With The Overwhelming Support Of Fans Across The Country, Royal Canin Is Proud To Donate 100,000 Lbs. Of Pet Food To Banfield Charitable Trust, Helping To End Pet Hunger

ST. CHARLES, Mo., Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Together with Banfield Charitable Trust and loyal fans, Royal Canin is pleased to announce the original pet food donation commitment has been doubled—100,000 pounds of pet food will be donated to communities across the country in order to help senior citizens care for their pets this winter.  The "One for One" Holiday Pet Food Drive, which ran from November 29, 2013 through December 31, 2013, encouraged the public to pledge to help end pet hunger and raise awareness and donations to benefit senior citizen pet owners in need of support in the care of their companions.

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"We are honored to have the opportunity to assist families that may need help keeping their companions in their loving homes," said Dr. Brent Mayabb, Director of Corporate Affairs for Royal Canin USA. "We want to thank Banfield Charitable Trust and all of our like-minded fans that lent their support to this incredibly important cause over the holiday season."

During the duration of the program, pet owners and advocates everywhere pledged to end pet hunger during the Holiday Pet Food Drive by "liking" or "sharing" the "One for One" posts by Royal Canin and Banfield Charitable Trust via Facebook. By doing so, fans raised an additional 20,000 pounds of food in addition to Royal Canin's base donation of 30,000 pounds. Inspired by the overwhelming response to this program, Royal Canin will donate an additional 50,000 pounds to bring the total to 100,000 pounds of cat and dog food to assist senior citizens in feeding their pets.

"We are honored to partner with Royal Canin for our annual Holiday Pet Food Drive and with their support and the support of fans everywhere we are able to help senior citizens across the country care for their pets," says Dianne McGill, Executive Director and CEO of Banfield Charitable Trust. "Royal Canin's generosity is a huge contribution to the general awareness of unfortunate pet surrender and to the support that senior pet owners will have as a result of this year's drive."

As part of the "One for One" Holiday Pet Food Drive and the ongoing partnership with Banfield Charitable Trust, four Meals on Wheels pet food distribution organizations will receive 100,000 lbs. of pet food to help keep seniors and their pets together this winter.

• Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (Houston, TX): Bringing people of diverse faith traditions together for dialogue, collaboration and service, IMGH provides social services to senior citizens and newly arrived refugees including pet care and food bank services. Annually, the IMGH serves over 1,100 pets of Houston's homebound senior citizens and provides the community with over 80,000 pounds of food annually to help keep pets and owners together.
• Lifecare Alliance (Central Ohio): As central Ohio's first not-for-profit in-home health care agency, Lifecare Alliance offers a variety of health and nutrition services for older adults and medically challenged or homebound residents of Ohio. In 2013, over 400 clients and 650 pets benefited from Lifecare Alliance's pet food program.
• Helen Woodward Animal Center (Rancho Santa Fe, CA): As a private, not-for-profit organization, the Helen Woodward Animal Center provides services for over 57,000 people and thousands of animals annually. This includes its globally recognized annual adoption drive, "Home 4 The Holidays," educational services and pet meal programs for residents of San Diego County.
• FIDO: Friends Involved in Dog Outreach (Milwaukie, OR): Primarily serving pet owners in the Portland, OR metropolitan area, FIDO's mission is to help people feed their pets and keep them out of shelters through their dog food bank programs. In 2013, FIDO was able to place over 100,000 pounds of food in the hands of needy households to help families care for their pets.

About Royal Canin USA
Royal Canin USA is a leader in science-based cat and dog health nutrition. Founded by a veterinarian in 1968, Royal Canin has more than 40 years of experience in delivering individualized nutritional solutions. In collaboration with an expert team of nutritionists, breeders, and veterinarians from around the world, Royal Canin places cats and dogs at the central point of the innovation process. The Royal Canin product line offers a range of diets based on size, age, breed, lifestyle and therapeutic requirements. Royal Canin diets are available at veterinary hospitals and pet specialty stores nationwide. Royal Canin is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. To learn more about Royal Canin visit www.royalcanin.us and "LIKE" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/royalcanin.us.

About the Banfield Charitable Trust
Banfield Charitable Trust is the largest nonprofit solely devoted to preventing the separation of pets from their people. Banfield Charitable Trust programs provide financial assistance for veterinary care and pet care programs such as pet food grants, temporary foster care, and behavioral training assistance to struggling pet owners. Learn more at banfieldcharitabletrust.org.

SOURCE Royal Canin USA