NBCUniversal Local’s nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign, Clear the Shelters, has helped more than 161,500 pets find new homes. This is the highest single-year adoption total in the initiative’s eight-year history.
The initiative also raised more than $540,000 for participating animal shelters and rescues. The total raised includes $100,000 committed through Amazon’s ‘Stream It Forward’ initiative in partnership with Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Donations can be made through September 30 at ClearTheSheltersFund.org.
Nearly 1,400 animal shelters and rescues covering all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam participated in this year’s campaign.
“We’re honored to announce the tremendous impact this year’s Clear The Shelters made in helping pets find new homes, supporting shelters and rescues in need—and generating awareness for animal welfare issues,” said Meredith McGinn, NBCUniversal Local’s evp of Diginets & Original Production and Clear The Shelters leader. “This is a community-driven initiative that’s success relies on the support of our employees, campa partners, affiliate stations and sponsors. We thank them and everyone who welcomed pets into their homes—or generously donated to shelters and rescues this year.”
For the third consecutive year, Clear The Shelters featured online donations through partners Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit, and The Animal Rescue Site, the fundraising host that covers all transaction fees so that 100 percent of donations go to shelters and rescues. Virtual pet adoptions also returned for the 2022 campaign through WeRescue, a four-time Clear The Shelters partner.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition was a national sponsor for the fifth consecutive campaign. Joining Clear The Shelters this year as a national sponsor was global animal health company Zoetis, The Dodo served as an exclusive media partner for the sixth campaign.
To celebrate the start and finish of this year’s monthlong campaign, NBCUniversal Local, Greater Good Charities, The Animal Rescue Site and Hill’s Pet Nutrition partnered to conduct airlifts on August 2 and August 30 to move nearly 300 at-risk dogs and cats from overcrowded shelters in the Southeast to the shelters in the Northeast, where they were made available for adoption.
Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has resulted in more than 860,000 pet adoptions.
For more information about Clear The Shelters, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com.