An interesting article popped into my email today. It turns out a neonatal kitten orphanage in Stillwater, OK (my home away from my home away from home) is in a little financial trouble. On the whole it’s a cute article and it leaves you wishing you could do something to help, but the line that really caught my eye is: “Grants submitted to Petco and Chesapeake Energy were denied.” Is it fair to single out these two companies for not funding the grants? Chesapeake gave away $25 million in 2010 alone. The Petco Foundation donated $10 million in their 2011 fiscal year.
Furthermore, do consumers react to this type of bad press? I don’t believe it was the Stillwater News Press’s intention to imply that these cats don’t have homes BECAUSE of Petco and Chesapeake but it definitely has that feel to it. Will consumers not donate to the Petco Foundation now? Or shop for their favorite animal’s toys at PetSmart? My hope is no. These companies and many other corporate foundations (including PetSmart) help countless causes every year. They need to be praised for the work they do and not scolded for the work they can’t do.
http://www.stwnewspress.com/local/x942836402/Kitten-rescue-home-nears-its-capacity
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Credit to Christy Milliken, an attorney in Washington DC, for bringing this article to my attention.