Pet Sitters International's Hungry Bowl Campaign

Background

Throughout the year, Pet Sitters International focuses on international campaigns to support pets and pet sitters, such as Take Your Dog To Work Day^®, Professional Pet Sitters Week and the Adoption Ally Program. But this past holiday season, staff members of PSI joined together to support a cause right in their own backyard. On December 23, 2008 PSI staffers served as Santa Claus to more than fifty pets housed at the Stokes County Animal Shelter, an animal shelter located a mere fifteen minutes from the PSI offices.

PSI partnered with eight local businesses to serve as drop-off locations for the pet food and supplies drive. PSI staff contacted businesses that were convenient as drop off locations, explained the purpose of the drive and asked if boxes could be placed at their facility as a designated collection area for drop-offs. The staff reached out to beauty shops, grocery stores, banks and veterinarians.

 

Disheartened by the dire need of the shelter and touched by their genuine appreciation, PSI staffers committed to organizing a campaign to benefit similar shelters throughout the country and abroad.

 

Around the same time, a Georgia-based pet sitter contacted us about a local campaign she had organized--giving pet food bowls as gifts (filled with goodies) to clients and friends and asking the recipients to fill the bowl with donations to give to a local shelter.

 

Combining these different elements, the idea of the Hungry Bowl campaign was born.  PSI has created a campaign timeline, resources and materials to assist members in organizing pet food drives in their area as well.

 

How You Can Help

As we enter the 2009 holiday season, PSI is asking all members to join us for a worthwhile cause—Pet Sitters International’s Hungry Bowl campaign—an international pet food drive December 1-12, 2009.

PSI is asking members to organize pet food drives in their communities to benefit a local shelter or rescue group of their choice.

Members registering their participation in PSI’s Hungry Bowl campaign will have access to a variety of resources to help them easily set up a local drive including:

* easy-to-follow guidelines and timeline for the drive
* promotional materials
* sample letters to businesses and clients
* press release templates

PSI members have proven time and again that they have huge hearts and seek out ways to help pets in their communities. The PSI staff is excited to see the huge difference members can make for shelters across the country by joining in to help with this international effort.

Organizing a Hungry Bowl pet food drive in your area allows you to:
-Establish community ties
-Network with local shelters and businesses
-Align your business with a philanthropic effort
-Promote your business in highly-trafficked drop-off locations
-Garner positive media attention for the drive and your business, and most importantly,
-Make a difference in the lives of local shelter pets!

At the conclusion of the drive, participating members will report the total number of pounds of cat and dog food collected—and the results of this international, concerted effort by PSI members will be reported in a future issue of the magazine and in a national press release.

 

Register Your Participation

To learn more or to register your participation, e-mail Beth Stultz, PSI Marketing Specialist, at beth@petsit.com. Be sure to include “Hungry Bowl” in the e-mail’s subject line.

Stay tuned for additional Hungry Bowl campaign information in upcoming issues of The Scoop, PSI’s monthly e-Newsletter and in the Members’ Area of www.petsit.com.