VCA Charities and KONG® Partner to Support Second Chances for Shelter Pets

LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kicking off National Pet Month, VCA Charities today announced the launch of its Second Chance KONG^® grants and fundraising initiative aimed at making second chances possible for more shelter pets—a program made possible by a partnership with KONG.

VCA Charities believes all pets deserve a loving home—not to mention care and toys while they wait for one. That's why with every $20 donation made at select VCA Animal Hospitals during the month of May, VCA Charities is providing generous donors with a limited-edition "Second Chance KONG" and giving a KONG Classic or Extreme to a shelter pet. One hundred percent of donations made will support the VCA Charities Ready for Rescue grant program, which supports shelters with adoption-readiness efforts and veterinary care and resources.

"Knowing we're helping to create thousands of second chances for pets in need means we're delivering on our mission of helping pets find and remain in loving homes. We can do so much when we connect hometown needs with the support of our local hospital teams and the national reach of VCA Charities," said Kimberly West, president and chair of VCA Charities board of directors and vice president of Corporate Affairs at VCA Animal Hospitals.

Nationwide, 121 VCA Animal Hospitals will offer the limited-edition KONG—6,050 one-of-a-kind versions of the beloved toy. The "Second Chance KONGs" are repurposed KONG "seconds"—slightly imperfect KONGs that can't be sold because of small imperfections but have the same durability of any KONG you'd find in a store—reducing waste while increasing resources for some of the highest intake shelters across the United States.

To celebrate the campaign, during the month of May, an additional 6,050 KONGs will arrive at 12 high-intake shelters across the country, including Los Angeles Animal Services (California), Palm Valley Animal Society (Texas), Memphis Animal Services (Tennessee), Lifeline Animal Project (Georgia) and Michigan Humane Society (Michigan), among others.

"One of the most requested items by shelters is for toys like KONG, which help provide healthy enrichment for shelter pets," said Kim Van Syoc, executive director of VCA Charities. "Having access to toys means shelter pets have an appropriate outlet for keeping busy while they patiently wait for a forever home."

In addition to the May campaign, VCA Charities is partnering with KONG to grant 42,000 more of the beloved toys annually to shelters across the United States.

"The joy that pets bring to people is undeniable—and we wholeheartedly believe pets deserve the same joy in return," said Gabe Martinez, Vice President of KVP International. "To know the donation of these KONG toys is not only creating second chances for shelter pets, but also providing joy to thousands of dogs each year, is the ultimate win, win." 

Helping pets find and remain in loving homes is at the heart of VCA Charities' mission. Since 2021, VCA Charities has donated more than $2 million in grants and provided nearly 1.5 million meals to hungry pets in partnership with Hill's Pet Nutrition. Whether responding to disasters, transporting pets from at-capacity shelters to ones with a waitlist of adopters, or funding emergency veterinary care for pets belonging to low-income pet owners, VCA Charities works to support the joy of pet ownership in communities across the country.

Learn more about our impact by reading VCA's annual Impact Report, Joy of Caring, at https://vcahospitals.com/social-responsibility.

About VCA Charities
VCA Charities, a 501c(3), is committed to supporting the joy of pet ownership by helping pets find and remain in loving homes. Through grants and partnerships with shelters and animal welfare organizations, we help remove barriers to pet ownership and help keep pets in loving homes by funding emergency and specialty veterinary care; supporting adoption readiness and surrender prevention programs; enabling the care and feeding of pets belonging to underserved families; and, responding to our local communities in crisis. VCA Charities is the charitable arm of VCA Animal Hospitals, a leader in veterinary care committed to caring for the future of veterinary medicine while positively impacting pets, people, and communities. To learn more about VCA Charities, visit VCACharities.org or find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE VCA Animal Hospitals