PEDIGREE FOUNDATION AWARDS $100K IN ESSENTIAL SUPPORT DOGS SAFETY NET GRANTS VIA DONATION THROUGH PEDIGREE® BRAND'S ESSENTIAL SUPPORT DOGS PROGRAM

10 Shelters Across the Country Awarded for their Efforts to Assist Dogs in Need and Help End Pet Homelessness

FRANKLIN, Tenn., July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, PEDIGREE Foundation, in conjunction with the PEDIGREE^® brand's Essential Support Dogs program, awarded $100K in Essential Support Dogs Safety Net grants to 10 shelters and organizations nationwide for their efforts in keeping people and pets together during hardships. These grants were awarded to shelters and organizations with programs that provide immediate assistance with temporary boarding or fostering, food costs or pet-friendly housing deposits. Organizations that focus on dogs with families needing medical expense relief were also considered in the grant selection.

The PEDIGREE^® brand's Essential Support Dogs program recognizes all dogs as essential and celebrates the work they've done to get us through tough times. As part of the program, the PEDIGREE brand committed to donating $5 per qualifying social post,¹ up to $100K, to PEDIGREE Foundation to provide assistance for dogs in need through its Essential Support Dogs Safety Net grants program. Pet parents shared their stories, and despite not yet reaching the full $100k amount through social posts, the PEDIGREE Brand is committed to supporting dogs in need and has donated the full $100K.

"We know how much people have turned to their pets for unconditional love and support over the past few years and through the PEDIGREE brand's Essential Support Dogs program and its donation to support these grants, shelters across the country can continue to keep people and pets together through challenging times," said Kimberly Wise, President of PEDIGREE Foundation. "We're inspired by the work shelters are doing to drive change in their communities and help deserving dogs find loving homes. Now more than ever, shelters need our support as they are at capacity and are unable to take more dogs under their care. We encourage people to adopt, foster, volunteer or donate to your local shelter to help continue to drive this change and end pet homelessness."

Grant recipients include:

• APA! AMPA! (Austin, TX)
• Arizona Humane Society (Phoenix, AZ)
• Berkeley Humane (Berkeley, CA)
• Dallas Pets Alive! (Dallas, TX)
• Humane Indiana (Highland, IN)
• Humane Rescue Alliance (Washington, D.C.)
• Jennifer Sterling Brown Animal Rescue (Lexington, MS)
• Rockbridge Animal Alliance (Lexington, VA)
• Seattle Humane (Bellevue, WA)
• The Rescue Train (North Hollywood, CA)

In addition to the donation to support PEDIGREE Foundation Essential Support Dogs Safety Net grants, the PEDIGREE brand created a nationwide support fund to provide up to $2.5 million in nutritional and financial assistance to help ensure dogs can stay with their loving families. To celebrate how dogs support their pet parents, the PEDIGREE brand teamed up with Walmart to offer discounts in-store for PEDIGREE dry products. Pet parents across the country can receive $2 off their next purchase of PEDIGREE dry products through July 26. Those who are seeking financial assistance can sign up for the program online at EssentialSupportDogs.com to receive additional coupons for PEDIGREE dry products over the course of three months.

Built off the belief that pets make the world a better place, the Essential Support Dogs program is part of the work Mars, Incorporated and its other much loved petcare brands are doing to create a world where pets are healthy, happy and welcome. Because the world we want tomorrow is A Better World for Pets™. To learn more, please visit EssentialSupportDogs.com. Those interested in donating to the cause or wanting to purchase a dog tag can check out pedigreefoundation.org or the DOGS RULE.^® store at dogsrulestore.com.

About the PEDIGREE^® Brand
The PEDIGREE Brand, proudly part of Mars, Incorporated, is the number one brand of dog food and treats in the world, feeding more dogs than any other brand. The PEDIGREE Brand offers a wide variety of products and formats for dogs at every life stage. The PEDIGREE Brand is built on an unwavering love for all dogs and a commitment to dog adoption. For more information, please visit www.Pedigree.com.

About PEDIGREE Foundation
We believe every dog deserves a loving, forever home. PEDIGREE Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to help end pet homelessness. Nearly 3.1 million dogs end up in shelters and rescues every year, and nearly half never find a home. The foundation was established in 2008 by Mars Petcare, maker of PEDIGREE^® food for dogs, to help increase dog adoption rates. We've awarded more than 5,800 grants and nearly $10 million to U.S. shelters and rescues that help dogs in need. At PEDIGREE Foundation, we're working toward a day when all dogs are safe, secure, cared for, fed well and loved. See how you can help at PedigreeFoundation.org.

About Mars Petcare
Part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love, the 85,000 Associates across 50+ countries in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. With 85 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world's pets – including brands PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA^®, CESAR^®, IAMS™ and EUKANUBA™ as well as the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through an international network of over 2,000 pet hospitals and diagnostic services including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™, Linnaeus, AniCura and Antech. We're also active in innovation and technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND™ programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business and guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in – and we choose to fight for our Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

About MARS, INCORPORATED
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us.

Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including DOVE^®, EXTRA^®, M&M's^®, MILKY WAY^®, SNICKERS^®, TWIX^®, ORBIT^®, PEDIGREE^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, SKITTLES^®, BEN'S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS^®, COCOAVIA^® and 5™; and take care of half of the world's pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses, including AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl^®, Linnaeus and VCA™.

SOURCE Mars Petcare U.S.

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