Title Sponsor Provides Pet Food Donation from Coast to Coast
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (Oct. 1, 2020) – Today officially marks the kick-off of the 22nd Annual Home for the Holidays campaign, sponsored by Blue Buffalo. To celebrate, the big hearted pet food company is providing animal rescue organizations and shelters on both coasts of the country, a very special holiday gift. For the third year, Blue Buffalo, the title sponsor of the Helen Woodward Animal Center-originated campaign, will unload a massive amount of free pet food to San Diego and New York City rescues. At the same time, Naturally Fresh will also provide free pallets of their premium kitten litter. The media is invited to attend on Wednesday, Oct. 7th, between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., as representatives from west coast animal groups pick up the high quality food and litter for orphan pets in their care.
Since its start, Home 4 the Holidays has helped place more than 17 million pets (from over 4,000 participating global rescue partners) into loving homes. The program seeks to encourage families to find their four-legged family members at a shelter, rather than a pet store or breeder, during the holiday season when more families choose to bring home a new pet than any other time of the year.
Blue Buffalo has supported Helen Woodward Animal Center’s holiday campaign since 2013. Last year, the campaign resulted in more than 1 million orphan dogs and cats united with loving families.
“Blue Buffalo believes pets truly become family members and we are proud to support pet adoption programs through the year,” said Blue Buffalo Marketing Director Danielle Donegan. “The Home 4 the Holidays campaign is especially important to the animal shelter and rescue communities nationwide because it helps millions of orphan pets find forever homes.”
Many animal welfare organizations struggle with limited funding and hungry mouths to feed, while juggling budgets with supply costs and medical expenses. 2020’s pandemic placed an even greater financial strain on rescue facilities that depend on donations for much of their limited income. The Coast-to-Coast Blue Buffalo Food Drop helps takes a big bite out of the financial strain; enabling shelters to focus on matching pets with loving families. Blue Buffalo is delivering several truckloads of food to Helen Woodward Animal Center and the Center’s newest partner, Paws Crossed Animal Rescue in New York. The much-needed holiday meals will be distributed to pet rescues within those regions. Locally, those groups include; The Animal Pad, Friends of Cats, Lionel’s Legacy, Feral Cat Coalition, Second Chance Dog Rescue, Volunteers in Defense of Animals (VIDA), Rescue House, Spay and Neuter Action Project (SNAP), SPOT, and many others.
“Blue Buffalo has been an incredible supporter of animal adoption and rescue facilities all over the country,” stated Helen Woodward Animal Center VP of Development Renee Resko. “They have put so much heart behind the marketing efforts they do to promote adoption during the holiday season and the gift of free food to rescue facilities is icing on the cake. We are honored to be one of the facilitators of this amazing holiday delivery.”
Helen Woodward Animal Center is also ensuring that a portion of the pet food donation be provided to The Animal Rescue Mission located in Los Angeles, California. This donation will be made in recognition of 2020’s Remember Me Thursday® Official Spokesperson and actress, Jennie Garth who fostered a shelter pup during the COVID-19 quarantine. The Garth family fell in love with, and eventually adopted, their foster naming him Fauci (after Dr. Fauci). In recognition of Jennie’s heart and her enthusiastic voice for rescue pets around the world, this food will be provided to other pets awaiting adoption at Fauci’s alumni shelter, The Animal Rescue Mission.
Helen Woodward Animal Center wants to continue to encourage rescue organizations to up their adoption efforts during the holiday season, when more families opt to bring home a new pet. For the second year, the Center is offering $25,000 to the rescue organization that develops the most creative promotion to increase adoptions.
There are many ways to get involved in the Blue Buffalo Home 4 the Holidays campaign including adopting and encouraging friends to adopt and then showing the world your newly adopted best friend by posting a photo at https://animalcenter.org/home-4-the-holidays/contest, or sharing on Twitter or Instagram with #IChoseToRescue and tagging @hwac and @bluebuffalo. For more information about the campaign or to find participating local shelters and rescues groups, go to https://animalcenter.org/home-4-the-holidays.
The media is invited to join us on Wednesday, Oct. 7th, between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00, as local rescue groups arrive in shifts to pick up the generous Blue Buffalo food donation at Helen Woodward Animal Center.
For information on Helen Woodward Animal Center, call 858-756-4117, visit www.animalcenter.org or stop by at 6461 El Apajo Road, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067.
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About Home 4 the Holidays (H4TH)
As one of the most successful pet adoption programs in the world, H4TH partners with thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphan pets. Founded by Helen Woodward Animal Center and in partnership with Blue Buffalo this year, the program began in 1999 with just 14 participating animal shelters in San Diego County. Since it began 22 years ago, partner organizations in the Home 4 the Holidays campaign have helped more than 17 million families experience the joy of pet adoption, including more than 1.3 million pet adoptions last year alone. For more information, please visit www.home4theholidays.org.
About Helen Woodward Animal Center
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a private, non-profit organization where “people help animals and animals help people.” Founded in 1972 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the Center provides services for more than 90,000 people and more than 10,000 animals annually through adoptions, educational and therapeutic programs both onsite and throughout the community. Helen Woodward Animal Center is also the creator of the International Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive, the International Remember Me Thursday® campaign and The Business of Saving Lives Workshops, teaching the business of saving lives to animal welfare leaders from around the world. For more information, go to: www.animalcenter.org.
About Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo, based in Wilton, Conn., is the nation’s leading natural pet food company, and provides natural foods and treats for dogs and cats under its BLUE Life Protection Formula, BLUE Wilderness, BLUE Basics, BLUE Freedom and BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet lines. Paying tribute to its founding mission, the Company, through the Blue Buffalo Foundation, is also a leading sponsor of pet cancer awareness and of critical studies of pet cancer, health, treatment and nutrition at top veterinary medical schools across the United States. For more information, visit www.BlueBuffalo.com.