Aug. 29, 2017 – Phoenix, Ariz.— In response to Hurricane Harvey, PetSmart Charities is reaching out to help pets and pet parents in need. The organization has earmarked at least $1 million in emergency relief funding to help animal welfare agencies who are working on the front lines to rescue, relocate, feed and care for pets that have been left homeless due to the floods. Animal welfare organizations working to save the lives of pets in these areas are can visit www.petsmartcharities.org/pro to apply for an emergency relief grant. 

“Our thoughts are with all of the people and pets who have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” said Dr. David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., President of PetSmart Charities. “We’re committed to supporting everyone we can who has been impacted by this disaster, including pets and pet parents staying in evacuation centers and shelters in Houston and Dallas who may not have access to the pet food and essentials they need.”

By making grants to animal welfare and social services agencies on the ground in Texas, PetSmart Charities is supporting their united efforts to save the lives of pets and provide much needed pet food, veterinary care and supplies.  Early grants and in-kind donations PetSmart Charities has made to date include:

$150,000 grant to Houston SPCA:  Funds will be used to help care for pets in the Houston SPCA’s shelter while also supporting the recruitment and deployment of 13 animal welfare teams from across the country to enhance search and rescue efforts already underway by Houston SPCA.

 $100,000 grant to SPCA of Texas:  PetSmart Charities’ donation will support this animal welfare agency’s ongoing efforts to help pets in need at the Mega Shelter recently opened in Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.  Funds will also support the SPCA of Texas as it cares for more than 300 pets who have been surrendered or evacuated.

$75,000 grant to Rescue Bank:  Last week Rescue Bank in Houston, Texas received nearly 80,000 pounds of donated pet food generated by PetSmart’s Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™ program. One pallet of food has been delivered to the Houston Convention Center to help feed the pets of people who have arrived in this temporary hurricane shelter. PetSmart Charities’ financial grant will help Rescue Bank to continue to distribute the donated pet food to animal welfare agencies and hurricane shelters in the Houston area.

$50,000 grant to Houston PetSet:  As a locally-based nonprofit dedicated to working with animal welfare agencies and rescues, Houston PetSet will use its emergency relief grant from PetSmart Charities to help smaller nonprofits who are assisting with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and require grants of $5,000 or less.

Providing In-Kind Donations of Pet Food and Supplies:
In addition to providing financial support for animal welfare agencies, PetSmart Charities has allocated two truckloads of donated pet care supplies like collars, leashes, food and water bowls, pet beds, kitty litter and more to help with emergency relief efforts in Texas.  Fellow animal welfare agency, Rescue Bank, will deliver these supplies leveraging its fleet of trucks.  One truckload is on its way to the SPCA of Texas in Dallas, while the other will soon be arriving in the Houston area. A third truck filled with 50 pallets of donated pet food from PetSmart’s Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program has been rerouted to help feed pets in need in Texas.

Offering Support to Animal Welfare Agencies Saving Pets Impacted by Hurricane Harvey:  PetSmart Charities has allocated at least $1 million to support emergency relief efforts in Texas.  If you are an animal welfare organization working to save the lives of pets in these areas, visit www.petsmartcharities.org/pro to apply for an emergency relief grant.  Due to the volume of requests PetSmart Charities is receiving, all grant requests will be triaged by the grant administration team and responded to in a timely manner.

How You Can Support PetSmart Charities’ Emergency Relief Efforts: If you would like to support PetSmart Charities’ emergency relief efforts, like those underway in Texas, please consider making a donation at the PIN pads located at the cash registers of every PetSmart store or online at  www.petsmartcharities.org/donate

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About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization with a mission to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together.  In addition to finding homes for almost 500,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities provides funding to non-profits aligned with its mission through four key areas of grant support:  Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores.  In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar donated and has become the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, donating about $300 million to date. PetSmart Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization, has received the Four Star Rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 14 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

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