Your Hurricane Donations Made a Difference!

As New York City continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, many New Yorkers in the hardest-hit areas of the city are still without heat or electricity, and many either lost their homes or are still unable to return to their homes.

The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals continues to work with its partners on the Animal Planning Task Force of the NYC Office of Emergency Management to provide for New York City pet owners in need. The Alliance’s Wheels of Hope transport team, which delivered many of these donations to people and pets in need, drove more than 900 hours and 750 miles in the eight weeks since the hurricane hit, moving animals out of harm’s way and supplies into the hands of pet owners and rescuers hardest hit by the storm.

We wanted to pause for a moment and acknowledge all those caring and generous individuals and businesses that donated pet food and supplies to the Alliance for those in need.

Thank You!

In alphabetical order:

The ASPCA, which collected and managed distribution of the bulk of hurricane donations of pet food in New York City, donated food to the Alliance for the Brooklyn Food Bank (coordinated by the Animal Relief Fund’s Susan Kaufman) and shelters in NJ.

Meredith Finkelstein from Stratford Home donated dozens of dog beds to Bideawee, an Alliance Participating Organization. Both of Bideawee’s shelters, in Manhattan and on Long island, were damaged during the storm.

Gild Hall – A Thompson Hotel in Manhattan, donated more than 200 clean towels and linens to Bideawee in Wantagh

Guyon Rescue of Staten Island donated more than 2,500 bags of dog food to Animal Relief Fund, which is able to distribute the donations to food banks across New York City.

Havahart traps donated 10 humane cat traps to the NYC Feral Cat Initiative of the Mayor’s Alliance.

John Kane and Rescue Bank (via Royal Canin pet food) distributed more than 40,000 pounds of dog and cat food to areas in need of the greatest assistance, including the Rockaways, feral cat caretakers, a storage unit on Staten Island with Anarchy Animal Rescue (a Staten Island rescue group) and the North Fork Animal Welfare League on Long Island.

Dr. Andy Kaplan, a private practice veterinarian (City Veterinary Care) and founder of The Toby Project, donated 20 bags of Halo dog and cat food.

The Alliance arranged for a generous donation from KONG (500 toys and treats) to be delivered to Animal Care & Control of NYC and NYC hurricane shelters where pets were accommodated with their owners after evacuating their homes. This donation was in tandem with a donation of 100 microchips from Save This Life.

Merrick donated more than 4,500 bags of dog food to the Alliance (delivered to Alliance Participating Organization Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Brooklyn) prior to the storm. As a result, Sean Casey was fully stocked when the storm hit, and they were able to distribute the pet food to local residents and rescue groups in need. Also, we just received word that Merrick has sent a truck from Amarillo, TX, carrying 22 pallets of canned dog food to be distributed to three area shelters!

Pedigree donated two pallets of dog food, which the Alliance distributed to pet owners in the Rockaways and Staten Island, and to our partner shelters and rescuers.

Petco and Rock & Rawhide held a two-week food donation drive at Petco locations throughout the city. Donations were made by individuals in the NYC area to drop boxes in ten Petco and Unleashed by Petco stores, as well as by the Petco Foundation, Natural Balance, and Hill’s Science Diet. Petco and Rock & Rawhide worked with the Alliance to deliver more than 50,000 pounds of pet food, 100 pet beds, 2,500 pet toys, and 3,000 pounds of cat litter to some of the hardest-hit areas, including Breezy Point, Coney Island, Staten Island, and New Jersey. These donations were distributed among individuals, food banks, and rescue groups.

Petco – Union Square donated more than two pallets of Natural Balance cat food, which we delivered to pet owners in areas in need, and also to feral cat caretakers.

Pfizer donated medical supplies and flea treatments to our veterinarians to use for pets of storm survivors.

Phillips Feed & Pet Supply donated and dispersed pet food immediately after the storm to the areas in greatest need.

Rational Animal donated handmade cage comforters and beds to the damaged Bideawee shelter in Wantagh on Long Island.

Sari Remer, owner of DogChewz NYC, donated 150 pounds of dog treats to the Alliance for distribution to pet owners and rescue groups.

Charlene Sloan, a volunteer with Broadway Barks, and Braille Tails, a joint Broadway Barks and Main Line Animal Rescue project, stayed in constant touch with the Alliance throughout the toughest days of the relief efforts, took dozens of individual addresses (and neighborhood contacts), and trucked in more than 7,000 pounds of dog and cat food and cat litter to Staten Island and the Rockaways.

Stella & Chewy’s donated a variety of dog and cat foods, which the Alliance distributed to the Rockaways, Staten Island, rescue groups and feral cat caretakers. The donation included 40 cases of Chewy’s Chicken Dinner for Dogs, 30 cases of Beef Carnivore Crunch treats, 15 cases of Duck Duck Goose Dinner for Cats, and five cases Tummy Ticklin’ Turkey Dinner for Cats.

Robyn Urman, head of Pet ResQ Inc. in Tenafly, NJ, and her generous group of foster caretakers and contributors loaded numerous vans with donations for distribution by the Alliance to people and groups in the areas hardest hit by Sandy. She included hats, gloves, and scarves for people too.

Thanks to each and every one of you for helping New York City’s animals and the people who love them!