December 21, 2018
PHOENIX, Ariz. – DEC. 21, 2018 – Usually PetSmart and PetSmart Charities® partner to find forever homes for pets in need, but this holiday season the two pet-loving organizations, along with thousands of generous shoppers, are finding homes for more than two million adorable stuffed animals. The plush toys are being purchased by shoppers and donated through toy drives in PetSmart’s 1,668 stores. The plush toys are now on their way to children’s hospitals, senior centers, animal shelters and toy drives organized by local police and fire departments across North America, as each store selects an organization in their community as a toy drive beneficiary. As of Dec. 18, PetSmart stores have already surpassed last year’s tally of 1.8 million donated toys, and more than $885,000 has been raised through the holiday philanthropic collection.
Last week, the Oro Valley PetSmart store delivered 2,015 donated plush toys to delight patients receiving treatment and care at Banner Diamond Children’s Hospital in Tucson, Ariz. over the holidays.
In Virginia, when the Roanoke PetSmart store delivered donated plush toys to Carilion Children’s Hospital, the Cleft Palate Clinic team gave the toys a “special makeover,” sewing cleft lips on each plush toy to bring smiles to children receiving cleft lip and palate surgery. In Canada, the PetSmart store in Stoney Creek, Ontario donated 3,635 toys to the Hamilton Bulldogs Children’s Foundation. The plush toys nearly covered the ice surface at First Ontario Place when they were thrown during a Teddy Toss at the Dec. 15 Ontario Hockey League game. The toys will soon be handed out to children in Hamilton-area hospitals.
Chance the Dog, Lucky the Cat, Hope the Bunny and Dream the Lamb, are an exclusive line of plush toys that squeak when squeezed, making them perfect gifts for people and pets alike. In addition to the joy they will bring to children, seniors and pets, these stuffed toys also have the power to help pets in need all year long since ten percent of the sale of each toy is donated back to PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada. Those funds will be used to support pet adoption events, to help make veterinary care more accessible and affordable and to bring the healing power of pets to people through pet therapy program grants.
PetSmart stores will continue to collect donated plush toys through Dec. 24, while supplies last. For more information about PetSmart and the Holiday Philanthropic Collection, or to find a local store, please visit www.petsmart.com. For more information about PetSmart Charities visit www.petsmartcharities.org.
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About PetSmart®
PetSmart LLC is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. PetSmart employs approximately 55,000 associates and operates more than 1,600 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as more than 200 in-store PetSmart PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. The retailer provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp™ and pet adoption. PetSmart, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities® of Canada work with more than 3,500 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 8 million adoptions, more than any other brick-and-mortar organization. In May 2017, PetSmart acquired Chewy.com, a leading online retailer of pet food and products in the U.S., which operates as an independent subsidiary.
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PetSmart Contact:
Janette Artea
Golin for PetSmart
469-680-2582
PetSmart 24-Hour Media Line: 623-587-2177
