PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Pet Valu, a specialty retailer of premium pet foods and accessories, finished its fifth annual Thanks for Giving pet products drive having raised a total of $178,165 for local animal shelters, over $40,000 more than what was raised in 2015.
The Sidney Pet Valu raised $240 for the Shelby County Animal Rescue Foundation to use in support of the Shelby County Animal Shelter.
The November fundraiser ran all month long throughout Pet Valu’s 300-plus stores nationwide. As each store partners with at least one local animal group, all customer contributions directly supported the animals in their community that do not have homes.
Nationwide, the need for pet food, bedding, supplies and toys for animals without homes has continued to grow across the country. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose local chapters are partners of many Pet Valu stores, about 7.6 million dogs, cats and other companion animals enter shelters every year in the U.S.
“The success of our Thanks for Giving campaign is made possible through the generosity and compassion of our customers, our employees and our animal welfare partners,” said Joe Dent, vice president and U.S. general manager of Pet Valu. “By purchasing our $5 food bags that fed a dog or cat for a week, as well as health products and even the toys that are essential for keeping animals engaged when they’re alone in their cages, our Pet Valu community was able to share so much of the the holiday spirit with the animals that need it most.”
Similar to other Pet Valu fundraisers, the 2016 Thanks for Giving fundraiser brought plenty of unexpected acts of kindness. After a TV news segment on Thanks for Giving aired from one of Pet Valu’s stores in Baltimore, Maryland, a dog from a local shelter that made an appearance was adopted within two hours of the program’s airing.
Pet Valu will continue to collect donations through the remainder of the holiday season and all year long there are always opportunities to make contributions and adopt through the stores. At the national level, Pet Valu’s first of three annual Adoption Weekends will be Feb. 10-12. For information, visit http://us.petvalu.com/giving-back/.
