PetSmart Charities is excited to share the first impact of the PET Pilot program in partnership with United Way Worldwide. This $250,000 grant supports a 12-month pilot to provide up to 3,000 deliveries of pet food and essential resources through the Ride United Last Mile Delivery initiative in collaboration with Door Dash.
To date, four local referral hotlines called 211s, which connects community members to local health and human services resources, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Sioux Falls, SD, Eugene, OR and Ventura, Santa Cruz, and San Joaquin, CA are mapping local veterinary resources in 211 databases and identifying best practices to integrate animal services support into 211 outreach and referrals. The pilot program expect to bring on two additional markets by the end of summer. Grant funds are used to provide program development costs, staffing, pet food and supplies, training, and transport.
Helpline Center (Sioux Falls 211 agency) – As part of the PET pilot, 100 homes in Sioux Falls received pet food through delivery with Faith Temple Food Giveaway. A local high school volunteer program made dog toys that were also distributed along with the dog food to each home.
Children & Family Services (Ventura County 211 Agency) – “UCB’s Student Pantry reached out to disabled students who would have had a more difficult time getting these pet resources in person, so they were very grateful for the deliveries. Through the PET Pilot Program, Gummy and Bella were two of many pets belonging to students at University of California, Berkeley who got some special food delivered! UCB’s student food pantry, the Basic Needs Center, helped facilitate deliveries of pet food, treats, and supplies.”