PETCO & Blue Buffalo Join Forces to Fight Pet Cancer
Throughout the month, pet parents can make donations to the cause by "rounding up" their in-store PETCO purchases to the next dollar at the register, or by making a donation in an amount of their choice. Additionally, Blue Buffalo will donate up to $1 for every bag of BLUE dog or cat food purchased during May. The goal this year is to raise $1,000,000 during Pet Cancer Awareness Month.
What’s more, Saturday, May 8th is designated as Pet Cancer Awareness Day at PETCO. From 10 AM-2PM, local veterinarians will be available to talk with pet parents about what they can do to help prevent cancer in their own pets.
For the past six years, The Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research (B.B.F.C.R.) has sponsored a Pet Cancer Awareness Month to help educate pet parents about the disease as well as raise money to find a cure. The money is used to the support the research efforts of universities and clinics in the U.S. whose mission is to find a cure for the leading disease-related cause of death among dogs and cats.
Funds raised during Pet Cancer Awareness month are distributed by The Blue Buffalo Foundation For Cancer Research which has made over $300,000 in grants to support the pet cancer research efforts of several universities, including Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, MIT, North Carolina State University, Cornell University, Colorado State University, Oregon State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and University of Minnesota. After forming the foundation, the company developed the Pet Cancer Awareness month concept as a vehicle by which to conduct its annual education and fund-raising efforts.
"When we started the PCA program, we were only in 230 regional stores and didn’t raise much money", said David Petrie, President of the Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research. "Now that the BLUE brand has national distribution in over 3,000 pet stores, we have been able to raise over $300,000 without too much trouble. And because there are no administration fees, one hundred percent of the funds raised go towards helping the cause."
