In an effort to raise awareness to the plight of the homeless animal population as well as our shelter dogs that need food, supplies and homes, the idea of Pet Postcards was born. In February 2007, the Project creator was at the Westminster Kennel Club show and handed out blank postcards simply requesting people return them with what was called “Dogfessions” annotated on the card. The idea was a hit. Cards came flooding in. The basic gist of this awareness / fundraising project is as follows:
- Participating pet food companies volunteer to donate food based upon quantity. What this means is for every postcard that is “donated” they will donate certain amounts of food, toys and even cash.
- Then groups or organizations or even people decide on which shelter they are going to support for their fundraising efforts and then they “Adopt” the program for a month or so. Some groups in the past have included Girl Scouts, Colleges, Rescue Organizations and even schools!
- Once the shelter has been identified as the lucky recipient, then the fun starts! Word is spread like wildfire about the fundraiser! Requests are sent out by all means available; Word of mouth, social media and flyers. Requests for postcards with folks pets featured under a pet specific caption are created by anyone who is willing to participate!
- Cards are then sent into the official Pet Postcard Project mailing address and tallied. Totals are sent to the participating companies and they in turn send out the supplies to the lucky shelter. It really is that simple!
Take a few moments and visit the Pet Postcard Project site at: petpostcardproject.com for all of the details and specific requirements. You will see examples of the most hilarious and adorably captioned pet post cards. Start the New Year by helping out others! Put together your own “Team”, pick a shelter and then “Adopt” the program! Fun and helpful all wrapped up in one little package!
