PetSmart Charities Commits $1M to Support Hurricane Ida Pet Relief Efforts

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Press release: PetSmart Charities

PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, will commit up to $1 million in grants to support designated responding agencies working on the front lines to help pets and families in areas impacted by Hurricane Ida.

In the event of large-scale natural disasters in the United States and Canada, PetSmart Charities activates funding to designated responders that support relief, response and recovery efforts of owned pets. Funding can support sheltering supplies and infrastructure, reunification efforts and funds to support volunteers and staff working with pets in impacted areas.

Additionally, funding can support necessary immediate sheltering needs, such as kennels, crates, pet food, vaccinations and immediate veterinary care.

To date, PetSmart Charities donated more than $319,000 to organizations making an impact on the ground in disaster areas toward the $1 million commitment. The Louisiana SPCA, Louisiana Search and Rescue Team (LSART) and Mississippi Animal Rescue Team (MART) are among the first grant recipients, along with current adoption partners and grantees hit hardest by the storm.

“As the full extent of damages caused by Hurricane Ida are still being assessed, we know that response and recovery will take time,” said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. “Many families with pets and animal shelters were already facing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are stretched to their limits. Grant funding from PetSmart Charities will help provide essential care to pet families and displaced pets in the areas impacted by this devastating storm. We want to help keep people and their pets together during the most difficult times.”

Disaster relief groups can submit grant applications to PetSmart Charities. The grants are open to national and local designated response agencies serving pets including nonprofit and municipal animal shelters, rescues, food banks and veterinary clinics. PetSmart Charities will fund up to $1 million in grants, provided that qualified applications for that amount are received.

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps nearly 600,000 pets connect with loving families each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. Its grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter and emergency relief. Each year, millions of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities directly at PetSmartCharities.org, while shopping at PetSmart.com and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting more than $475 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the past 17 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of rated charities.