Few things in life bring as much joy to a home as a beloved pet. Plant City’s Tractor Supply is hoping to help spread that goodwill all month long with its Out Here With Animals event.
Held throughout the month of August, OHWA will feature a pet supply drive, animal adoptions and more to help local rescues and shelters. Chris Black, team member at Tractor Supply, said the event is great at bringing attention to the animals in need in the Plant City community.
“We like to bring attention to our local rescues,” Black said. “There are so many throughout the state and the county and people sometimes don’t realize there are rescues, some really great organizations, here in our own back yard.”
If there is ever a need, Tractor Supply has stepped up to the plate. For years it has hosted the Paws event, the predecessor of the OHWA, to help connect community members to animals.
The pet supply drive runs all month long and customers can drop off new sealed food, toys, cleaning supplies, beds, scratching posts and more at the store and they will then be donated to local rescues and shelters.
Shoppers can also enjoy special discounts on premium pet and animal products and brands. Items ranging from treats to Purina Feed will be on promotion for the event.
Tractor Supply is also bringing back its Rescue Your Rescue operation, where customers will be able to nominate their favorite U.S. nonprofit animal shelters or rescue group to win money. The nominations are through the Tractor Supply Facebook page and the organizations are given a chance to win a portion of $25,000 in the contest.
Once the nominations are in, Tractor Supply selects the 10 shelters customers can vote on from until Aug. 19. While all of the top 10 rescues will win grant money, the rescue with the most votes will receive a top grant prize of $10,000.
The month-long celebration cumulates on Aug. 25 with a large pet adoption event. Several local rescues will be on site with their furry friends strewn among the halls of the store for families to meet. The rescues will feature everything from cats and dogs to dwarf goats. Black said they plan to host the adoption event inside to give the animals a break from the summer heat.
If anyone is interested in taking home a furry companion they should bring proof of identification and residence. If they have other animals they should also include proof of vaccinations.