount of donations collected from the school will be given to residents who are pet owners and struggling with the rising cost of living or ongoing financial pressures as a result of COVID-19.
"We generally know the people who really need some help so we are able to focus on those people and make sure it goes to the right place," she said.
"This sort of support really helps them feed their animals but also look after themselves a bit more so it works both ways."
Students are also bringing in Easter Egg donations to give to Ronald McDonald House and a women's refuge later this week.
Ms Chamberlain said it is important to get children involved in helping others from a young age.
"I absolutely love having the younger generation involved in this because they learn about diversity, they learn that not everybody has an easy life and that if they pitch in and help then they know it is helping somebody else and I think it is about passing that on.
"If we start from a young age then it goes through into life and I think that is one of the great lessons that we can teach our kids.
"Not everybody is lucky and we need to make kids aware of that. The entitlement goes and kids feel better when they help people out and they get excited."
In the lead up to handing over pet food donations to Ms Chamberlain, students brought in pictures of their pets as a reminder of why the donations are important.
"They have been very excited by the concept. The students have been very involved in this, bringing in the food and getting it all organised and they have seen the need," said St Therese's Primary School year five teacher Anne Sturt.
Year five student Sage said she knows the benefit that pets can have on a person as she has a cow, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys and bunnies.
"Pets, especially dogs, are very loyal and they bring you happiness and joy and if you don't have them you might feel sad," she said.
"I thought it was a really good idea because even the less fortunate people deserve to have pets as well."
The Hamilton South Community Solutions Group will collect more donations for those in need throughout the year.
"We get a lot of homeless people in Hamilton South who have absolutely nothing. We found blankets and doonas were the things that most people wanted, as well as children's warm clothes," said Ms Chamberlain.
