Freekibble.com and Halo deliver 400,000 holiday meals to pets in need

A Kibble Drop volunteer in Cincinnati

While the holidays are a time when folks think about holiday lights and warm, cozy time with friends and family, it's also time when pet food banks and shelters find themselves particularly strapped.
 
"Everything shuts down. People are thinking about shopping and they don't think about us. We're not on top of the list," says Ann King, executive director of SaveOurPetsFoodbank.org.

This year, Mimi Ausland, 15, from Bend, Ore., and Ellen DeGeneres are doing their part to change that. Ellen's pet food team and Mimi have chosen 40 shelters and rescues to receive donations this holiday season during an 11-city, bi-coastal "Kibble Drop" tour, taking place December 13-22.  They're sending two semis up each coast, each packed with 20,000 pounds of food for pets in need.
 
Mimi, is the founder of Freekibble.com, a website she started when she was just 11. Each day, Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com feature a new trivia question. Visitors to the sites can answer the questions and earn 10 pieces of kibble for homeless pets. Since 2008, Freekibble.com has donated more than 6.6 million meals to pets in need.

After learning about the young philanthropist, Ellen and Halo, the pet food company of which she is part owner, became the official kibble sponsor of Freekibble.com.
 
Now, the two have teamed up for the first ever Freekibble.com “Koast-to-Koast Kibble Drop,” where shelters and rescues up and down the east and west coasts will receive 400,000 meals of all natural Halo Spot’s Stew for the holidays.

What can you do?

Put pet food banks, shelters and rescues on your holiday shopping list this season. Consider a donation of food or cash, or give a donation as a holiday gift to your pet-loving friends. I just received a card from my local pet food bank saying that my friends gave a generous donation in my name. I can't think of a better gift!