Hill's Pet Nutrition Partners with Skylar Astin to Raise Funds for Shelter Pets

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hill's Pet Nutrition, a global leader in premium pet nutrition, announced a partnership today with actor, singer and animal lover, Skylar Astin to support NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations' (NBC and Telemundo owned stations) Clear The Shelters™ pet adoption campaign. To celebrate the month-long event, Skylar will hold a virtual reading of A Home for Hilly, an illustrated children's eBook created by Hill's that follows the transformative journey of a shelter pup, Hilly. The live reading will take place on Instagram and aims to raise $10,000 to support shelter pets across the U.S.

"Growing up, my family fed my dog Hill's, and I know the impact that quality nutrition can make in a pet's life," said Skylar Astin. "I'm proud to partner with Hill's to show the important role nutrition plays in preparing pets for their new homes and bring awareness to pet adoption. Participating in the live reading of A Home for Hilly is any easy way for anyone to show support for shelter animals."

The virtual Instagram reading will take place live on August 21, 2020 at 6 pm EST/3 pm PST on Skylar's Instagram. The eBook, told from the perspective of Hilly the dog, demonstrates that the love, care and nutrition that she receives at the shelter are key to becoming the best version of herself and finding a forever home. For every video view or engagement with the live reading, Hill's will donate to ClearTheSheltersFund.org, up to $10,000. The eBook is also available for download on Amazon.

"Hill's is committed to helping shelter animals all year through the Hill's Food, Shelter & Love program. Since 2002, we've provided over $295 million worth of Hill's pet foods through the program, to more than 1,000 shelters and helped over 11 million pets find new homes," said Jesper Nordengaard, President of Hill's Pet Nutrition. "This year, we are excited to partner with Skylar to bring A Home for Hilly to life through a virtual reading that is not only fun and engaging, but also helps give back to shelters and pets in need."

As an extension of its year round support for shelter animals, Hill's is returning for a third consecutive year as a national sponsor of the annual NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations' Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign. Now in its sixth year, the campaign has helped more than 410,000 shelter pets find new homes throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. This year's campaign has gone virtual allowing individuals to adopt pets and donate to shelters/rescues through mobile/online platforms.

Hill's also supports pets and people in need through its Disaster Relief Network, a direct extension of the company's shelter program.  In response to the pandemic this year, Hill's has donated over 496,000 pounds of pet food valued at over $2 million to support pet families and has partnered with the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement to provide $400,000 in grants to animal shelters impacted by COVID-19.

To learn more about Hill's sponsorship of NBC and Telemundo Owned Stations' Clear The Shelters effort and its Food, Shelter & Love program, visit HillsPet.com. You can also follow the campaign on social media by using the hashtags #HillsTransformingLives and #ClearTheShelters.

For more information and news about the NBC and Telemundo owned stations' Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign, visit ClearTheShelters.com. To access information in Spanish, please visit DesocuparlosAlbergues.com and follow #DesocuparlosAlbergues.

About Hill's Pet Nutrition

Founded more than 75 years ago with an unwavering commitment to pet nutrition, Hill's mission is to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. Hill's is dedicated to pioneering research and groundbreaking nutrition for dogs and cats based on a scientific understanding of their specific needs. HILL'S® Prescription Diet® therapeutic pet foods and HILL'S® Science Diet® wellness pet foods are sold through veterinarians and pet specialty retailers worldwide. For more information about Hill's, our products and our nutritional philosophy, visit us at HillsPet.com, HillsVet.com or Facebook, keywords "Hill's Pet Nutrition."

About NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations
NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations is the division of NBCUniversal that includes 42 NBC and Telemundo local television stations and subsidiary digital businesses serving 30 markets, a regional news network, multicast networks COZI TV and TeleXitos, and NBCLX, the division's TV/streaming network that serves adults 18-45, a group of out-of-home properties, a production company, an in-house marketing and promotions company. The local TV stations can be viewed in 38 percent of U.S. homes and in Puerto Rico, and produce and deliver their local communities compelling and unique local news, real-time weather forecasts, consumer and investigative reports and entertainment programming across all platforms to help keep their English and Spanish-speaking audiences informed anytime and anywhere.

About Clear The Shelters

Clear The Shelters™ / Desocupar Los Albergues® is an annual, nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal. Every year, NBCUniversal's TV stations, plus affiliated stations partner with local animal shelters and rescues in their communities to host Clear The Shelters events. NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations' Clear The Shelters campaign was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX and dozens of area shelters that resulted in the most adopted pets in one day for North Texas. Since 2015, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations' Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign has inspired thousands of families all across the country to open their homes and hearts to shelter pets, resulting in more than a quarter million pets finding new homes.

SOURCE Hill's Pet Nutrition