Local KC Pet Project adopter’s story about how their pet has changed their life has earned a $10,000 Holiday Wishes grant from the Petco Foundation. Now, KC Pet Project is seeking the public’s support to help earn up to an additional $25,000 this holiday season.
The Petco Foundation, in partnership with BOBS from Skechers, invited adopters to share how their pet has changed their life to give the organization they adopted from a chance to receive lifesaving grant awards. This year, Melissa’s heartwarming story about how her adopted dog, Bella, was selected as one of 50 national winners from thousands of submissions to help KC Pet Project earn $10,000 from the Petco Foundation.
KC Pet Project was surprised during a virtual celebration on November 30th. Now animal lovers can help make even more Holiday Wishes come true for KC Pet Project by voting for Melissa and Bella’s story in the People’s Choice competition at petcofoundation.org/vote from now through Dec. 16, noon CST to help them earn up to $25,000 in additional lifesaving funds.
“We encourage our community of animal lovers to vote for our story! If 2020 has shown us anything it’s that pets change our lives for the better. Your vote can help us earn lifesaving funds so we can bring more pets in need together with loving families,” said Tori Fugate, Chief Communications Officer of KC Pet Project. “We’re so grateful to Melissa for submitting her inspirational story to the Petco Foundation to help our organization earn this grants to save more lives, like Bella’s.”
People’s Choice Competition:
The Petco Foundation People’s Choice competition invites the public to vote for their favorite adoption story and gives the top five vote recipients the chance to receive additional grant funding from $5,000 to $25,000. The deadline to vote is December 16, 2020, noon CST. Winning organizations will be announced late December. To view all 50 finalist stories and vote for a favorite, visit petcofoundation.org/vote.
Winning Story Background:
Bella’s love and compassion help Melissa, an emergency room nurse, get the support she needs to care for others through COVID-19. Melissa recently was awarded the DAISY Award; a recognition for extraordinary nurses. She credits receiving this award to Bella as she fills her bucket with energy, inspiring her to provide greater compassion and care for her patients at work. Read her full story here.
Petco Foundation Holiday Wishes Campaign:
The Petco Foundation selected 50 winning Holiday Wishes stories this year and will distribute a total of $860,000 in grant awards to animal welfare organizations across the country. Winning Holiday Wishes story awards ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, and adopters with winning submissions received a prize pack including a Petco gift card and BOBS from Skechers shoes. Since 2013, the Petco Foundation has awarded over $5.8 million in Holiday Wishes grants to celebrate pet adoption and help hardworking animal welfare organizations during the holiday season and year-round. For more information about the Holiday Wishes campaign, visit petcofoundation.org/holidaywishes and join the conversation on social media using #HolidayWishes.