At the core of the Holiday Philanthropic Collection is PetSmart’s collectible line of adorable plush toys: Chance, Lucky and Stanley. These commemorative toys first launched during the 2012-13 holiday season and are updated and refreshed every year. For the third year in a row, PetSmart stores will conduct toy drives with Chance, Lucky and Stanley for children in need by teaming up with community partners. Through these toy drives, PetSmart shoppers are invited to purchase a plush toy and donate it at an in-store collection bin. The donated toys support toy drives organized by local children’s hospitals and police and fire departments to deliver a holiday gift to a child in need.
“Giving back is a holiday tradition at PetSmart and it is essential to the passion and purpose of our company,” said John DeFranco, president of PetSmart Canada. “Through our Holiday Philanthropic Collection, our stores, associates and customers are able to help make the holidays a little more merry for the pets we support through our work with PetSmart Charities of Canada, and for children in need in the local communities where our 120 PetSmart stores operate.”
Details on PetSmart’s Holiday Philanthropic Collection:
· Chance, Lucky and Stanley Plush Toys: A trio of kid- and pet-friendly plush toys that squeak when squeezed. Holiday shoppers can purchase toys to take home or choose to donate them to a toy drive at their local PetSmart store for children in need. All three retail for $5.00 each.
· Holiday Throws/Blankets: A selection of super-soft 50 x 60 inch blankets available in 12 different colors and designs to ensure your loved ones and their four-legged friends stay warm and cozy this winter. Blankets retail for $32.99. One of the designs, featuring the slogan, “I just want to drink wine and pet my dog,” is already a top-selling holiday item.
· XL-Plush Toys: Extra-large and extra cuddly plush toys come in four different characters: a brown dog, grey dog, holiday moose and penguin. Available at select PetSmart stores.
XL-Plush toys retail for $24.99.
· Chance and Lucky Gift Cards: According to the National Retail Federation, gift cards are still one of the most sought-after gifts this holiday season, with 61 percent of shoppers reporting that the item is high on their gift shopping list. Through Dec. 25, PetSmart will donate 10 percent of the initial value placed on a special Chance and Lucky branded PetSmart gift card to PetSmart Charities. It’s the perfect gift for a pet lover or pet parent who has recently welcomed a new pet into their home.
#GivingTuesday – a Day Dedicated to Giving Back
Since 2012, Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving, has been celebrated the Tuesday following the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping weekend, to kick off the charitable season. For one day only, on #GivingTuesday (Tues., Nov. 29) 100 percent of the sales from online and in-store purchases of Chance, Lucky and Stanley plush toys will be donated to PetSmart Charities of Canada.
PIN Pad Donations
Throughout the holiday season and every day in PetSmart stores, shoppers can effortlessly contribute to PetSmart Charities of Canada through donations made on the PIN pad at store checkouts. The charity has contributed more than $9.9 million to date to directly help pets in need and efficiently use 90 cents of every dollar of the donations to issue grants and provide support to pets in need.
For those who would like a tax receipt for their charitable donation, please give online at www.petsmartcharities.ca/donate. A donation made in the name of a loved one who is an animal welfare enthusiast can also make a meaningful holiday gift. Please consider making a donation and write a thoughtful card letting them know of your donation and how it will help pets in need.
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About PetSmart® Canada:
In Canada, PetSmart is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we believe pets make us better people. That's why we create more moments for people to be inspired by pets. This mission impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates, and how we give back to our communities. We employ more than 3,800 associates and operate more than 120 pet stores across Canada with seven operating in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel™ dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for Pet Parents – including PetSmart.ca, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in North America. Through its in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities of Canada, PetSmart has helped save the lives of more than 224,000 pets since 1999.
About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada
PetSmart Charities of Canada is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets in Canada. Each year more than 20,000 pets find Canadian homes through our adoption program in nearly all PetSmart stores across Canada and our sponsored adoption events. A leading funder of animal welfare, PetSmart Charities of Canada has granted more than $9.9 million to help pets in need with a funding focus on adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered charity, independent from PetSmart.
Find PetSmart Charities of Canada on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
Contacts:
GOLIN for PetSmart & PetSmart Charities of Canada
Miriam Fitting
Office: 416-483-6225, ext 3440
mfitting[at]golin[dot]com
Carrie Trembinski
PR Manager, PetSmart Charities of Canada
Office: 289-313-6332
Cell: 647-201-1155
Email: ctrembinski[at]petsmartcharities[dot]org
PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177