Purina Celebrates PetCare Pride Day by Hosting Pop-Up Food Pantry at its Headquarters
Free food for pets and their owners provided to people in need as part of company’s
20th annual day of service
ST. LOUIS (May 24, 2021) – Purina continued its tradition of giving back to pets and people in need by observing its 20th annual PetCare Pride Day: a day during the work week devoted to community service. More than 650 St. Louis-based Purina employees, along with 700 employees at Purina’s manufacturing facilities across the country, volunteered their time to support pet-related efforts and nonprofit organizations in their local communities.
Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, and related increased need for food assistance, Purina teamed up with the St. Louis Area Foodbank to host a drive-thru, pop-up food pantry event at its corporate headquarters in downtown St. Louis. Purina CEO Nina Leigh Krueger and St. Louis Area Foodbank President & CEO Meredith Knopp joined Purina associates and Foodbank volunteers in distributing food to more than 300 households and 1,000 people in need. In addition to Purina pet food, the boxes contained items most often requested from the foodbank, including meat, dairy, produce and Gerber baby food.
St. Louis-based Purina associates also assembled 1,000 care kits for area homeless, compiled 1,000 snack pack bags for youth in need, built 150 pet beds for shelter animals, and made 500 pet enrichment toys and 150 adoption packets for local shelter and Petfinder member CARE STL, which had representatives onsite during the event with adoptable dogs.
Additionally, employees at 17 of Purina’s factories volunteered their time as part of PetCare Pride Day throughout the month of May, with many teams assembling enrichment kits for animal shelters, or working out in the community, including making repairs at a local dog park and cleaning at a local animal shelter.
“For more than 126 years, Purina has supported the communities where we live and work,” said Kim Beardslee, Director of Purina Community Affairs. “This past year has been particularly hard on many people and pets, so we are proud that PetCare Pride Day could continue this year and provide a measure of relief to those who need it most.”
PetCare Pride Day is one of many ways Purina supports communities where its employees live and work. In 2020 the company provided more than $35 million in financial and pet food donations to nonprofit organizations across the county.
For a full list of food distributions in the bi-state region or to access food resources near you, please visit the St. Louis Area Foodbank’s COVID Resource page at www.stlfoodbank.org/covid19.
About Purina
Nestlé Purina PetCare creates richer lives for pets and the people who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based nutritional innovations. Purina manufactures some of the world's most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats. Our more than 8,700 U.S. associates take pride in our trusted pet food, treat and litter brands that feed 51 million dogs and 65 million cats every year. More than 500 Purina scientists, veterinarians, and pet care experts ensure our commitment to unsurpassed quality and nutrition.
Purina promotes responsible pet care through our scientific research, our products and our support for pet-related organizations. 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.
Purina is part of Nestlé, a global leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness. For more information, visit purina.com or subscribe here to get the latest Purina news.