• by Tanya Gazdik , December 7, 2011

Purina ONE has launched two new initiatives to benefit shelter pets.

Beginning this week, QR code stickers will appear on the front of Purina ONE dry cat food packages. For each person who scans the code, Purina ONE will donate $1 to feed shelter pets, up to $30,000.

The St. Louis-based company also is hosting a Facebook promotion, "Bowl-by-Bowl," which allows users to take quick, four-question quizzes that challenge negative perceptions of shelter pets and aims to inspire pet adoption. For each completed quiz, Purina ONE will donate one bowl of food to a shelter in need.

The QR code sticker is on 3.5-pound and 7-pound bags of Purina ONE SmartBlend dry cat food in Salmon & Tuna and Chicken & Rice varieties. The donation will go toward feeding shelter cats within the Purina ONE network of shelters. Information on the shelter network can be found at www.purinaone.com.

The Bowl-by-Bowl program aims to reach 10,000 donated bowls of food each month, but the goal amount can vary. On select months, when this goal is reached, a "kicker" will be unlocked.

The kicker will provide a unique donation for a shelter that goes beyond food or money, such as providing a professional photographer to take pictures of the pets for the shelter's Web site, which can dramatically increase the chance for adoption. The goal restarts and a new shelter is chosen from the Purina ONE network of shelters each month.

The company’s Shelter Pet Program began in 2008, and since then, more than 2 million pounds of Purina ONE pet food have been donated to more than 200,000 homeless pets across the nation.

Shelters that benefit from the program are nationwide and include: the Humane Society of Missouri, The Animal Protective Association of Missouri, The Humane Society of Broward County, The Humane Society of Greater Miami, The Jacksonville Humane Society, North Shore Animal League America, The Animal Humane Society, The Humane Society of Boulder Valley The San Francisco SPCA, Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation, The Atlanta Humane Society, SPCA Serving Erie County and the Michigan Humane Society.