America’s Largest Domestic Hunger-Relief Organization and the Nation’s Largest Pet Food Donation Network are Assisting PetSmart Charities in Distributing the Bulk of the Expected 60 Million-Plus Meals* to Pets in Need; PetSmart Reporting Just-Launched Philanthropic Program Has Already Generated 7 Million Meals
April 6, 2017—PHOENIX, AZ – PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, announced today that it is teaming up with GreaterGood.org’s Rescue Bank program and Feeding America®, two renowned national nonprofit organizations, to help deliver the bulk of the more than 60 million pet food meals* expected to be generated from PetSmart’s just-launched Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program.
Last month, in celebration of PetSmart’s 30th anniversary, the pet retailer launched the unprecedented Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program**, where it will give a meal to a pet in need for any and every bag of dog or cat food purchased March 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, in its more than 1,500 stores and online at PetSmart.com and PetSmart.ca, including through its automatic subscription-based service available at PetSmart.com.
Rescue Bank will help distribute the donated pet food to animal welfare organizations across the U.S. and Feeding America will disperse the donated pet food to select food banks across the nation – all to help feed pets in need. This collaboration marks Rescue Bank’s largest single partnership with a pet brand, and this is the largest pet food donation for Feeding America to date.
PetSmart Charities of Canada is also partnering with animal welfare organizations in Canada to distribute the anticipated 3.6 million meals* to pets in need in that country.
“When our partners at PetSmart shared this big idea to give back a meal for every bag purchased, we were overwhelmed by the generosity and thrilled to take on the challenge of distributing such a huge volume of pet food – an expected 60 million meals -- to help pets in need across the U.S. and Canada. So we immediately started looking for leading national partners who might be able to help,” said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., and president of PetSmart Charities.
“PetSmart’s program is unique in that it’s targeting a crucial necessity to feed pets in need in shelters and rescues, where a high percentage of them live, and also provide pet food assistance to families and individuals who are served by their local food pantries. We are thrilled to be working with Rescue Bank and Feeding America, important partners to help us get the pet food to the pets who need it in local communities across America,” said Haworth.
Rescue Bank annually distributes more than 40 million pet meals to its network of 1,900 shelter and rescue groups around the country. Pet food, especially cat food, is consistently the largest request Rescue Bank receives from its shelter and rescue partners.
“As a leader in supporting the animal rescue community with much-needed supplies and services, we couldn’t be more pleased to help PetSmart Charities donate pet food to thousands of rescue organizations across the U.S.,” said Elizabeth Asher, Rescue Bank’s executive director. “Pet food is a large operating expense for local animal welfare organizations. These donations help defray overall costs and allow them to focus on other ways to save more pets’ lives and improve the quality of life for pets in need.”
Feeding America is a network of 200 food banks that provides food and groceries through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs to more than 46 million Americans each year. According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2015-16 national pet owner survey, nearly 45 percent of the U.S. households have dogs and about 35 percent have cats as pets.
“As more families struggle with difficult choices like paying the rent or buying food, some have to choose between keeping their pet and putting food on the table,” said Bill Thomas, chief supply chain officer, product development at Feeding America. “We know that pets provide comfort to families and individuals, and those who are struggling financially more than likely will also need food for their pets. We are excited to partner with PetSmart Charities to help provide pet food assistance to these families in need.”
“We are tremendously proud of this new philanthropic program and pleased to report that this initiative has already generated 7 million meals to be donated to pets in need,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “We are excited to begin distributing the much-needed pet food this spring and to continue with a steady stream of food donations thanks to pet parent purchases of dog and cat food bags in our stores and online and to PetSmart Charities and its alignment with these great pet food distribution partners, Feeding America and Rescue Bank.”
Eligible human services organizations that wish to be considered to receive pet food donations from the PetSmart Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program through PetSmart Charities are encouraged to connect with their local food bank using the food bank locator at www.feedingamerica.org; animal welfare organizations are asked to apply online at RescueBank.org. For Canadian animal welfare organizations interested in the donated pet food, please contact Dani Mailing, Regional Relationship Manager at PetSmart Charities of Canada via email: dmailing[at]petsmartcharities[dot]org.
For more information on the Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program, please visit PetSmart.com/giveameal.
###
About PetSmart®
PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 55,000 associates, operate more than 1,500 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as more than 200 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as pet-focused services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart® Doggie Day Camp® and pet adoption. PetSmart, together with non-profits PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, invite more than 3,000 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 7.3 million adoptions – more than any other brick-and-mortar organization. The company’s portfolio of digital resources for pet parents includes PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, OnlyNaturalPet.com, Pet360.com, petMD.com, Pawculture.com, AllPaws, an online pet adoption platform that helps potential pet parents find the perfect pet to adopt based on their home, family and lifestyle, as well as BlogPaws, the world’s first pet blogger and influencer network. Through these digital platforms, PetSmart offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, PetSmart launched its Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™ program in March 2017. For every bag of cat or dog food purchased March 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, PetSmart will donate a meal to pets in need and expects to donate more than 60 million meals in 2017.
Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
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
Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc
About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada
PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity 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 more than 25,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores, PetSmart Charities of Canada provides funding to registered charities 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 of Canada using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 89 cents of every dollar donated and has become a leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, donating nearly $12 million to date. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a member of Imagine Canada, and a registered Canadian charity independent from PetSmart, Inc. To learn more, visit www.petsmartcharities.ca
About Rescue Bank
Rescue Bank, a Signature Program of GreaterGood.org, operates on the national food bank model to community-based animal welfare groups that typically lack access to resources. Rescue Bank recognizes that these smaller, less-visible groups represent a substantial portion of America’s animal rescue resource. Rescue Bank works with name-brand suppliers to deliver donated pet food for both the ongoing needs of more than 1,800 animal welfare organizations and the immediate needs of communities after disasters such as hurricanes, floods and fires. Since establishing its national network in 2011, Rescue Bank has delivered over 200 million meals of nutritious, wholesome pet food. For more information visit http://rescuebank.org or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/RescueBank.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
*The actual number of meals donated is based on dog and cat food bags sold. The meal donation estimate is based on historic sales for similar time periods. No guaranteed amount. Rescue Bank and Feeding America will help distribute a large portion of the pet food donation in the U.S.
** For every bag of dog or cat dry food purchased at a PetSmart store, PetSmart.com or PetSmart.ca between 3/1/17 – 12/31/17, PetSmart will donate a meal (5 oz dog food; 1.5 oz cat food) to PetSmart Charities to help feed a pet in need. Visit www.PetSmart.com/giveameal for more information.
