04 August 2023
ZIWI USA, Inc.
10985 Cody St Ste 110
Overland Park, KS 66210
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Royal’s Pitcher Josh Staumont Spearheads Pitch in for Pets Campaign with Kansas City Pet Project, ZIWI, and DubDog
For the 2023 season, Josh Staumont’s Pitch In For Pets initiative will send KC Pet Project’s adopt-a-bullys home with a sWAG Bag sponsored by ZIWI and DubDog. This year’s efforts strive to place a strong focus on KCPP’s long term residents, helping them find their forever homes. As in years past, Staumont’s initiative continues to raise awareness for bully breed dogs, just like the three he and his wife have rescued and welcomed into their family.
“This program is so wonderful because it shines a light on pets in our community that need homes. By highlighting our long-time dogs and bully breeds at the shelter, Pitch in for Pets will create awareness for dogs that have been at the shelter waiting for new families and will ultimately help us save more lives in our community. We appreciate Josh and Angelina Staumont, ZIWI, and DubDog for their support of Kansas City’s pets.” – Tori Fugate, Chief Communications Officer of KC Pet Project
Launching in 2020, Staumont and his wife have teamed up with KC Pet Project annually for the Pitch In For Pets initiative, which strives to address the Kansas City community’s immediate needs and raise awareness for bully breed dogs. In its inaugural season, alongside Royals Charities, the initiative sponsored the adoption of 100 bully breed dogs at KCPP.
Each year, the Staumont’s and KCPP work to identify the most significant need for both the shelter and the KC community. Adapting to the specific needs of KCPP, in 2021 Pitch In For Pets efforts provided the KC community with resources to reunite pets with their owners and keep kennels at KCPP open. Staumont sponsored a drive-thru microchip and vaccination clinic where over 200 dogs received various services such as free microchips, vaccinations, dog tags, food, clothing, and accessories.
Learning from the success of the previous year’s partnership, the 2022 initiative continued to focus on reuniting pets with their owners as the Staumont’s sponsored dog microchipping throughout the MLB season. The Staumont’s frequently volunteered at drive-thru clinics through the KC metro area while also being a ‘Friends Forever’ sponsor at KC Pet Projects Love Finds a Way Gala, in which Dr. Angelina Staumont served on the Celebration’s committee.
Season four of the partnership hopes to have just as much of an impact as the past three. This season, Staumont teamed up with local KC businesses, ZIWI and DubDog. ZIWI will be sending each adopt-a-bully home with their world-famous air-dried recipes and goodies while DubDog is contributing with a custom collar and leash for each pet, redeemable at their Mission, Kansas location.
Josh Staumont added, “While coming up through the Royal’s system, we were introduced to KC Pet Project and knew we wanted to help make a difference whenever we had the opportunity. We have been involved with KCPP since 2019 and have always admired the difference they make in Kansas City’s pet community. It’s very exciting to have entered a fourth season of the Pitch In For Pets initiative alongside KCPP and Royals Charities. Our hope is that we can continue to help pets at KCPP find their fur-ever homes while raising awareness for bully breed dogs, just like our three rescues. We cannot thank KCPP and Royals Charities enough for constantly supporting our efforts and helping us to make event the slightest difference in KC’s pet community.”
ZIWI, a long-term supporter of KCPP, was thrilled to jump into this partnership with the Staumonts, DubDog, and Royals Charities. “With our mission of bringing joy and peace of mind to pets and their guardians, it was clear when Josh approached us, that the Staumonts, and of course the KCPP team, have full alignment in the passion of promotion of animal welfare in the Kansas City area. As the global leaders in air-dried pet nutrition and innovation, being able to introduce these adoptable bully breeds to recipes that will help them live long, happy, and healthy lives, supporting their need for a biologically appropriate diet, was an exciting opportunity for us. To see these bullies get the additional love and support, and the extra boost of an opportunity to find their forever homes is a beautiful thing. We are proud to be a part of this initiative and getting to spread the goodness of ZIWI to more pets and their families.” – Jessica Krueger, Senior Marketing Manager
About ZIWI®
ZIWI is the global leader and innovator of air-dried pet nutrition, with a mission of providing joy and peace of mind to pets and their guardians. They proudly craft air-dried and canned recipes for dogs and cats, as well as treats and chews for dogs - made and sourced in their home of New Zealand. Their award-winning air-dried recipes combine the nutrition found in raw diets with ready-to-serve convenience through ZIWI’s own proprietary Z-TWINTECH® air-drying process. ZIWI’s recipes are ethically and sustainably sourced from New Zealand farmers and fishermen who believe in being kaitiaki (guardians of the land and sea), focusing on the wellbeing and welfare of animals and sustainably farming for generations to come.
About KC Pet Project
KC Pet Project is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that operates the Kansas City Campus for Animal Care, as well as Pet Adoption Centers in the Zona Rosa shopping center and Petco in Overland Park, KS. We care for more than 14,000 animals a year and are a national leader in the animal welfare industry. Through our Animal Services Division, Pet Support Center, lifesaving programs, and 14 locations to adopt in the metro area, KC Pet Project is passionate about building a caring, safe, and humane community for the people and pets of Kansas City and the surrounding region. Learn more at kcpetproject.org.