This post is sponsored by PetSmart® and the BlogPaws™ Pet Influencer Network™. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article on the Buy a Bag Give a Meal program.
I am more than happy to tell you about something very cool from PetSmart. The company just today put out a press release to announce the Buy a Bag Give a Meal™ program. It is HUGE! I’ll bet you want to know what it is all about. Well sit down and get comfortable, the Farm cats and I are going to tell you all you need to know.
30 Years
PetSmart is celebrating its 30th anniversary and they are doing it in style! The Buy a Bag Give a Meal™ program will run from March 1 – December 31, 2017, and it’s very simple – for every bag of cat or dog food that you buy at a PetSmart either online or in store (US, Canada, Puerto Rico) they will donate a meal to a pet in need through pet shelters, animal welfare organizations and food banks.
How.Cool.Is.That?!
Now of course there is no way to know exactly how many meals will be donated by the end of the program but looking at past performance and the sales totals for bags of dog and cat food the company expects to donate more than 60 million meals to needy pets. It’s the biggest philanthropic campaign in PetSmart’s history. Isn’t that wonderful? That is also a LOT of meals for our furry friends.
So Many Pets in Need
As so many of us that love pets know there are a lot of cats, dogs and other animals looking for a forever home in shelters and foster homes across the country. Shelters are often strapped for cash and need to find ways to feed their furry inhabitants. This initiative by PetSmart is going to benefit the animals in these shelters and provide desperately needed food until the pets can be placed in a loving home.
A Message from PetSmart
“At PetSmart we love pets and we believe they make us better people. To celebrate our 30 years of continued commitment to helping pets in need every day and as a trusted partner to pet parents everywhere, we want to celebrate by giving back even more,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “Throughout 2017, every time pet parents purchase any bag of dog or cat food in our stores or online, they can rest assured they are also helping feed pets in need. When their pets eat, pets in need eat, too. It’s that simple.”
Not All Pets in Need are in Shelters
You hear stories of some cats (or dogs) that have been abandoned to the elements or have gotten lost. Then there are those like our new Farm cat, Fernando – he just showed up begging for food and was here every night for two weeks. One night I opened the door to feed him and in he strolled. He hasn’t been formally introduced on the blog yet, but he was in pretty rough shape when he adopted us. Now he is in a safe place with lots to eat, vet care and erm, loving (?) cat brothers and sisters.
We are fortunate here on the Farm that adding a sixth cat to the household was something we could afford, but not everyone is able to comfortably feed their furry family member(s) so it is good that there are pet food banks. They allow someone to get the assistance they need at those times when money is tight. Some of the meals in the Buy a Bag Give a Meal™ program will go to food banks so you can know that you are also helping people keep their companion animals in times of need.
Meet PetSmart Charities
PetSmart and it’s charitable arm, PetSmart Charities have been working together to help pets for 30 years. In that time they have helped save more than 7.3 million pets’ lives through their in store adoptions. That is really awesome if you ask me. They have also provided funding support of around $300 million to animal welfare causes. PetSmart Charities are the leading provider of such support in North America. I knew they did a lot but I had no idea of the scope.
Call me duly impressed.
So are the Farm cats. They know how good they have it. Sherpa is our only shelter cat, the others all came to us by way of being found or the “catdar” the hubby claims I have flashing. Each one was welcomed into the family with love – and maybe some hisses and snarls but eventually it all works out. They are well fed and well loved but there are so many other pets out there that are not.
Feed for All
We have to feed our pets so why not do it in a way that helps other, less fortunate ones at the same time. The Farm cats get a mix of wet and dry food so picking up a bag of kibble from PetSmart in Missoula or at petsmart.com (or please use petsmart.ca if you are in Canada) is not going to be a great hardship and my doing so until the end of year combined with the efforts of (hopefully) tens of thousands of other people will lead to a multitude of well fed animals in shelters and elsewhere.
Please enjoy the video below to see how Buy a Bag Give a Meal™ makes pets happy!
Will you join me in buying bags of cat/dog food at PetSmart?
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetSmart. The opinions and text are all mine.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetSmart. The opinions and text are all mine.
