Each year, Nestlé Purina PetCare Canada holds their annual Purina Cares Week – a time to give back to the pet community by volunteering with local organizations that are making a difference in the lives of animals. As Toronto’s first pet-friendly shelter, we were honoured to partner with Purina for this year’s initiative!

Nestlé Purina PetCare Canada’s NYWS volunteering team

North York Women’s Shelter welcomes survivors of all kinds, including pets, because we recognize the barriers that can delay or entirely prevent a family from being able to leave a dangerous situation if they aren’t able to take their beloved animals with them. Not only this, but we know that pets act as emotional supports for survivors – both adults and children – when going through a transient time of moving into shelter. At NYWS, we have a dedicated pet kennel and pet washing facilities, and we love welcoming four-legged family members alongside the rest of their family.

On Monday, September 15th, a team of seven incredible Purina staff attended our shelter for a volunteering morning, organizing the storage space in our multi-purpose Sassafras programming room. This space is used for anything from children’s crafts to inspirational talks, and it’s safe to say that the storage cupboards were becoming increasingly challenging to navigate. The Purina team systematically reorganized this cluttered storage space, and it is now completely clean and coordinated! A great problem-solving task for these passionate colleagues.

Later in the week, we also received a surprise delivery of over 100 hand-made dog and cat toys, and hand-decorated leather leashes, which has already started to be put to great use! The pets who live at NYWS have also been through lots of change and stress, so this incredible donation is allowing us to ensure they get the enrichment and playtime they need.

These amazing supports by Purina truly show their love and care for our cause. We are very grateful to the whole Nestlé Purina PetCare Canada team for their efforts during Purina Cares Week!

Dog and cat toys, made by the Purina team