MARS UNDERSCORES COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS AS IT RECOGNIZES NATIONAL PET MONTH WITH ITS CHARITABLE PARTNERS

Mars celebrates the efforts of its pet care and veterinary health businesses and their affiliated charitable partners as they help end pet homelessness; provide quality pet health care services where it's needed most, and enable pet friendliness in cities across the country.

MCLEAN, Va., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As pet parents and pet lovers across the country celebrate National Pet Month in May, Mars, Incorporated, home to some of the most-loved brands for people and pets including PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, GREENIES™, M&M'S®, and BEN'S ORIGINAL™, is recognizing the efforts of its pet care and veterinary health businesses and their affiliated charitable partners as they help end pet homelessness; provide quality pet health care services where it's needed most, and enable pet friendliness in cities across the country.

VCA Animal Hospitals™ and VCA Charities offering limited edition KONG to benefit shelter pets

In an effort to help provide a second chance to shelter pets, public non-profit VCA Charities is partnering with KONG^® to launch the Second Chance KONG^® grants and fundraising initiative. With every $20 donation made at 123 select VCA Animal Hospital locations throughout May, VCA Charities is providing donors with a limited-edition "Second Chance KONG" while also giving a KONG Classic or Extreme to a shelter pet. One hundred percent of donations will support the VCA Charities Ready for Rescue grant program, which supports shelters with adoption-readiness efforts and veterinary care and resources.

Additionally, during the month of May, more than 6,000 KONG toys will be donated to 12 high-intake shelters across the country and VCA Charities has further partnered with KONG to grant 42,000 toys annually to shelters across the United States. To learn more about VCA Charities, visit VCACharities.org.

Banfield Pet Hospital™ and Banfield Foundation expanding access to veterinary care

This summer, the Banfield Foundation, in partnership with Banfield Pet Hospital™ Associates and select nonprofit partners, will host a Mars Ambassador Program assignment to bring veterinary care to vulnerable populations of pets alongside two nonprofit partners. Last year, Banfield Foundation, with support from Mars Associates, helped care for more than 2,000 pets by spaying/neutering, vaccinating, microchipping and/or treating for illness and injury.

Continuing to deliver on its goal to bring more care to more pets in more places, the Banfield Foundation, with support from Banfield Pet Hospital, will soon announce a significant donation enabling access to veterinary care for six nonprofit partners in six U.S. states. Learn more about the Banfield Foundation at www.BanfieldFoundation.org.

PEDIGREE FOUNDATION working to end pet homelessness

Through grant programs, donations, and fundraising events, the PEDIGREE Foundation supports organizations that save the lives of dogs that would otherwise be lost and helps dogs find their forever homes. In its 15 years, PEDIGREE Foundation has awarded $11.7 million through 6,100 grants – helping more than 731,000 dogs. Grants are given to organizations that share the goal of ending pet homelessness and helping dogs find their forever homes.

The PEDIGREE Foundation kicks off its 15th birthday celebration with "The Love of Dogs" Benefit Concert on Wednesday, May 17th at 6:00pm at Marathon Music Works in Nashville. The concert event includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and a live/silent auction followed by a special musical performance by Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives – all to benefit PEDIGREE Foundation and its shelter and rescue grants program. Visit PEDIGREE Foundation to learn more about its work.

ROYAL CANIN® helping people and pets through Missouri Puppies for Parole

Missouri Puppies for Parole is a program through which selected offenders in Missouri prisons teach rescue dogs basic obedience and socialization skills to help make them more adoptable. Once dogs have successfully completed the program, they are adopted through their original shelters.

Serving as the program's nutrition and education sponsor for the last 13 years, the company provides ROYAL CANIN® and EUKABUBA® foods to dogs in the program as well as educational materials on the nutritional needs of dogs, behavior and training best practices.

Saving the lives of dogs, Puppies for Parole has had more than 7,000 dogs graduate from training to adoption. To learn more about the program, view available dogs and how to adopt them, visit Puppies for Parole.

BETTER CITIES FOR PETS celebrating pet-friendly milestone

Earlier this year, Mars Petcare's BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program – which helps communities become more pet friendly – surpassed 100 certified cities that are leading the way in pet friendliness throughout the United States and Canada and awarded $130,000 in grants to seven newly certified cities whose innovative programs are working to end pet homelessness. Among its many free toolkits and resources for cities and businesses to implement and enhance pet-friendly programs, the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program offers a Helping Homeless Pets Toolkit, with sample ordinances for cities, such as microchipping and shelter reunification; resources for shelters and rescues; and tips for pet lovers who want to help end pet homelessness. To learn more about the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program, visit BetterCitiesForPets.com.

BLUEPEARL PET HOSPITAL™ and Frankie's Friends raise money for pets in need of emergency and specialty veterinary care

BluePearl Pet Hospital™, a provider of specialty and emergency veterinary care, helped Frankie's Friends, a non-profit foundation dedicated to finding cures and saving pets with cancer and other life-threatening conditions, raise more than $50,000 for pets in need of lifesaving care through an 18-Month Pet Photo Calendar Contest. The contest was sponsored by Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley in honor of their dog, Hoot, who recently received emergency veterinary care at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Franklin, TN. Calendar sales will continue the fundraising efforts to increase the more than $50,000 already raised. To learn more and to buy the 2023-2024 calendar, please visit www.frankiesfriends.org. 

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED

Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global, family-owned business, Mars is transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services, we employ 140,000+ dedicated Associates. With almost $45 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including Ben's Original™, CESAR®, Cocoavia®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, KIND®, M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, and WHISKAS®. We are creating a better world for pets through our global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services – including AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA Animal Hospitals™ – using cutting edge technology to develop breakthrough programs in genetic health screening and DNA testing. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

SOURCE Mars