Chuck & Don’s Donates to Pet Rescue Groups

Pictured from left to right are Beryl Board, co-executive director, RAGOM; Chuck Anderson, founder and CFO, Chuck & Don’s Pet Food Outlet; Dana Andresen, director of operations, Chuck & Don’s Pet Food Outlet; and Nancy Minion, president, Second Chance Animal Rescue.

Chuck & Don’s Pet Food Outlet, a Mahtomedi, Minn.-based pet food and supplies retailer, recently donated $33,321 to local pet rescue groups. The money was donated as part of the company’s annual Holiday Paw Print Campaign.

“It’s our way of funneling funds to the rescues, our way of being able to coordinate an effort that’s going to make a difference in spay-neuter initiatives and reduce pet overpopulation,” said Dana Andresen, director of operations for Chuck & Don’s.

During the Holiday Paw Print Campaign, customers who donate $1 or more can fill out a palm-sized paw print. The paw prints are then displayed in the windows of all 13 Chuck & Don’s stores as a show of support for the campaign recipients.

The 2008 recipients of the Holiday Paw Print campaign were Second Chance Animal Rescue of White Bear Lake, Minn., and Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota (RAGOM) of Hopkins, Minn. Second Chance Animal Rescue is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing, caring for, and placing homeless dogs and cats. RAGOM is a nonprofit operating in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota that rescues Golden Retrievers. Andresen said Chuck & Don’s work closely with both groups to hold in-store adoption events.

Chuck & Don’s customers donated $26,657 during the 2008 Holiday Paw Print campaign. In addition, Chuck & Don’s stores provided a 25 percent matching grant for a total of $33,321, which was split evenly between the two organizations. Checks were presented to Second Chance and RAGOM on Feb. 24 at Chuck & Don’s corporate office in Mahtomedi.