The Petco Foundation, in partnership with Petco, recently revealed the 52 stories that have earned their animal welfare organizations a grant investment through the fifth annual Holiday Wishes campaign. This year, the Petco Foundation will deliver a total of $765,000 in grant awards during Holiday Wishes celebrations from now until December 20– including one $100,000 grand prize, and a series of finalist awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to support the tremendous lifesaving efforts carried out by these deserving organizations year-round.
Thousands of adopters from across the United States shared personal accounts of how their adopted pets changed their lives giving the animal welfare organizations they adopted from the chance to receive a Holiday Wishes grant. The adopters with the winning stories will each receive a Petco gift card of up to $1,000.
“Every year these touching Holiday Wishes stories fill our hearts with joy. Each story perfectly illustrates how a pet’s love changes everything – whether it is simply making one’s routine much more enjoyable by sharing it with a pet or a more of a life-changing or lifesaving impact of a pet in one’s life,” said Susanne Kogut, Executive Director of the Petco Foundation. “That’s why at the Petco Foundation we’re thrilled to celebrate that love with the individuals and families who share their experiences with us as well as reward the animal welfare organizations who work so hard year-round to save lives.”
While the stories range from inspiring to humorous, and even a few lifesaving narratives, each celebrates how these adopted pets positively changed and enriched the adopters’ lives. Including one touching story of how two tiny kittens helped a grieving family find hope again. Joya Morales won a grant for Anderson Animal Shelter in Illinois. Joya and her young boys had been mourning the loss of their father and the family dog when two rescue kittens came into their lives and provided hope again. You can read Joya’s complete essay HERE. Get your tissues ready!
But that’s not all! The Petco Foundation invites all animal lovers to play a role in making Holiday Wishes come true. From now until December 20, 2017, fans can read all finalist stories and vote for their favorites to win the “People’s Choice Award” at petcofoundation.org/holidaywishes. The five organizations with the most votes will receive additional funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to support their lifesaving work. Results of the “People’s Choice Award” will be revealed before Christmas.
Each year, the Petco Foundation invites adopters to share the story of how their adopted pet changed their lives during the annual Holiday Wishes campaign, giving the organization that they adopted from a chance to receive a grant award. The story by Joya Morales won Anderson Animal Shelter in Illinois a 2017 Holiday Wishes award.
