SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This Giving Tuesday, the Petco Foundation, in partnership with BOBS from Skechers, celebrates the lifechanging impact of pet adoption by awarding $860,000 in Holiday Wishes grant awards to animal welfare organizations across the country. Thousands of adopters nationwide submitted stories about how their pets changed their lives and 50 of the best stories were selected, awarding lifesaving funds ranging from $5,000 up to $100,000 for the organization that made their adoption match possible.
The Petco Foundation, in partnership with BOBS from Skechers, celebrates the lifechanging impact of pet adoption by awarding $860,000 in Holiday Wishes grant awards to animal welfare organizations across the country. Thousands of adopters nationwide submitted stories about how their pets changed their lives and 50 of the best stories were selected, awarding lifesaving funds ranging from $5,000 up to $100,000 for the organization that made their adoption match possible.
Adopting Beth during the COVID-19 quarantine, helped Cristy and her partner Greg connect with their students and community. As two high school teachers in Brooklyn, both found that Beth became ‘the most highly regarded guest lecturer’ during their virtual classes. And through their daily walks around the neighborhood, Beth helped bring socially-distant joy to her neighbors.
Adopted dog Bella gave Melissa, an emergency room nurse, the support she needed to care for others through COVID-19.
When Christina was forced to shut down her New York City business due to COVID-19 and move back home with her parents, an adopted cat named Skooty helped lift her spirits and bring her family together. Together with her dad, Christina found a new purpose and made 8,000 masks for essential workers.
"Animal welfare organizations work tirelessly to save pet lives every day, and we're proud to surprise them at the holidays with grant investments to support their lifesaving work," said Petco Foundation President, Susanne Kogut. "These stories highlight how the love of an adopted pet changes so many lives in different ways, especially during these challenging times. This Giving Tuesday, we hope these stories motivate others to adopt a pet and to give back to hardworking organizations in their communities."
This year's challenges demonstrate the importance of pets and how their bond helps change our lives for the better. According to the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), 72% of pet owners say that spending time with their pet is helping reduce stress and improving wellbeing during the pandemic.
From heartwarming to inspirational, this year's Holiday Wishes winning stories captured the big and small ways pets impact our lives both throughout the pandemic and before. Selected stories include:
Adopted Cat Brings Father and Daughter Together to Fight a Pandemic: When Christina was forced to shut down her New York City business due to COVID-19 and move back home with her parents, an adopted cat named Skooty helped lift her spirits and bring her family together. "Skooty breathed life into a relationship that needed more laughter, bringing us together to rise during an unpredictable time." Together with her dad, Christina found a new purpose and made 8,000 masks for essential workers.
Nurse Gets a Dose of Unconditional Love from Adopted Dog: Adopted dog Bella gave Melissa, an emergency room nurse, the support she needed to care for others through COVID-19. "While there was a lot of uncertainty in the world, having Bella made it a whole lot better. No matter how difficult the day was, I would come home to Bella who greeted me with love, affection, and lots of kisses." Melissa was recently awarded the DAISY Award, a recognition for extraordinary nurses, which she credits to Bella for giving her the strength, energy and love to provide compassionate care for her patients.
Teaching Love in the Time of Coronavirus: Adopting Beth during the COVID-19 quarantine, helped Cristy and her partner Greg connect with their students and community. As two high school teachers in Brooklyn, both found that Beth became 'the most highly regarded guest lecturer' during their virtual classes. And through their daily walks around the neighborhood, Beth helped bring socially-distant joy to her neighbors. "Beth has truly energized us, our students, and our neighborhood, and has given us a chance to bond with our community in a multifaceted way."
Throughout December, winning adopters and organizations will be surprised with their grant amounts during virtual celebrations. Adopters will also receive a prize pack including a Petco gift card and BOBS from Skechers shoes.
Animal lovers can help make even more Holiday Wishes come true by voting for their favorite Holiday Wishes story in the People's Choice competition at petcofoundation.org/vote. The top five stories with the most votes will earn additional grant funding for animal welfare organizations from $5,000 to $25,000. Voting closes Dec. 16, noon CST. People's Choice winners will be announced before Christmas.
Since 2013, more than 20,000 adopters have shared how their pets have changed their lives, and the Petco Foundation has awarded more than $5.8 million to the hardworking animal welfare organizations making these adoption matches possible. For more on the Petco Foundation's annual Holiday Wishes campaign, visit petcofoundation.org/holidaywishes and join the conversation on social media using #HolidayWishes.
About the Petco Foundation At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we've invested more than $290 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. We also partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we've helped more than 6.5 million pets find their new loving families, and we're just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.
About SKECHERS USA, Inc. Based in Manhattan Beach, California, Skechers designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company's collections are available in the United States and over 170 countries and territories via department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through 3,770 Company- and third-party-owned retail stores and e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia, Israel and Mexico, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, India, Europe and Latin America. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok
About BOBS from Skechers BOBS from Skechers' charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals' lives: over the past five years, Skechers has contributed more than $5.9 million to help more than one million shelter pets, including saving more than 770,000 rescued pets in the United States. It all started in 2011, when Skechers launched a movement to support children impacted by natural disasters and poverty – a cause that has helped the Company donate more than 16 million pairs of new pairs of shoes to kids in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about BOBS from Skechers' commitment to making a difference, visit www.BOBSfromSkechers.com.
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