Toledo Area Humane Society in Ohio Wins North Central Division In 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge

NEW YORK—The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced that Toledo Area Humane Society in Maumee, Ohio has won the North Central division and $20,000 in the 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge. In August, September and October, the shelter adopted or reunited 1,190 pets, an increase of 612 lives saved over the same period last year. The shelter will receive an additional $5,000 for increasing lives saved by more than 300.

"Toledo Area Humane Society held the lead in its division throughout the contest, showing how hard its staff and volunteers worked to save more lives," said Bert Troughton, vice president of community outreach for the ASPCA. "They ran several unique adoption promotions, and bookended their run in the $100K Challenge with mega adoption events at both the beginning and the end of the contest, where they literally emptied the shelter."

All $100K Challenge contestants worked to save more cats and dogs during the months of August, September and October 2012 than they did during the same period in 2011, in order to win a piece of the more than $500,000 in prize grants. The ASPCA and Rachael Ray today awarded the $100,000 grand prize to City of San Antonio Animal Care Services for achieving the greatest increase in lives saved during the three-month period (1,384). The contestant that did the best job of engaging its community members in helping to save more animals – Animal Rescue League Shelter and Wildlife Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. –won $25,000. Twenty other agencies will receive grants of $5,000 or more today for their successes at saving more lives.

All her life, Rachael Ray has been an advocate for animals and a supporter of animal welfare groups. Her love for animals and for her pit bull, Isaboo, inspired her to create a pet food called Nutrish® to raise money for animals in need.  Ray donates 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of Nutrish® to organizations like the ASPCA so they can implement programs like the $100K Challenge and support shelters and animal organizations around the country.

The ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge is a groundbreaking contest that challenges animal shelters across the country to come up with innovative ways to engage their communities and get more homeless cats and dogs into loving homes. For more information about the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, stay tuned to www.aspca.org/100kchallenge for announcements in January 2013.