Beare Garden receives PetsSmart grant

SNOW HILL — Beare Garden Animal Rescue has received a $9,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to help prepare more pets in eastern North Carolina for adoption.

Based in Greene County, the rescue is using the grant award to fund a new part-time position to expand adoption room hours and help connect pets with potential adopters in PetSmart’s Greenville store. The goal is to increase the number of cats adopted.

“This grant is increasing our capacity to save lives by providing more opportunites for our cats to be adopted,” said Holly Winkler, who serves on the board of directors for Beare Garden Animal Rescue. “The number of homeless animals in our region is overwhelming. We are often contacted by public shelters asking us to take healthy pets who would be put down due to lack of space. Every cat adopted opens a spot to rescue one more cat from euthanasia or abandonment.”

Some 4 million pets find themselves in U.S. shelters each year.

“Shelters across the U.S. are struggling to keep pace with the number of animals coming in and need support from their communities to bring pets and people together,” said Heidi Marston, director of pet placement at PetSmart Charities. “We’re proud to support Beare Garden Animal Rescue and the essential work they do to care and advocate for the animals that come through their door in need of loving families.”

Beare Garden Animal Rescue will bring adoptable pets to PetSmart, 600 Greenville Blvd., in support of National Adoption Week, taking place March 18-24.