Pet Age Staff//November 29, 2016//
Pet Age Staff //November 29, 2016//
The Petco Foundation, in partnership with Petco, today revealed the names of 54 animal welfare organizations receiving grant funding through the annual Holiday Wishes campaign. This year, a total of $750,000 in grants will be awarded—including one $100,000 grand prize and a series of finalist awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to support the tremendous lifesaving efforts carried out by these deserving organizations year-round.
Nominations were solicited from adopters who put forth their favorite animal welfare groups for Holiday Wishes grant consideration by sharing personal accounts of how their adopted pet changed their lives. To help spread the goodwill, nominators of the winning stories will also receive a Petco gift card. This year, more than 5,000 stories were submitted, up 3,000 from last year.
“We were amazed by the wonderful stories shared by adopters during this year’s Holiday Wishes campaign. Each story perfectly illustrates how a pet’s love changes everything—ranging from a small update to one’s personal routine or a larger impact on your sense of perspective,” said Susanne Kogut, executive director of the Petco Foundation. “That’s why at the Petco Foundation we’re thrilled to celebrate that love with the individuals and families who shared their experiences with us as well as the animal welfare organizations who work so hard year-round to save lives.”
While the stories range from inspiring, to humorous and even a few lifesaving narratives, each celebrates how these adopted pets have positively changed and enriched the nominators’ lives. Following are a few of the finalist “Holiday Wishes” campaign submissions:
For the first time, the Petco Foundation is also inviting animal lovers to play a larger role in fulfilling Holiday Wishes. From now until December 31, 2016, fans can read all finalist stories and vote for their favorites to win the “People’s Choice Award” at petco.com/holidaywishes. The five organizations with the most votes will receive additional funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to support their lifesaving work. Results of the “People’s Choice Award” will be revealed in January.
Animal lovers can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by using the campaign hashtag #HolidayWishes.