Winnipeg Jets wives and girlfriends running pet food drive

Some of the wives and girlfriends of Winnipeg Jets’ players are helping collect food for pets in need.

Some of the wives and girlfriends of Winnipeg Jets players traded in pucks for puppies at the Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS).

Kiera Pionk, Meaghan Pearson, and Margot Morrissey toured the facility on Wednesday in support of an upcoming pet food drive when the Jets host the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 4 at Canada Life Centre.

“We are hoping to help Winnipeg Humane Society up their supply for their food bank,” said Pionk.

The cause hits close to home for many of the families on the team.

“I would say most couples or families have for sure one, if not multiple, pets on the team. We all like to go home to our pets every single day. So, we’d like to support anybody else that may have the same feeling and want to support their local shelter,” explained Pionk.

Kendra Zielke, a food bank coordinator at the Winnipeg Humane Society, said it currently caters to over 1,500 clients.

“We’ve increased this year over 300 per cent, so there’s been a lot of need, and it’s ever growing at this point.”

She also estimates it runs through “hundreds and hundreds of pounds of food a month.”

WHS community outreach coordinator Ally Klinck said partnering with the Jets in the past has helped raise awareness for the organization’s needs.

“It’s really exciting that they choose to work with us so that we can get a little bit more funding, a little bit more going on for our food bank and (help) those who need it in the community,” said Klinck.

Pionk said last year’s event brought out the best in Winnipeggers and they’re hoping for continued community participation.

“It was a great success. We were able to have a bunch of volunteers along with the wives and girlfriends at the game, and through the support of our fans, we were able to raise over 800 pounds of food last year,” said Pionk.

Fans interested in helping can bring dog and cat food to the game or make a cash donation.

Those who donate will also be entered to win a Jets pet prize pack.

Supporters not attending the game can still participate by dropping off donations at the Winnipeg Humane Society.

-With files from CTV’s Daniel Halmarson