NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
GREENHILL HUMANE SOCIETY PRESERVES FAMILIES BY KEEPING PEOPLE AND PETS TOGETHER WITH SUPPORT OF $25,000 PETSMART CHARITIES® GRANT
May 19, 2020— EUGENE, OREGON –Greenhill Humane Society has received a $25,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to help keep pets with their families even through the most challenging of times, such as domestic violence, medical or housing crises. Unfortunately, in the last 6 months of 2019, 99 animals needed sheltering and in the first 4 months of 2020, the shelter cared for another 59 animals in crisis situations – bringing the total to a staggering 158 pets, and the number is expected to rise at a faster rate given the current COVID-19 crisis that is impacting both people and pets.
As the face of family changes over the years, what remains constant is the role pets play in our lives. Many people consider pets family members and it can be challenging to find resources when facing life changes and issues such as homelessness, medical emergencies, military deployment or fleeing domestic violence in search of a safe haven. Pet parents in these and other at-risk situations often determine they have no options beyond surrendering their beloved pet to a local shelter.
With the PetSmart Charities grant, and other donations, Greenhill Humane Society strives to preserve the bond between pets and their people by providing safe shelter, high quality food and any needed medical care and enrichment for pets while their human family works through their crisis.
“The work that we do to help people often goes unseen by many,” says Greenhill’s Executive Director, Cary Lieberman. “But this work is critical for building a healthy community. Keeping families together with their pets through crisis goes far beyond just saving animal lives. In many cases, it saves the people’s lives as well.”
“Having a pet can reduce feelings of stress and lift our moods, especially when facing life challenges,” said Jenny Aho, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “We’re proud to partner with Greenhill Humane Society to support pet families in Lane County, so pet parents never have to choose between their beloved pets and their own wellbeing – especially through the uncertainty of this pandemic.”
Since 1994, through its partnership with nearly 4,000 humane societies, SPCAs and pet rescues across North America, PetSmart Charities has helped more than 9 million pets to find loving homes via its in-store adoption program in over 1,600 PetSmart® stores. The leading funder of animal welfare has also donated nearly $430 million to improve access to veterinary care, to positively impact communities, to connect people and pets and to help preserve families through initiatives like this with Greenhill Humane Society.
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About Greenhill Humane Society
Greenhill Humane Society has been caring for animals in Lane County since 1944. It is a private, non-profit organization that relies on charitable donations. Greenhill is located at 88530 Green Hill Road in Eugene. We envision a community in which all companion animals have loving homes and are treated with compassion and respect. To learn more visit www.green-hill.org.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 600,000 shelter pets each year. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $430 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 17 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.
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