BALTIMORE — BARCS had a very special surprise valentine this year.
The Baltimore Animal Rescue Care and Shelter was surprised the day before Valentine's Day with a $250,000 donation from the Petco Foundation. This donation was the first of 16 stops the company plans on making across the country.
“This is your main organization in Baltimore City. They take in over 11,000 animals a year and they don’t have the resources they really need. So we know these resources can make all the difference to whether they can save lives or not. So we are really grateful that we get to help them with the work they are doing,” explained Susanne Kogut, the President of the Petco Foundation.
And this hand-delivered Valentine's gift was more than just money, BARCS also got a giant valentine’s card, WholeHearted treats, Petco pet toys, and Skechers BOBS For Dogs shoes to thank the staff and volunteers for all of their hard work.
"We need constant support because its not like those 11,000 stop coming in. They will come in the next year and the next year and every animal that comes in we provide vaccines, we provide spay and neuter service to each one of them, and a lot of them need medical care. So there is a lot of cost involved for every animal that comes through our doors and a lot of effort that goes behind getting them into their new homes. So gifts like this really help us to be able to continue to save lives," explained Jen Brause, the Executive Director of BARCS.
And this is not the first time Petco has made a donation like this to BARCS. Brause says they made another $250,000 donation last year.
All of these gifts come from a month-long campaign where thousands of pet lovers from across the country submitted love and gratitude to their local shelters.
