At Rocky’s, pets get tons of donations

Springfield, Mass.-based Rocky’s Ace Hardware collected more than 4 tons of pet food, along with beds, leashes, treats, toys and cleaning supplies and delivered them to local animal shelters. The final weight of pet food amassed totaled an amazing 8,776 pounds.

Rocky’s is a family-owned business with 32 stores in the Northeast and Florida. Each of the 32 stores partnered with an area Humane Society or Shelter to collect food during the holiday season for the much-forgotten and unfortunate animals in our own community. “The outpouring from our customers was, just in previous years, truly heartwarming. Every year I am taken back by the level of support this drives receives. All of us at Rocky’s extend sincere thanks to our neighbors who gave so generously,” said Rocco Falcone, president and CEO.

“This annual drive gets bigger and better every year. This year’s total was absolutely staggering,” said Geoffrey Webb, director of marketing and advertising. “Last year we were able to donate 6,556 pounds of food plus accessories. This year the extraordinary efforts of our store team members in rallying behind this worthy cause along with the outstanding generosity of our customers resulted in an unprecedented total amount of donations.”

The program supported 30 organizations that provide shelter, veterinary care and comfort for homeless animals in five states. “Besides the enormous increase in food donations, we were also able to pass along much-needed cleaning supplies, feeders, pet crates, leashes and other items as designated by the shelters on their wish lists,” added Webb.

Here is how the program worked: Customers and Rocky’s employees alike made donations of pet food and supplies at their local Rocky’s Ace Hardware store. The store teams also worked closely with their neighborhood shelters to find and collect non-food items the organization needed. The stores collected all donations and drove them to their locally chosen charity. Nutro Pet Foods helped kick-start the program with a donation of $1,500 worth of premium dog and cat food. The drive started in November, and goods were delivered around Christmas.

“The campaign has become an annual tradition here at Rocky’s,” Falcone said. “Our team members often make donations of their own and many volunteer at a neighborhood shelter. All encourage our customers to support the drive. We are honored to be a catalyst in achieving these outstanding results for the homeless and abandoned animals in our communities."