Donate a pound of food to shelter animals just by writing a letter to Chewy Claus (aka the Santa for pets)

This year, the brand is “spreading more cheer than ever,” delivering gifts, donating food and supplies, and making wishes come true for pets in need.An adoptable dog from Best Friends Animal Society. Photo courtesy of ChewyPets (and their paw-rents) are encouraged to submit their wishlists to Chewy Claus up until December 24 this year. For every letter submitted, Chewy will donate one pound of food to its nonprofit partners — up to 600,000 pounds.While your dogs or cats may be writing Chewy Claus for a shiny new cat tree or a big bag of their favorite snacks, they can also defer their holiday gift and instead ask for an extra pound of food to be sent to pets in need.This year, for every wish submitted, Chewy Claus will donate five meals to an animal in need.

If the wish comes through the Chewy app, that gift gets boosted with an additional five meals. So far, 6,157,570 meals have been donated through Chewy Claus.An example of a Chewy Claus letter. Photo courtesy of Chewy“More often than not, when there are people who are struggling a little bit, they will feed their pets before they feed themselves,” said Lynda Marpole, a representative of the pet food donation program Care & Share, which works with nonprofits like Best Friends Animal Society to help keep pets and people together.“The whole focus of my program is to help the people that need a little bit of extra help, so we can keep the pets and the families together,” Marpole added.

“There are people whose whole emotional and mental well-being is dependent on their pet, so it’s a win/win situation” for both pets and their people.Claudius, a Best Friends cat. Photo courtesy of Chewy“Chewy Claus is dedicated to spreading joy during the happiest time of the year,” said Orlena Yeung, chief brand officer at Chewy.

“When we received thousands of letters from pets asking for homes, we knew we had to help. There’s no better way to celebrate the season than by uniting pets with loving families — whether they’re first-time pet parents or welcoming a furry friend back home.” Since the Chewy Claus program began in 2022, more than a million pets have written letters.

But among their wishes for tasty treats and festive toys, one item — homes for all of the pets living in shelters and rescues — continues to be the most sought-after gift.“As we head into the winter holidays, shelters and rescue organizations across the country are filled with adoptable dogs and cats that deserve loving homes,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. Folks interested in adopting can find participating shelters on Chewy’s website and make a plan to adopt during the holiday weekend.With dire overcrowding in shelters across the country, this act of goodwill and generosity can make a difference in the lives of countless animals.“Adoption is the most important step everyone can take to save the lives of shelter pets, and free adoption initiatives like this from Chewy Claus make it that much easier for people to consider bringing home a new best friend,” Castle said.“We can’t think of a better time of year than the holiday season to make a pet’s wish for a loving home come true.”‍Header images courtesy of Chewy