Petland Stores Raise $93,000 for St. Jude

Petland stores nationwide raised more than $93,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the October 2014 St. Jude Pumpkin Pin-Up Campaign. Last year’s campaign saw a 71 percent increase over funds raised in 2013.

“This year, our franchisees set a goal to raise $83,334, enough to support the operations of the hospital for one hour of one day,” said Petland’s director of communications Elizabeth Kunzelman. “We have an amazing group of franchisees with very big hearts, who truly understand the difference even one dollar can make.”

Several franchisees and store operators have visited the hospital and the St. Jude Target House (one of the three housing facilities where families live during treatment), and those franchisees have been leaders in pushing everyone at Petland to raise more money, Kunzelman said.

Petland became a St. Jude corporate partner in 2009. The St. Jude Halloween campaign, now in its 23rd year, asks customers to donate $1 or more at the register. In exchange for the donation, customers sign a St. Jude Halloween-themed pin-up, which is then displayed in the store. Petland also initiated a corporate campaign for the home office, offering payroll deductions for donations.

St. Jude is where doctors often send their toughest cases because it has the world’s best survival rates for some of the most aggressive childhood cancers.

In addition to efforts to raise funds for children’s charities like St. Jude and Make-A-Wish, Petland stores participate in the Adopt-A-Pet program, which has found homes for nearly 350,000 abandoned or unwanted pets.