NEW Purina ONE® Initiative to Help Feed Shelter Pets Through QR Code and "Bowl-by-Bowl" Programs

SAINT LOUIS, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Purina ONE® has launched two new Shelter Pet Program initiatives. Beginning this week, QR code stickers will appear on the front of Purina ONE® dry cat food packages. For each person who scans the code, Purina ONE® will donate $1.00 to feed shelter pets, up to $30,000. Additionally, the Purina ONE® Facebook page is hosting "Bowl-by-Bowl," which allows users to take simple, four-question quizzes that challenge negative perceptions of shelter pets and aims to inspire pet adoption. For each completed quiz, Purina ONE® will donate one bowl of food to a shelter in need.

"Purina ONE is dedicated to helping shelter cats and dogs," said Lisa Luedde, brand manager, Purina ONE® brand pet food. "We believe that the right nutrition can make a world of difference in a shelter pet's life, so we've made it easy for people to help. Scanning a QR code and taking a short quiz is all it takes to help us champion shelter pets."

The QR code sticker will start appearing in mid- to late November on 3.5 and 7 lbs. bags of Purina ONE® SmartBlend® dry cat food in Salmon & Tuna and Chicken & Rice varieties. The donation will go toward feeding shelter cats within the Purina ONE® network of shelters. Information on the shelter network can be found at www.purinaone.com.

The Bowl-by-Bowl program will strive to reach approximately 10,000 donated bowls of food each month, but the goal amount can vary. On select months, when this goal is reached, a "kicker" will be unlocked. The kicker will provide a unique donation for a shelter that goes beyond food or money, such as providing a professional photographer to take pictures of the pets for the shelter's website, which can dramatically increase the chance for adoption. The goal restarts and a new shelter is chosen from the Purina ONE® network of shelters each month.

The Purina ONE® Shelter Pet Program began in 2008, and since then, more than 2 million pounds of Purina ONE® pet food have been donated to more than 200,000 homeless pets across the nation. Each year, up to eight million dogs and cats end up in a shelter and the competition for a home is fierce. Adopters may overlook a dog or cat that does not seem, by appearance, to be healthy or happy. Purina ONE® helps by providing shelter pets with the excellent nutrition they deserve and turning their hope for a forever home into a reality.

For more information, log onto www.purinaone.com or visit the Purina ONE® Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PurinaOne.

About Nestle Purina PetCare

The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Missouri, where Ralston Purina was founded more than a century ago. Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. One of the leading global players in the pet food industry, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of the Swiss-based Nestle S.A. – the world's largest food company.

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare