Visitors To The Animal Rescue Site Donate More Than $300,000 In March To Japan Animal Rescue Efforts
The ongoing situation with the nuclear power plants in Japan is creating
a new need for shelters for animals removed from the area by their owners.
(SEATTLE, WA –MARCH 2011) –Visitors to The Animal Rescue Site donated
more than $300,000 in March to the current animal rescue efforts in
Japan. The funds were distributed weekly after receipt to the Humane
Society International (HSI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare
(IFAW) by GreaterGood.org, the nonprofit partner of the popular website.
“Through the Gifts That Give More™ program at The Animal Rescue Site, we
provide online donors with a safe, fast way to give money to the groups
who need it the most in times of disaster,” said Lisa Halstead, board
president of GreaterGood.org. “We disburse emergency funds weekly to give
the first responders the flexibility and the support that they need when
aiding survivors in a crisis.”
GreaterGood.org’s unique Gifts That Give More™ program allows 100%
tax-deductible contributions to be directed to nonprofit causes or
projects selected by the donors. With typical donation levels of $10 to
$100 per Gift, the program has generated millions of dollars for more than
80 charities worldwide since its inception. In particular, the program has
allowed visitors to The Animal Rescue Site and other GreaterGood Network
websites to quickly provide assistance to survivors during such disasters
as the Haitian earthquake, the Gulf Coast oil spill, and others.
After putting out the call to donors on March 11 following the Japanese
earthquake and tsunami, GreaterGood.org was able to send $170,480 to HSI
on March 21, followed by donations of $103,810 to HSI on March 28 and
$30,000 to IFAW on March 28. A total of $304, 290 has been distributed in
less than 18 days after the earthquake struck.
“Gathering supplies and deploying to Japan is no minor expense, and The
Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org have made possible our swift
mobilization,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society
of the United States, HSI’s parent entity. “We’re working closely with
Japanese partners to provide emergency sheltering, help animals in urgent
need, lay the foundation for permanent enhancements to animal care
capacity in the devastated zone, and set the stage for policy changes to
strengthen animal protection in Japan in the future.”
Both HSI and IFAW are working with local animal rescue groups to provide
temporary shelter for lost or abandoned animals as well as animals owned
by people who have had to evacuate due to the damaged nuclear power plants
(many Japanese shelters cannot allow the animals into the same area as the
people, so the pets are left outside or in people’s cars). They will use
the funding from The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org to ship
essential supplies to the region (such as food, dog kennels, collars, and
bowls), and help coordinate the efforts of Japanese animal welfare groups
and other international animal welfare organizations that are working to
identify and meet the most urgent and immediate needs of animals affected
by the disaster.
“Watching the devastation in Japan from afar, we knew the impact was going
to be terrible for people, and we knew animals would need help too,” said
IFAW’s Manager of Disaster Relief, Dick Green. “The swift generosity of
The Animal Rescue Site community and GreaterGood.org helped get IFAW here,
on the ground in the impacted area, so we can help the animals of Japan.”
More On The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org
Each click on the purple “Click Here to Give – it’s FREE” button at The
Animal Rescue Site (www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com) provides food and care
for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary. Funding for food
and care is paid for by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need
at shelters supported by the Petfinder Foundation, International Fund for
Animal Welfare, the Fund for Animals’ animal sanctuaries, North Shore
Animal League America, Rescue Bank, and other worthy animal care
facilities supported by GreaterGood.org. Additional funding for projects
comes from the sale of items and the Gifts That Give More™ program at The
Animal Rescue Site store.
The independent 501(c)3 GreaterGood.org supports rescue and animal care
projects around the world, including contributions of more than $250,000
to the formation of ARCH and subsequent rabies vaccination campaign of
50,000 animals in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake; multiple grants for
U.S. shelters that vaccinated 114,485 dogs and 80,944 cats in 2010; and
more than $200,000 awarded in the last six months to shelter and rescue
groups impacted by the Gulf Coast oil spill; among other projects. For
more information, see www.greatergood.org.