Hill’s Pet Nutrition has partnered with The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement to provide $400,000 in grants to animal shelters impacted by COVID-19.
“The pandemic has reduced funds available to animal shelters, especially smaller organizations,” officials said in a statement. “Many are nonprofit organizations whose sources of funding are dependent on interaction with people through fundraising events, donor support, adoption fees or large-scale adoption events. Over the last few months, those sources of financial support have been negatively impacted, as shelter-in-place orders kept people closer to home and mindful of their resources.”
Hill’s support is through its Food, Shelter & Love program and Disaster Relief Network.
“Over the last eight weeks, we’ve donated over 450,000 pounds of Hill’s products to support pets in need, but the financial impact shelters have felt as a result of the pandemic means we must do more,” said Jesper Nordengaard, president of Hill’s in Topeka, Kan. “Our strong relationship with The Association, coupled with their deep connections within the animal welfare community, creates a natural partnership that will allow us to quickly distribute this assistance to shelters that need it most.”
Jim Tedford, president and CEO of The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, said that he is proud of its partnership with Hill’s.
“We are so proud of our strong partnership, and we’re extremely excited to work with Hill’s to get resources into the hands of shelters in need,” Tedford said. “For some organizations, these grants will quite literally help keep them afloat during this crisis.”
The financial assistance, according to officials, will help with adoption programs, foster programs, veterinary care for in-shelter and foster pets, operational expenses and community support.
Applications for Hill’s Disaster Relief Grants are being accepted now through June 2 and will be paid out in full by Aug. 31. For details, click here.
