On Giving Tuesday (December 1, 2020), Bideawee held a tremendously successful “Hope for Shelter Pets, Help for Families” campaign that raised over $23,000 for the no-kill pet welfare organization serving metropolitan New York and Long Island. For each $20 contribution to Bideawee, Hill’s Pet Nutrition matched it with a donation of a five-pound bag of pet food through Hill’s Food’s Shelter & Love Program.
Bideawee and Hill’s Pet Nutrition then paid it forward by donating the more than 5,000 pounds of dog and cat food from the matched donations to Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank’s Baxter’s Pet Pantry.
“Bideawee has been supporting the relationship between pets and the people who love them for over 117 years, and through this partnership with Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Long Island Cares, we are further sealing that bond,” said Leslie Granger, President and CEO of Bideawee. “When households struggle to feed themselves, they also struggle to feed their pets, and the success of this campaign highlights how much we can accomplish by joining together on their behalf. Thanks to everyone in the Bideawee community who participated.”
Long Island Cares established Baxter’s Pet Pantry back in 2009 to aid families who were facing food insecurity for their pets. That in turn helps families keep their pets at home, instead of having to give them up to a shelter because they could no longer afford the high cost of pet food.
“We greatly appreciate the support of our friends at Bideawee and Hill’s Pet Nutrition for their generous support of Baxter’s Pet Pantry,” Paule Pachter, Long Island Cares’ CEO, stated.
Since its founding, the Lindenhurst-based Pet Pantry has provided over 2 million pounds of pet food to families in need through support from its 364 member agencies, as well as Long Island Cares’ five community-based satellite locations in Freeport, Huntington Station, Hampton Bays, and Lindenhurst.
“At Hill’s, our mission is to enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets and the partnerships we share with organizations like Bideawee, Long Island Cares and over 800 animal shelters in North America, help us live that mission every day,” said Joann Fuller, Brand Engagement Manager for Hill’s. “Nutrition is vital to the health and wellbeing of every pet and we appreciate the opportunity to help families care for the furry friends who bring so much joy to their lives.”
Support from organizations like Bideawee and Hill’s Pet Nutrition have allowed the Pet Pantry to further its reach. “When we collaborate with organizations and corporations to respond to the 63 percent increase in food insecurity in our region we can accomplish much to help lift families out of the cycle of poverty and hunger, and for The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, this includes family pets that are also affected by food insecurity,” Pachter added.
For more information about Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank or the Baxter’s Pet Pantry, visit licares.org.