Maui Humane Society, Surprised with $50,000 from the Petco Foundation, Now Has the Chance to Earn $25K More with Public’s Help

Dec 7, 2020 | Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Maui Humane Society

Jenny Miller, (808) 877-3680 x218

[email protected]

 

Maui Humane Society Surprised with $50,000 from the Petco Foundation Now Has the Chance to Earn $25K More with Public’s Help

 

Local pet adopter’s story helped Maui Humane Society earn lifesaving funds, now the public can vote for that story to help save more pet lives in Maui, Hawai’i.

Pu’unene (December 1, 2020) – Local Maui Humane Society adopter’s story about how their pet has changed their life has earned a $50,000 Holiday Wishes grant from the Petco Foundation. Now, Maui Humane Society is seeking the public’s support to help earn up to an additional $25,000 this holiday season.

 

The Petco Foundation, in partnership with BOBS from Skechers, invited adopters to share how their pet has changed their life to give the organization they adopted from a chance to receive lifesaving grant awards. This year, Rory and Holly’s heartwarming story about their adopted dog, Kaia, was selected as one of 50 national winners from thousands of submissions to help Maui Humane Society earn $50,000 from the Petco Foundation.

Maui Humane Society was surprised during a virtual celebration on December 4, 2020. Now animal lovers can help make even more Holiday Wishes come true for Maui Humane Society by voting for their story in the People’s Choice competition at petcofoundation.org/vote from Dec. 1 to Dec. 16, noon CST to help them earn up to $25,000 in additional lifesaving funds.

 

“We encourage our community of animal lovers to vote for our story! If 2020 has shown us anything it’s that pets change our lives for the better. Your vote can help us earn lifesaving funds so we can bring more pets in need together with loving families,” said Steve McKinnon, CEO at Maui Humane Society.

People’s Choice Competition:

The Petco Foundation People’s Choice competition invites the public to vote for their favorite adoption story and gives the top five vote recipients the chance to receive additional grant funding from $5,000 to $25,000. The deadline to vote is December 16, 2020, noon CST. Winning organizations will be announced late December. To view all 50 finalist stories and vote for a favorite, visit petcofoundation.org/vote.

Winning Story Background:

2-year-old Kaia was adopted from Maui Humane Society by Rory’s wife Zayna, a breast cancer survivor who passed away unexpectedly four months later due to complications from chemo. In their submission, Rory and Holly share how their relationship with Kaia helped them  to cope with their grief, heal and find happiness.

 

Petco Foundation Holiday Wishes Campaign:

The Petco Foundation selected 50 winning Holiday Wishes stories this year and will distribute a total of $860,000 in grant awards to animal welfare organizations across the country. Winning Holiday Wishes story awards ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, and adopters with winning submissions received a prize pack including a Petco gift card and BOBS from Skechers shoes. Since 2013, the Petco Foundation has awarded over $5.8 million in Holiday Wishes grants to celebrate pet adoption and help hardworking animal welfare organizations during the holiday season and year-round. For more information about the Holiday Wishes campaign, visit petcofoundation.org/holidaywishes and join the conversation on social media using #HolidayWishes.

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About Maui Humane Society

Maui Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, serving the community for over 60 years and is Maui’s only open admission shelter. Our mission is to protect and save the lives of Maui’s animals, accepting all in need, educating the community and inspiring respect and compassion toward all animals. The Maui Humane Society takes in more than 4000 animals annually, and serves many times that number through community outreach programs. Equally important, through the many programs and services offered, MHS provides support for Maui’s approximately 90,000 pet owners as well as Animal Management Services for the County of Maui.

About the Petco Foundation and BOBS from Skechers

At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we’ve invested more than $290 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. We also partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we’ve helped more than 6.5 million pets find their new loving families, and we’re just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.

BOBS from Skechers’ charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals’ lives: over the past five years, Skechers has contributed more than $5.6 million to help more than one million shelter pets, including saving more than 709,000 rescued pets in the United States. It all started in 2011, when Skechers launched a movement to support children impacted by natural disasters and poverty – a cause that has helped the Company donate more than 15 million pairs of new pairs of shoes to kids in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about BOBS from Skechers’ commitment to making a difference, visit www.BOBSfromSkechers.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.