The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org Donate More Than $300,000 in March to Japanese Animal Rescue

Seattle, WA, April 02, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Visitors to The Animal Rescue Site donated more than $300,000 in March to the current animal rescue efforts in Japan. The funds were distributed weekly after receipt to the Humane Society International (HSI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) by GreaterGood.org, the nonprofit partner of The GreaterGood Network.

"Through the Gifts That Give More™ program at The Animal Rescue Site, we provide online donors with a safe, fast way to give money to the groups who need it the most in times of disaster," said Lisa Halstead, board president of GreaterGood.org. "We disburse emergency funds weekly to give the first responders the flexibility and the support that they need when aiding survivors in a crisis."

GreaterGood.org's unique Gifts That Give More™ program allows 100% tax-deductible contributions to be directed to nonprofit causes or projects selected by the donors. With typical donation levels of $10 to $100 per Gift, the program has generated millions of dollars for more than 80 charities worldwide since its inception. In particular, the program has allowed visitors to The Animal Rescue Site and other GreaterGood Network websites to quickly provide assistance to survivors during such disasters as the Haitian earthquake, the Gulf Coast oil spill, and others.

After putting out the call to donors on March 11 following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, GreaterGood.org was able to send $170,480 to HSI on March 21, followed by donations of $103,810 to HSI on March 28 and $30,000 to IFAW on March 28. A total of $304, 290 has been distributed in less than 18 days after the earthquake struck.

"Gathering supplies and deploying to Japan is no minor expense, and The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org have made possible our swift mobilization," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, HSI's parent entity. "We’re working closely with Japanese partners to provide emergency sheltering, help animals in urgent need, lay the foundation for permanent enhancements to animal care capacity in the devastated zone, and set the stage for policy changes to strengthen animal protection in Japan in the future."

Both HSI and IFAW are working with local animal rescue groups to provide temporary shelter for lost or abandoned animals. They will use the funding from The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org to ship essential supplies to the region (such as food, dog kennels, collars, and bowls), and help coordinate the efforts of Japanese animal welfare groups and other international animal welfare organizations that are working to identify and meet the most urgent and immediate needs of animals affected by the disaster.

"Watching the devastation in Japan from afar, we knew the impact was going to be terrible for people, and we knew animals would need help too," said IFAW's Manager of Disaster Relief, Dick Green. "The swift generosity of The Animal Rescue Site community and GreaterGood.org helped get IFAW here, on the ground in the impacted area, so we can help the animals of Japan."

To see Green and the IFAW team in Japan, and learn more about the need for animal shelters following evacuations, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE0ko4ixQcU.

More On The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org

Each click on the purple "Click Here to Give - it’s FREE" button at The Animal Rescue Site (www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com) provides food and care for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary. Funding for food and care is paid for by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need at shelters supported by the Petfinder Foundation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Fund for Animals’ animal sanctuaries, North Shore Animal League America, Rescue Bank, and other worthy animal care facilities supported by GreaterGood.org. Additional funding for projects comes from the sale of items and the Gifts That Give More™ program at The Animal Rescue Site store.

The independent 501(c)3 GreaterGood.org supports rescue and animal care projects around the world, including contributions of more than $250,000 to the formation of ARCH and subsequent rabies vaccination campaign of 50,000 animals in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake; multiple grants for U.S. shelters that vaccinated 114,485 dogs and 80,944 cats in 2010; and more than $200,000 awarded in the last six months to shelter and rescue groups impacted by the Gulf Coast oil spill; among other projects. For more information, see www.greatergood.org.

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