Many lucky animals in the Chicagoland area will have a very merry holiday season when they are welcomed by their new families during the PAWS Chicago Home for the Holidays. The event is part of a worldwide effort during the holiday season to find homes for pets in need. On three Saturdays: Dec. 3, 10, and 17, from noon to 3 p.m., Chicago-area banks and several PETCO stores will participate by allowing local shelters to showcase adoptable cats and dogs on site.
Participating locations are:
North Community Bank: 742 W. Diversey Ave.; 2800 N. Western Ave.; 1401 W. Belmont Ave.; 3639 N. Broadway; 3180 N. Broadway
Edens Bank: 1700 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago Community Bank: 1800 S. Halsted St.; 47 W. Polk St.
PETCO: 2000 N. Clybourn Ave.; 3046 N. Halsted St.
Each new adoptee will be sent home with a "holiday" meal, donated by Iams Company, and a guidebook for his or her family. Shelters that are joining PAWS Chicago in this year's program are Cats-Are-Purrsons-Too; Furry Friends Foundation; Heartland Animal Shelter; Illinois Cocker and Small Breed Rescue; New Leash on Life Chicago; Precious Pets Almost Home; and Tree House Animal Foundation.
Animal lovers who are unable to adopt a pet can still help by contributing items on wish lists posted at each site. Collection boxes will be available for donations of items before and during the Home for the Holidays events.
"Typically, the holidays are a popular time for the purchase of pets as gifts. By bringing our animals directly into the communities, we hope to encourage the adoption of homeless animals into loving homes," says Paula Fasseas, PAWS Chicago founder and chair. "We also hope to reduce the number of returned 'gift' animals because we screen and prepare people for their new responsibility."
Home for the Holidays is led by the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego and Iams Company. Founded by center President Mike Arms in 1999, the program has completed 878,000 adoptions worldwide. For the past two years, animal advocate Diane Keaton has served as celebrity spokesperson.
For more information about PAWS Chicago, go to www.pawschicago.org.
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