Nestlé Purina PetCare Company’s belief that pets and people are better together is demonstrated throughout 2023 with investments of more than $30 million to support programs aimed at bringing people and pets together animals and build partnerships that help communities and environments thrive. In addition to providing funding, partnerships, and Purina pet food and cat litter donations, the company’s 10,000 associates took an active role in their communities by volunteering nearly 5,000 hours in support of nonprofits last year.
Purina’s charitable giving focuses on several key areas, including connecting pets with youth to support mental health, and funding programs designed to keep people and pets together during crisis. To learn more about the causes Purina supports, visit www.purina.com/partnerships
Supporting Youth Mental Health
With reports that seven out of 10 US youth struggle with mental health2, Purina is using the healing power of pets to match more therapy dogs with youth to help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, lower blood pressure and increase self-confidence.
To help meet the growing demand for therapy dogs, Purina is helping to place more trained service and therapy dogs in schools and pediatric hospitals. In addition, the company launched a new 16-week pet therapy certification course with Duo Dogs, a nonprofit that trains dogs and connects them with people with specific mental, emotional, or physical needs. More than 30 Purina associates graduated from the program last year and have since completed more than 10,000 pet therapy sessions and volunteered hundreds of hours with their dogs at schools, hospitals and youth organizations. In addition, 10 Purina employees volunteered as puppy raisers for Duo Dogs, opening their homes to train and socialize the litter of Labrador Retriever puppies that will soon return to Duo Dogs for advanced training and placement for service.
“At Purina, we see every day how pets can have a huge impact on our mental health,” said Dr. Julie Spears, a Purina scientist who completed the Duo Touch Therapy certification program with her dog. “When we visit children and youth in schools or hospitals, we take an active role in making pet therapy more accessible for youth in the area.”
Creating Space for Survivors and Pets to Heal Together
Statistics show that approximately one in three women and one in four men experience some form of domestic abuse in their lifetime, and more than 70 percent of domestic violence survivors report that their abusers threaten or harm their pets as a means of control. However very few domestic violence shelters accept pets. Since 2019, Purina has invested more than $2 million through its Purple Leash Project and partnership with nonprofit RedRover to help domestic violence shelters make the changes needed to accept pets.
When Purina and RedRover began this work, only 4 percent of shelters accepted pets. However, through the Purple Leash Project, and more than $500,000 in grants awarded last year alone, 18 percent of domestic violence shelters are now pet-friendly. But there is more to do. Purina aims to help ensure that at least 25% of domestic violence shelters will be pet-friendly by 2025.
Connecting Veterans with Service Dogs
More than 3 million military veterans struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Service dogs are useful for reducing the severity of PTSD symptoms and suicidal behavior, but the demand for these life-saving dogs far exceeds the supply. That’s why Purina has invested more than $1 million through its Dog Chow Service Dog Salute program to support the care and training of more service dogs for veterans with PTSD at no cost to veterans.
Supporting Pets and People in Times of Disaster
When natural disasters strike, Purina has a history of supporting affected communities so people can survive with their pets and begin to rebuild together. Following the devastating wildfires in Hawaii in August, Purina partnered with global nonprofit Greater Good Charities to aid immediate and long-term recovery efforts through grants and pet food donations to people, pets, and nonprofits across the island.
Caring for Our Communities and the Planet
As a company with factories in 24 cities across the US, Purina partners with local nonprofits to make the community a better place to live and work for pets and people. Every May, associates are encouraged to take time off from work to volunteer in their communities for Purina’s Day of Caring. By 2023, associates have logged thousands of volunteer hours and service projects from planting community gardens and distributing food to people and pets in need, to making improvements at local dog parks and pet shelters. Purina has also made more than 20 grants in excess of $1 million to support capital and capacity building projects for local nonprofits in its communities.
In addition to Purina’s commitment to pet health and nutrition, the company is committed to helping create a healthier planet for future generations. Purina helps restore the natural environment pets love and the planet we call home by supporting farmers as they transition to regenerative agricultural practices, powering its facilities with renewable electricity, designing recyclable packaging, and more. As part of this work, the company supports nonprofit organizations that help make a positive impact in these areas.
Fostering Pet Adoption
As the pet population in US-based pet shelters grows by nearly a quarter-million animals by 2023, 1 Petfinder powered by Purina hosts the world’s largest database of adoptable pets, offering technology to more than 14,000 shelters and rescues free of charge. By 2023, Petfinder will use data and insights to help match an estimated 1.5 million pets to new families.
To support shelters and rescues, Purina has donated more than $10 million in healthy pet food and cat litter to dozens of pet welfare partners across the country who care for adoptable pets and also supports pet owners who are struggling to make ends meet. Purina has also partnered with Greater Good Charities to transport adoptable pets from overcrowded southern shelters to Pacific Northwest shelters, which offer more space and a better chance at adoption.
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Posted by Liz on Mar 1 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry via RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. 