Ren’s Pets Donates $20,000 to Animal Food Bank to Support Pets in Ukraine
[Guelph, ON, April 13, 2022] – Canadian specialty pet retailer Ren’s Pets announced they are making a donation to support pets affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
“As a company extremely passionate about pets, we wanted to help and show our support for those pets impacted by the conflict in Ukraine,” said Ren’s Pets CEO Scott Arsenault. “Our stores have been collecting donations from our very generous customers for this cause, and the amount donated has been absolutely extraordinary. We are now able to donate $20,000 to the Animal Food Bank to distribute to organizations in and around Ukraine who are helping and supporting pets. We’re so thankful to our customers who have shown so much love, care, and support for Ukraine.”
“Our store teams showed a ton of passion for the cause and set up draws for customers to win gift baskets full of pet treats, toys and supplies for making a donation,” continues Arsenault. “It’s a small way for us to say thank you to our customers for their generosity. We understand that pets are part of the family, and Ren’s really is here for your Pet’s Best Life.”
“Animal Food Bank is honored to have been chosen as a partner to distribute the generous donations from the customers of Ren's Pets to help aid both pets on the ground in Ukraine, pets of refugees around Ukraine and now those arriving in Canada with pets,” said Animal Food Bank Founder Nicole Frey. “This work is of the utmost urgency and importance and we, completely volunteer operated and non-funded, could not do this without amazing partners like Ren's Pets. We are so thankful for our collaboration with PIJAC Canada that led to this amazing initiative.”
“Learning how the Animal Food Bank is distributing funds into Ukraine has been so enlightening, to see how they’re caring for pets that have been affected,” shares Larissa Wasyliw, VP of Ecommerce & Marketing at Ren’s Pets. “Nicole and her team work tirelessly to ensure these pets are getting fed and cared for. She’s educated us on where donations flow to, like Planting Peace who is providing pet food and supplies and setting up feeding stations at pet intake centres on the border of Poland/Ukraine or Breaking the Chains who is on the ground in Ukraine providing and distributing medicine, food, and supplies plus transporting animals out of war zones. They truly do remarkable work.”
Tyler Doiron accepts a cheque for $20,000 on behalf of the Animal Food Bank from the Ren’s Pets team (left to right, Senior Market Manager Laura Daniel, Cambridge Store Manager Mariah Bijl, CEO Scott Arsenault, Marketing Manager Sue Tyler, and Nash).
Penny, Gemma, and Izzy were the winners of the pet gift basket at Ren’s Pets in Whitby for their owner making a donation to support Ukraine.
The winner of the pet gift basket at Ren’s Pets in Kitchener picks up her prize with her dog in store.
The pet gift basket winner picks up his prize at Ren’s Pets in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for making a donation to support Ukraine.
Ren’s Pets also donated $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal, along with Quebec-based specialty pet retailer Mondou donating $100,000. Both Ren’s Pets and Mondou are owned by Legault Group. This totals a $150,000 donation to Red Cross from Legault Group family of brands towards humanitarian relief efforts, in addition to supporting pets in Ukraine through Animal Food Bank.
About Ren’s Pets
Ren’s Pets is a leading Canadian specialty retailer with 39 stores (and growing!) in Ontario and the Maritimes plus a best-in-class ecommerce site shipping nationally. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario. It was acquired by the Legault Group in August 2021. Ren’s carries the largest selection of pet supplies, including pet food, treats, and toys for your Pet’s Best Life. Ren’s is an industry leader in high-quality professional grooming supplies. The Ren’s Promise guarantees knowledgeable staff will help you find the best food for your pet. The Ren's Reward program lets you earn free food and redeem points online or in-store. For more information, visit www.renspets.com.
About Legault Group
Legault Group is a vertically integrated, family-owned Quebec company specializing in food and accessories for pets, notably through the Mondou chain of stores in Quebec and Ren’s Pets in Ontario and the Maritimes. With its Canada-wide retail network, multiple brands and local manufacturing facilities, Legault Group is the country’s reference in this sector.
About Animal Food Bank
Founded in December 2019, the Animal Food Bank has aspirations of being a national force for feeding pets in need and working to address the reasons why they are facing pet food insecurity. Operating on the principle of low barriers access to help, with pets being their clients, Animal Food Bank stives to forge a new way of doing things. For more information, visit https://animalfoodbank.org.