Hill’s marks 20 years of support for shelters during Clear the Shelters campaign

This year’s Clear the Shelters pet adoption campaign coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Food, Shelter & Love program from Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

Over the course of two decades, the Hill’s program has provided more than $300 million in pet food to more than 1,000 animal shelters and has helped more than 12 million pets find new homes. And this August, Hill’s returns for the fifth year as the national sponsor of Clear the Shelters, NBCUniversal Local’s nationwide pet adoption and fundraising campaign.

Dr. Karen Shenoy, chief veterinary officer for Hill’s U.S., noted that veterinarians make key contributions to the pet adoption process.

“For shelter pets to be adopted into loving homes as quickly as possible, it’s essential that they’re at their best,” Dr. Shenoy said. “Veterinarians play a critical role in evaluating and providing care to shelter pets to set them up for success.”

Each year through Clear the Shelters, NBC and Telemundo stations nationwide team up with shelters and rescues—more than 1,300 organizations last year—to help find homes for pets. The campaign has helped more than 700,000 pets find homes since its inception in 2015.

Donations can be made online to participating shelters and rescues during the campaign through the Clear the Shelters Fund. Greater Good Charities and The Animal Rescue Site are covering all transaction fees so that 100% of donations go directly to shelters and rescues.

In addition to being a national sponsor, Hill’s will provide adoption kits to new pet owners at certain shelters throughout the month. The kits contain starter bags of Hill’s pet food, coupons, tips for pet ownership, and other supplies. Hundreds of Hill’s employees will volunteer at participating shelters during Clear the Shelters crescendo weekend, Aug. 26-28, to provide adoption kits.

Hill’s also is providing financial support for the campaign to support two Greater Good Charities airlifts, Aug. 2 and Aug. 30. The airlifts transport animals from overpopulated shelters to shelters in communities without as many pets available for adoption.