OREANDA-NEWS. October 14, 2016. PetSmart Charities, the largest funder of animal welfare in North America, has donated more than \\$100,000 in in-kind supplies and emergency relief funds to six animal welfare organizations to help local pets in need on the East Coast following Hurricane Matthew.  Through a dedicated hurricane response effort, the organization continues to work with nonprofit organizations in severely impacted communities in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina following the destructive storm.

According to news reports, nearly 2 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes before the storm, forcing pet parents to find alternative housing to accommodate their families and their pets.  PetSmart Charities sprang into action ahead of the storm, working closely with local animal welfare organizations to anticipate the community needs unique to the area and to provide pet supply donations.  

Before the storm made landfall, PetSmart Charities dispatched an Emergency Relief Waggin’ filled with pet supplies donated by PetSmart’s central region Distribution Center in Ohio to Gainesville, Florida.  Food, cat litter, dog bowls and wired crates were among pet supplies sent to the region to help with displaced pets across six Florida counties affected by the storm.

“The role of animal welfare organizations in and around impacted communities is crucial before, during and after a natural disaster or weather crisis like Hurricane Matthew,” said David Haworth, D.V.M., Ph.D., president of PetSmart Charities.  “Through our work, PetSmart Charities is able to identify immediate needs and quickly provide the necessary assistance to pets and pet parents on the East Coast.  Unfortunately, due to the devastation that Hurricane Matthew has caused, we know their relief and recovery efforts are just beginning – and we’ll be here to help. ”

As local residents continue to sort through the aftermath of the storm, PetSmart Charities anticipates an increased need for pet supplies and medical examinations for displaced pets, as well as repairs for shelters that may have experienced flooding and damage.

PetSmart Charities’ emergency relief and disaster response grants provide assistance in the event of a natural disaster during all phases: rescue, relief and recovery.  With the help of our animal welfare partners, PetSmart Charities’ emergency relief efforts have assisted more than 230,000 pets in the U.S. since 2007. 

To apply for an emergency relief grant from PetSmart Charities to help local pets in need before, during or after a natural disaster, please visit PetSmartCharities.org/pro.

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About PetSmart®
PetSmart, Inc. 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 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. We employ approximately 53,000 associates, operate 1,477 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and 203 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents – including PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 500,000 homeless pets each year.

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About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets.  Each year nearly 500,000 dogs and cats find homes through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and sponsored adoption events.  Each year millions of PetSmart shoppers contribute to pets in need by making donations directly to PetSmart Charities on a pin pad at the registers in PetSmart stores.  PetSmart Charities administers and efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar of the generous donations by issuing grants and providing additional support to help pets in need.  PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation.  PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, independent from PetSmart, Inc.  PetSmart Charities has received the Four Star Rating for the past 13 years from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization.