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Healthy Paws Foundation Helping Pets Impacted by COVID-19

By Christy True
published: May 1, 2020 - updated: March 21, 2022 • 2 min. read
Dog in a shelter with empty bowl

We know that the COVID-19 crisis has been disruptive to everyone, and that includes non-profits that may be struggling with increased need and fewer resources coming in.

In response, the Healthy Paws Foundation is donating $60,000 this month to pet food pantries, animal shelters and rescue groups across the country so they can purchase critically needed food and cover other expenses.

Greater Good, a nonprofit that is raising money for shelter animals, says it is anticipating tough times ahead for many shelters.

“As COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the nation, shelter pets and the workers that care for them face a dire situation due to reduced foot traffic in animal shelters as well as a lack of pet food, critical supplies and veterinary care,” said Liz Baker, CEO of GreaterGood.org.

The foundation is distributing the funds in three ways:

  • Giving grants of $5,000 each to six large pet pantries in areas that have been especially hard hit by the virus and economic fallout. Those recipients include Puget Sound Pet Food Bank in Tacoma, Wash.; Pet Food Pantry for Teller County in Colo.; Food Four Paws Pet Pantry in Bullhead City, Ariz.; Best Buddies Pet Pantry in NW Indiana and Illinois; Meals on Wheels for Pets in South Florida; and Animal Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley, in Emmaus, Penn.
  • Giving $10,000 in matching funds to Greater Good for “Giving Tuesday Now” on May 5. “Giving Tuesday Now” is a global day of giving and unity in response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. Greater Good funds the Rescue Bank, which covers the costs of distributing donated pet food to animal welfare nonprofits, and other pet rescue groups. The Healthy Paws Foundation will match donor contributions on May 5, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000.
  • Donating another 20 grants of $1,000 each to shelters or rescue groups across the country to help cover their expenses during this difficult time.
vet-and-pets-01

Girl with puppy in shelterThe organizations selected to receive the $1,000 grants are:

Healthy Paws posted a request for nonprofit nominations on social media and received hundreds of submissions. After vetting the nominated organizations to ensure they are no-kill and registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits, we narrowed the list down to those in states that are hardest hit by the virus.

The Healthy Paws foundation was formed 10 years ago to save homeless pets by providing funding for medicine, food, shelter, and operating costs at pet rescues and animal shelters. To date, the foundation has distributed more than $1 million in cash grants to 300 non-profit pet organizations.

The Healthy Paws charitable arm is funded through the Every Quote Gives Hope™ program, where the simple act of getting a free pet insurance quote from Healthy Paws results in a donation and the Refer-A-Friend program, where for every completed referral, we donate $25 to the foundation.

Christy True and Tomas
By Christy True

Christy has been writing about pets for Healthy Paws for 21 dog years. She previously worked in journalism, hence her penchant for writing about offbeat animal studies and the latest viral pet trends. She has been owned by several dogs, and right now, Tomas, a Mexican street dog rescue, is staring at her because he wants a walk. Outside of work, she can usually be found sliding down a mountain near her home in Bend, Ore.

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