(PRESS RELEASE) In 1996, West Paw began manufacturing eco-friendly pet products in the community of Livingston, MT; the flooding of the Yellowstone River recently harmed the town.
The significant damage caused by the flooding in southwestern Montana has affected all of us. In fact, many West Paw’s employees still live in Livingston and commute 30 minutes every day to work at West Paw’s facility in Bozeman.
For many of the staff at West Paw, the news of Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston sustaining significant damage due to the flooding has created an overwhelming desire and a feeling of urgency to provide help in whatever way possible. As part of West Paw’s Giving program, the team has developed a few ways to create an impact along with their fellow Montanans:
Ways West Paw is supporting Flood Relief in the affected area:
1. Additional Volunteer Paid Time Off (PTO) Hours: All employees will receive an additional nine hours of volunteer PTO to help specifically with flood relief. This will be in addition to the normal eight volunteer PTO hours.
2. Donation Match to Stafford Animal Shelter: To help meet the financial needs of the Stafford Animal Shelter, which received significant damage to its building, West Paw is increasing company matching funds to $90 for donations made to Stafford Animal Shelter during this time of critical need.
3. Other Ways West Paw is Helping: West Paw’s Sales & Customer Experience teams have reached out to affected customers and other shelters in the area to offer our support. Social media posts were made requesting support for the Stafford Animal Shelter. West Paw’s team members have joined the on-call volunteer list through Montana 211. Human Resources has reached out to team members who live near impacted areas to confirm safety and provide resources.
West Paw plans on making more financial contributions commitments in the weeks ahead, so please follow their social media pages for more information. Please visit their Facebook page for an updated list of needs from the @stafford_animal_shelter.
About West Paw
Since 1996, West Paw has been manufacturing safe, durable and eco-friendly pet toys and beds in Montana. West Paw is a founding member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, a certified B Corp and Montana’s first Benefit Corporation. For more information, please visit www.WestPaw.com
About Stafford Animal Shelter
Stafford Animal Shelter is a no-kill, open-door shelter that accepts all pets in need regardless of age, species, breed, or medical condition. We have no length of stay restrictions so animals are welcome with us until they find their forever homes. We accept every pet in need: abandoned or homeless, unwanted litters from unspayed and unneutered animals, and those confiscated by control officers for cruelty. The only nonprofit animal care facility in Park County, we serve the people and pets of the greater Southwestern Montana community including Gallatin, Sweet Grass, Stillwater, Meagher, Fergus counties, and beyond. As the only Shelter in the region that accepts all lost or unwanted pets; not just dogs and cats, we have a “Zoo” where we can care for a wide range of pets from exotics to rodents to birds to small mammals. We also serve as the care facility for animals running at large, cruelty cases, and emergencies by city and county animal control officers. Of all the animals we take in approximately half are reclaimed and half are adopted. Every adoptable cat, dog, kitten, and puppy is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, and microchipped prior to adoption.