50 Contestants Unveiled for the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge
New York, NY (PRWEB) January 29, 2014 -- The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today released the names of the 50 animal shelters that will compete in the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, with a total of $600,000 in prize grants up for grabs to help shelters save more homeless cats and dogs.
The contestants will gear up for the competition to save more animals – during the months of June, July and August 2014 – than they did over the same three-month period in 2013. Last year’s competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 12,050 over the same period in 2012.
“For the past four years, the ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge has helped shelters across the country energize their teams, rally their communities and blast through their previous records for saving more lives,” says Bert Troughton, vice president of strategic initiatives at the ASPCA. “In 2014, for the fifth and final year of the contest, we’re beyond thrilled to work with a new batch of 50 contestants and we cannot wait to see what adoption records they’ll shatter next.”
The 50 contestants in the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge are:
• Lee County Humane Society in Auburn, Ala.
• Shelby Humane Society in Columbiana, Ala.
• Pinal County Animal Care in Casa Grande, Ariz.
• Western Arizona Humane Society in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
• Arizona Humane Society in Phoenix, Ariz.
• HALO Animal Rescue in Phoenix, Ariz.
• Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Ariz.
• City of Burbank Animal Shelter in Burbank, Calif.
• Ventura County Animal Services in Camarillo, Calif.
• City of Chico Animal Shelter in Chico, Calif.
• Central California SPCA in Fresno, Calif.
• Moreno Valley Animal Shelter in Moreno Valley, Calif.
• City of Stockton Animal Services in Stockton, Calif.
• Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden, Colo.
• First State Animal Center - SPCA, Delaware in Camden, Del.
• Alachua County Animal Services in Gainesville, Fla.
• Clay County Animal Care and Control in Green Cove Springs, Fla.
• Osceola County Animal Services in St. Cloud, Fla.
• Gwinnett County Animal Welfare & Enforcement in Lawrenceville, Ga.
• Unleashed Pet Rescue and Adoption in Mission, Kan.
• The Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago, Ill.
• Humane Society Calumet Area in Munster, Ind.
• Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick, Maine
• Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) in Baltimore, Md.
• The Humane Society of Washington County, Inc. in Hagerstown, Md.
• Humane Society of Charles County in Waldorf, Md.
• Oakland County Animal Control & Pet Adoption Center in Auburn Hills, Mich.
• Humane Society of West Michigan in Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Hattiesburg, Miss.
• Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, N.J.
• Humane Society of Greater Dayton in Dayton, Ohio
• Humane Society of Delaware County in Delaware, Ohio
• The City of Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division in Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene, Ore.
• APAYPA - Albergue Villa Michelle in Mayaguez, P.R.
• Anderson County P.A.W.S. in Anderson, S.C.
• Pet Helpers in Charleston, S.C.
• McMinn Regional Humane Society in Athens, Tenn.
• Williamson County Animal Control and Adoption Center in Franklin, Tenn.
• Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County in Memphis, Tenn.
• Houston Humane Society in Houston, Texas
• City of Pasadena (TX) Animal Control and Adoption in Pasadena, Texas
• San Antonio Animal Care Services in San Antonio, Texas
• Lynchburg Humane Society in Lynchburg, Va.
• Angels of Assisi in Roanoke, Va.
• Everett Animal Shelter in Everett, Wash.
• SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. in Spokane, Wash.
• The NOAH Center in Stanwood, Wash.
• Fox Valley Humane Association, Ltd. in Appleton, Wis.
The ASPCA and Rachael Ray will award a $100,000 grand prize to the shelter contestant that achieves the greatest increase in lives saved during this three-month period. The contestant that does the best job of engaging its community members in helping to save more animals will win $25,000. Those organizations that do the best in their divisions will be eligible for between $10,000 and $25,000 in additional grants. In total, $600,000 in grant funding will be awarded for increases in animal lives saved, as well as a photo contest and general participation.
All her life, Rachael Ray has been an advocate for animals and a supporter of animal welfare groups. Her love for animals and for her pit bull, Isaboo, inspired her to create a pet food called Nutrish® to raise money for animals in need. Ray donates her proceeds from the sale of Nutrish® to organizations like the ASPCA so they can implement programs like the $100K Challenge and support shelters and animal organizations around the country.
The ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge is a groundbreaking contest that challenges animal shelters across the country to come up with innovative ways to engage their communities and get more homeless cats and dogs into loving homes. For information about the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, please visit http://www.aspca.org/100K.
About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, please visit http://www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
About Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray is best known as the host of the hit syndicated Emmy Award winning daytime television show “Rachael Ray” produced by CBS Television Distribution in association with Harpo Productions, Scripps Networks and Watch Entertainment. Rachael's warmth, energy, and boundless curiosity also reach millions of fans through her popular Food Network shows, her lifestyle magazine Everyday with Rachael Ray, her bestselling cookbooks, her digital home base http://www.rachaelray.com, her signature line of cookware manufactured by Meyer, her meal transport products by RR Accessories and her pantry products by Colavita. In 2007, Rachael launched the Yum-o! organization, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking and in 2008 she partnered with Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to create a line of pet food with all of her proceeds being donated to organizations that help animals in need. For more information, visit http://www.rachaelray.com.
About Rachael’s Rescue ™ and Nutrish
In 2008, Rachael Ray partnered with pet nutrition experts from Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to develop a line of super premium food and treats for dogs called Rachael Ray Nutrish®. Rachael Ray Nutrish® is made with simple, natural ingredients and includes three full-feeding varieties featuring real meat as the first ingredient – Real Chicken and Veggies, Real Beef and Brown Rice, and Healthy Weight with Real Turkey. All of Ray’s proceeds from each sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish®, Just 6® food and treats for dogs and the Nutrish® Healthy Weight lines are donated to organizations that help animals in need through Rachael’s RescueTM. So, not only are Nutrish® products great for your dog, they’re great for countless other dogs as well.
Alison Jimenez, ASPCA, http://www.ASPCA.org, +1 (347) 578-2242, [email protected]
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