"She told me she sometimes fed her cat before herself, " Mr. Okon said in a telephone interview.

WSJ: Pets on Food Stamps

In February, as headlines raged about a strengthening economy, Mr. Okon started a privately funded nonprofit called Pet Food Stamps.

WSJ: Pets on Food Stamps

Marc Okon, who has worked as a stockbroker, entrepreneur and business consultant, has a friend from his old neighborhood in Bayside, Queens, N.

WSJ: Pets on Food Stamps