Freshpet teams up with Sarah Michelle Gellar to Reward Animal Shelters

Freshpet has announced they’ll be partnering with actress and animal activist Sarah Michelle Gellar to celebrate its fifth annual Fresh Start initiative. The program celebrates and rewards no-kill animal shelters and is open to the public through a submission process beginning on Sept. 12 and running through Sept. 25 on ThankYouRescues.com. Since the program was created in 2018, Fresh Start has distributed more than $400,000 to no-kill shelters across the United States.

“We treat our pets like they’re our kids; they’re such a big part of our family,” said Gellar. “We’ve always been big supporters of animal adoption, because there are so many deserving animals that need good homes. And right now, the need is stronger than ever, with many shelters overcrowded and in need of support. “There are so many rescues doing incredible work across the country, so partnering with Freshpet to recognize and reward them is something I couldn’t pass up.” 

Gellar will serve as a judge and help select 16 shelters to receive funding, including one overall winner that will receive $25,000 and five regional grand prize winners that will be awarded $15,000 each. Among other grants that will be given out are 10 runners-up, two in each region of the country, that will be given $5,000 each. Winners will be announced on the week of Oct. 17.

“Fresh Start allows us to continue to unleash the power of giving to pets and people working to make their lives better,” said Steve Elwell, Director of Digital at Freshpet. “There’s an amazing network of animal shelters and organizations throughout the country that are championing the wellbeing of companion pets that can use our help, whether through volunteering or donations, and we’re happy that we can extend the Fresh Start initiative to help reward them for their work.”