Serving Pets Owners in Need
When a disaster strikes, it turns life upside down for people and pets alike. They are forced to leave their homes without knowing when they will be able to return—or if they can return at all.
This year, thousands of Americans and their pets went through this harrowing experience. In September, Hurricane Florence caused severe damage in the Carolinas, dropping a historic 35 inches of rain in some areas. Even after the winds died down, people and pets in the affected areas continued to struggle with flooding and other consequences of the storm.
Earlier in the year, both California and Colorado experienced enormous wildfires. Colorado saw five of the 20 biggest wildfires in its history. At one point, the state had the highest number of active wildfires nationwide. Meanwhile, in California, the Mendocino Complex fire became the largest wildfire in the state’s modern history, burning more than 300,000 acres. The Carr fire, also in California, destroyed more than 1,500 buildings, including over 1,000 homes.
At Animal Supply Company, we work every day to achieve a world where every pet is happy, healthy and safe. In response to the devastating disasters in 2018, our team mobilized to help families and pets in need.
Before Hurricane Florence hit, teams at Animal Supply Company were preparing to help. We contacted vendors about donations, planned transportation, and prepared pallets of food and supplies from our Atlanta and Greensboro warehouses. After the hurricane made landfall, five ASC retail partners—Aunt Kerry’s Pet Shop, Bill’s Pet Shop, Beaufort Pet Provisions, Family Dog Naturals and Hairy Winston—agreed to open their doors and serve as hubs for distributing donations. Over the course of several weeks, we delivered thousands of pounds of pet food and supplies, worth over $50,000, to help hundreds of pets affected by the disaster.
In Colorado, we collected thousands of dollars’ worth of pet food and treats in our Denver warehouse. We then shipped the products to Outpost Feed & Ranch Supply in Florissant. The store is one of our customers and served as a hub for donations. In California, we shipped 22 pallets of cat and dog food from our Stockton warehouse to Brocco’s Old Barn, a pet and livestock supply store in Sonoma.
After our donations arrived at the stores in the Carolinas, California and Colorado, they were shared with rescue organizations that supported the hurricane and wildfire victims. A special thank you to all of our team members, brands and retail partners who played a part in getting much-needed supplies to those that needed it most this year!
