FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jennifer Scott
770-374-0549
Jennifer.Scott@vca.com
Launched to help pets in need by VCA Animal Hospitals, Hill's Pet Nutrition, and Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare
Nashville, TN (June 19, 2018) – VCA Animal Hospitals, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and the Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare (SAFPAW) have teamed up to hold their first VCA Charities Pet Food Pantry food distribution event in Nashville. The event will be held Tuesday, July 3, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the JC Napier Community Center, located at 73 Fairfield Ave.
After the event, pet food will be distributed at several homeless camps in the East Nashville and Madison areas.
VCA Animal Hospitals is extremely honored and proud to expand its national Pet Food Pantry program to the Nashville area. In June 2010, VCA Charities launched the first Pet Food Pantry location in Venice, CA. The program was created to provide nutritious pet food to needy families to help keep their pets healthy and happy. It has since expanded to 30 locations in 19 states, including the new Nashville addition.
The Pet Food Pantry program is co-sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which donates the pet food. The annual cost to provide the pet food for each pantry location is approximately $5,000. Each year, the program provides over 300,000 meals to animals in need. Since the program was launched eight years ago, VCA Charities and Hill’s have provided these pets with over two million meals.
The Pet Food Pantry program was initially started to provide healthy, nutritious pet food to pet parents affected by the economic downturn.
"At that time, an increasing number of pets were being taken to animal hospitals for euthanasia or abandoned when their owners could no longer bear the cost of caring for them,” said Art Antin, chief operating officer for VCA Animal Hospitals. “By providing free meals, we have helped many families hold onto the loving and comforting bond their pets provide.”
This amazing program comes to the Nashville area via the dedicated hard work of local VCA Animal Hospitals team members who bonded together to help those in need.
“We live and work in the Nashville area, and we see the need to help our community," said Tom Hazay, VCA regional operations director. "By starting the Pet Food Pantry program here, we are able to give back and do something positive for others.”
VCA Animal Hospitals and VCA Charities continue to support programs, organizations, and causes that promote pet healthcare education, proactive veterinary care, proper pet nutrition, and prevention of cruelty to animals.
About VCA Charities
VCA Charities is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit that supports programs and organizations that directly help pets in need. Established in 2005 by the founders of VCA Animal Hospitals, VCA Charities has helped to provide over 2 Million nutritious pet food meals to families who could not otherwise afford it in the local communities we serve via the VCA Charities Pet Food Pantry program. Currently there are 32 VCA Charities Pet Food Pantry locations in 20 states.
About VCA Animal Hospitals
VCA Animal Hospitals, part of the VCA family of companies, operates more than 800 companion animal veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. VCA hospitals are staffed by more than 4,700 fully qualified, dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give pets the very best in medical care. With over 525 board-certified specialists who are experts in areas such as oncology, cardiology, emergency & critical care, and surgery, VCA Animal Hospitals provides not only a full range of general practice services to keep pets well, but specialized treatments for when pets are ill. For more information, visit vcahospitals.com or follow on Twitter @vcapethealth and facebook.com/VCAAnimalHospitals/.
About VCA Inc.
VCA is a leading provider of pet health care services in North America. Through VCA Animal Hospitals, VCA operates the largest network of free-standing companion animal veterinary hospitals in the United States and Canada, while its Antech Diagnostics, division operates the preeminent network of veterinary exclusive clinical laboratories in North America, servicing all 50 states and Canada. VCA also supplies diagnostic imaging equipment to the veterinary industry through its Sound™ division and through Camp Bow Wow franchises, a premier provider of pet services including dog day care, overnight boarding, grooming, and other ancillary services at specially designed pet care facilities.
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