Hill's Pet Nutrition Partners with The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement to Provide Disaster Relief Grants to Shelters Impacted by COVID-19

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May 26, 2020, 13:09 ET

NEW YORK, May 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hill's Pet Nutrition, a global leader in premium pet nutrition, today announced a new partnership 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. Many are non-profit 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 has a long history of supporting animal shelters through our 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. "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."

"Hill's Pet Nutrition has long been one of the largest corporate supporters of the animal welfare movement, supporting local sheltering organizations as well as The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement for many years."said Jim Tedford, President & CEO of The Association. "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. For some organizations, these grants will quite literally help keep them afloat during this crisis."

Because the needs of animal shelters across the United States are as varied as each state's response to the pandemic, Hill's and The Association will provide financial assistance to shelters to support the following key areas:

Adoption programs
Foster programs
Veterinary care for in-shelter and foster pets
Operational expenses
Community support

Applications for Hill's Disaster Relief Grants will be accepted from May 26 - June 2 and will be paid out in full by August 31, 2020. Eligible applicants can visit Hill's Support for Shelters to learn more and/or apply.

About Hill's Pet Nutrition
Founded more than 75 years ago with an unwavering commitment to pet nutrition, Hill's mission is to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. Hill's is dedicated to pioneering research and groundbreaking nutrition for dogs and cats based on a scientific understanding of their specific needs. HILL'S® Prescription Diet® therapeutic pet foods and HILL'S® Science Diet® wellness pet foods are sold through veterinarians and pet specialty retailers worldwide.

Hill's created the Hill's Food, Shelter & Love program in 2002 to provide shelter dogs and cats with nutrition that will help make them healthy, happy and ready to join their forever home. Since its inception, the Hill's Food, Shelter & Love Program has provided over $295 million worth of Hill's® brand pet foods to over 1,000 animal shelters, helping more than 11 million pets find new homes.

Hill's Disaster Relief Network was established in 2013 as an extension of the Hill's Food, Shelter & Love program. Over the last 7 years the Network has donated over 400,000 pounds of food to more than 430 organizations in response to over 100 disasters. This number does not include products donated in 2020.

For more information about Hill's, our products and our nutritional philosophy, visit us at HillsPet.com, HillsVet.com or Facebook, keywords "Hill's Pet Nutrition."

About The Association of Animal Welfare Advancement
For more than 50 years The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement has been leading the conversation among animal welfare leaders and is the only membership organization exclusively dedicated to animal welfare and sheltering professionals. The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement develops strong leaders, promotes standards of practice, and cultivates collaboration to advance the animal welfare profession with a united voice and offers the industry's only professional credential, the CAWA (Certified Animal Welfare Administrator).

SOURCE Hill's Pet Nutrition