We received a $15,000 donation from Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. The grant money will be used to expand our low cost veterinary clinic and pet food pantry services.
We moved operations to East St. Louis on January 20, 2020. East St. Louis represents nearly every impoverished, underserved community in the U.S. Prior to our move, East St. Louis was an absolute “resource desert” for pet owners with no veterinary clinics, pet supply stores or grooming shops.
This grant funding will allow us to offer help more pets through our East Side Crisis Fund which helps families facing sudden, emergency veterinary expenses, as well as offering drive thru vaccination clinics providing the most affordable option for preventative veterinary care.
“Poverty is a measure of resources, not one’s ability to love a pet and poverty inflicts unique challenges on pet owners. We believe that helping pets starts with helping the people that love them which is why we opened the largest pet resource center in the region here in East St. Louis,” said Emily Stuart, Executive Director. “Since 2012, Purina has invested over $200,000 to our organization demonstrating their commitment to the local animal welfare community.”
This donation is being granted through the Nestlé Purina Trust Fund, established by Purina founder William H. Danforth to provide critical support to important community causes. The company is investing more than $1 million in its communities through several capital and capacity-building grants to support local non-profit organizations this fall.
“Purina has been sharing our resources to strengthen our communities since our inception,” said Kim Beardslee, Purina Community Affairs. “Our founder, Mr. Danforth, laid the foundation more than 125 years ago, and those values are still ingrained in our company culture today.”
Over the past five years, Purina has contributed more than $150 million towards organizations that bring, and keep, people and pets together, as well as those that help our communities and environment thrive.