If you live near Amherst, New York and are looking for a new pet to adopt, you may not have to look any further than your pizza delivery box. The Just Pizza & Wing Co. franchise is decorating their delivery boxes with images and descriptions of eligible pets for adoption from the nearby Niagara Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
Even better than cute puppy pictures, the shop will give a fifty dollar gift card to any customer who adopts one of the featured dogs. The collaboration effort came together almost overnight and has been a huge success. The restaurant, which usually uses about 600 to 800 boxes every week, has already gone through over 500 boxes since last Friday.
The franchise owner, Mary Alloy, got the idea after volunteering at the shelter with her children. She created the fliers with the help of Kimberly LaRussa, an SPCA event coordinator. The franchise has taken on similar fundraising efforts in the past with hospice care, non-profit medical organizations, autism centers, children’s hospitals, and animal shelters throughout Buffalo.
Other local restaurants have taken up the cause as well and are launching similar programs. Last month, we covered a related story about a Florida brewery that features adoptable pets on their cans. Alloy says the shelter will continue the initiative until all the dogs are adopted and plans to launch cat fliers soon as well. This is a great strategy for getting pet publicity right to customers’ dining room tables!
