Petey’s Promise announced today its first annual “Petey’s Promise Pet Awareness” Commercial Contest sponsored by Wiley X Eyewear®.

The contest is open to all University of North Carolina at Charlotte students, and will consist of one 30-second commercial promoting Petey’s Promise and responsible pet ownership and awareness.

“We are really excited about this opportunity to see what the creative and fresh minds of the UNC Charlotte students produce,” said Liz Mellott, president and founder of Petey’s Promise.

“Initially, we are opening this up to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte students. Hopefully we will encourage other Nationwide colleges to participate and promote the need for pet food banks across the Country in the future.”

The contest will be held on the Petey’s Promise page on the online social media site YouTube.com (www.youtube.com/peteyspromise). Voters of all ages will be encouraged to log onto the page and vote for their favorite submission.

Petey’s Promise will not limit the total number of entries. However, the starting top 50 commercials to be considered for voting will be selected solely by the Petey’s Promise team. Public voting will begin April 5th, 2010, with eliminations announced in the following order until the Grand Prize winner is announced. The top 50 will be posted April 5^th, the top 25 announced April 12^th, top 10 April 19^th, top five April 26^th, and the Grand Prize team will be announced Monday, May 3^rd.

Contest teams may consist of one to four people (not including pets), and entrants should be between 18-24 years of age. Send submissions to peteyspromise@gmail.com from March 8th-26^th via YouSendIt.com. Please, legitimate entries only!

The Grand Prize team will receive two men’s and two women’s pieces of Wiley X custom eyewear, along with other contributions from local vendors, such as Foster’s Grille of Concord, NC. Wiley X Eyewear®, a leading provider of protective eyewear systems, offers a full range of high-performance protective eyewear products which has lead to increased brand recognition and growing use among enthusiasts of a wide variety of demanding outdoor sports and activities, including boating, fishing, motorcycle riding, mountain biking, rock climbing and more. For further information about Wiley X or to view its product line, please log onto www.wileyx.com.

Petey’s Promise, Provisions for Pets in Need, is a 501c3 non-profit that provides pet food and supplies for pet owners in the Greater Carolina area who require assistance to care for their beloved animals, versus having to surrender them to a shelter or foster home. For further information regarding Petey’s Promise or the contest please log onto www.peteyspromise.org or email us at peteyspromise@gmail.com.

Published: June 29, 2009

CONCORD — Sharon Carmichael was not sure if the trip from her home in Kannapolis to Foster’s Grille in Concord on Saturday would be worth it to receive free pet food.

“Because of the gas (prices) and (being) unemployed, I am on limited funds,” Carmichael said. “But it was well worth it.”

At the first mobile pet food drive for Petey’s Promise at Foster’s Grille, Carmichael received four three-pound bags of dog food, one bag of treatment for her dog’s dry skin and three bags of treats.

Carmichael is just the type of person Petey’s Promise was hoping to serve. The group started last July as a way to provide temporary food and pet-care items for pet owners who are having difficulty doing so.

“They don’t have to be unemployed,” said Liz Mellott, founder of Petey’s Promise. “All costs are going up, and if you need help to stretch your budget, that’s all we need (to know).”

Mellott started the group after reading about pets being abandoned by their owners. When she tried to donate to a pet food bank, she found there were not any and decided to create her own. She named the group after her rescued dog, Petey.

Since July 15, 2008, Petey’s Promise has fed 684 pets. At the first mobile food drive on Saturday, it fed 44 pets.

“We are tickled to death because that’s a lot of animals we fed,” Mellott said.

The group also benefited from having the drive at Foster’s Grille. The restaurant said it would donate 10 percent of the business proceeds on Saturday between 1 and 4 p.m.

Outside of the restaurant, Petey’s Promise had free pet toys, treats, cat litter, training spray, collars and other items it has received from donors.

Those who attended the mobile food drive were not only surprised by the items Petey’s Promise had available but also the amount of food they received.

“I was thinking we’d get a bag of dog food,” said Holly Mills, of Charlotte, who owns six rescued pets. “The amount (of food) and the generosity are awesome.”

Mills picked up cat food, litter, toys and treats. At a time when she and her husband are out of work, receiving these items for free helped.

“The last thing you think about when you lose your job is feeding your animals,” Mills said.

Mills said one of her dogs has an ear infection, and she has been unable to take the dog to the vet. Now, Mills thinks she will be able to do so with the money she saved.

Carmichael said she spent months putting off her dog, Zip’s, haircut and finally had to spend the $45 for it. Saving at least $70 on pet food made up for that expense, she said.

Those who received the food said they were grateful and expressed a desire to either donate what they could on Saturday to Petey’s Promise or promised to help in the future.

“I’ve never heard of anybody giving away food for pets,” said Bernetta Wright, of Kannapolis. “As soon as I’m able, I’m going to give back to these people.”

Saturday, June 27, 2009
1:00pm – 4:00pm

Foster’s Grille
8520 Pit Stop Ct.
Concord, NC

Click here for a map to Foster’s Grille.

Those in need of pet supplies can come and fill out an application on-site to receive free food and supplies, or download an application prior to the event at www.peteyspromise.org/apply-now and bring it with you.

For information on how you can help, please email us at peteyspromise@gmail.com.

Organizers of a drive to provide pet food for owners who can’t afford to feed their dogs and cats have announced four sites where the food can be picked up.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control Services are teaming in this effort, which also includes an effort to get pet food and financial contributions from the public.

In addition, Harrisburg-based Petey’s Promise offers help to pet owners who are facing the same problem.

Officials say the number of pets being turned in at the Mecklenburg County animal shelter is growing, as the economy continues to worsen.

Pet owners who request boxes of food will have to show proof of need, say officials of the Second Harvest Pet Food Bank.

Donors are asked to drop off bags that are 4 or 5 pounds or smaller. Those fit in the boxes being used by organizers of the Pet Food Bank. But larger bags also are welcome, they say.

Here are the pet food pickup sites:

Community Outreach, 1800 Brewton Drive. 704-333-4280. 9:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Contact Gwen or Blease Turner.

Abundant Life Child Development Center, 512 West 32nd Street. 704-375-0568. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. Contact Veronica Alexander.

Harbor Baptist Church, 5801 Old Concord Road. 704-596-2992. 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays except Mondays. Contact Heath Spivey.

C.U.P. Ministry, 1201 East 36th Street. 704-331-4806. 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Contact David Godwin.

Here is where food can be donated:

CMPD Animal Care & Control, 8315 Byrum Drive, Charlotte.

Second Harvest Food Bank, 500-B Spratt Street, Charlotte.

Financial donations should be sent to CMPD Animal Care & Control, and made payable to “Pet Food Bank Donation.”

Petey’s Promise

This organization, headed by Elizabeth Mellott, provides food for pet owners who are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot afford to buy food and other supplies for their pets. Petey’s Promise also is seeking financial help from the community.

Pet owners in need can contact the agency and set up an appointment. For details, check www.peteyspromise.org, or call 704-654-9231.

Here’s the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

Please help us save the world one four-legged friend at a time by searching and shopping!

Best Wishes,
Liz and Petey

Petey’s Promise
PO Box 91
Harrisburg, NC 28075

or you can click here to donate via PayPal.

UPDATE: There is an item that we forgot to put on our wishlist – stamps. We need both 42¢ and 27¢ postcard stamps. Don’t have time to run out to the post office to purchase and mail them yourself? Just visit our secure PayPal page and donate the money instead!

For more information, please visit us at www.peteyspromise.org.

Madison is an 11-year-old American Short Haired cat that was rescued by Sara at just a few days old.

We know not everyone can donate a lot but we will accept your time or services as well as any penny you can spare.
Thank you!
Sara & Madison

If you are in need of assistance, please download our application and apply for temporary relief today.

Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege. -John D. Rockefeller Jr.

National Speed Sport News staffer Liz Mellott saw a need and started a new charity, “Petey’s Promise,” a pet-food pantry that is intent on helping pet owners who are struggling financially care for their pets. Fellow NSSN staffer Sara Barkman and NSSN Publisher Corinne Economaki serve on the non-profit organization’s board. Petey’s Promise was featured in a local news article published by the Concord (N.C.) Independent-Tribune. Read the Independent-Tribune’s article by clicking here and visit www.peteyspromise.org for more information.

• Visit National Speed Sport News at www.nationalspeedsportnews.com for up-to-date racing news!

Standing in the lobby of National Speed Sport News on Hudspeth Road, Liz Mellott can’t help but smile as her dog Petey nestles at her side.

Mellott loves Petey, and considers him a part of her family.

In October 2004, when her son’s gymnastics team was returning from a competition, a driver noticed five dogs on the side of Interstate 85. The driver loaded the dogs into the van and continued home, where he asked parents if they would be willing to foster the dogs until permanent homes could be found.

“I got down on my knees and he came and laid right across my lap,” Mellott recalled. “Of course I took him home. He’s actually a foster dog that I’ve never given back.”

Mellott, who admits to involving herself in a number of different charities, recently started pondering the idea of creating her own nonprofit to help animals.

“I was reading some articles about food pantries having to stock pet food because of the housing shortage,” she said.

Always one to help, especially where animals are involved, Mellott began researching local pet food banks, only to find that the nearest such facility was in Winston Salem.

From that dilemma, Petey’s Promise was born.

“It really came out of need for the community,” Mellott said. “I want to serve Charlotte and Concord, and eventually take it statewide.”

She said in a struggling economy, many families are having to make sacrifices and sometimes feel they have to give up their pets to make ends meet.

“Everybody loves animals,” she said. “We’re at the point where people are having to give them up and that’s not fair.”

The idea behind Petey’s Promise is to collect pet food and supplies and distribute them to families in need.

The group has set up a Web site, https://www.peteyspromise.org, that will eventually include an application process for those in need of a little extra help with food and supplies.

Mellott said she hopes to be able to help those in need provide the necessary food and supplies for up to six months at a time.

Sara Barkman, a Petey’s Promise board member, said the group is planning a kickoff event in mid-August.

“Lunch has gone to the dogs” is an event where Petey’s Promise volunteers will encourage people to bring a brown bag lunch to work on Aug. 20 and donate the money saved to Petey’s Promise.

Instead of monetary donations, Barkman said, some may choose to purchase food or other treats to donate.

“We’ll take whatever somebody wants to offer,” she said.

Mellott and Barkman are planning an official kickoff event for Petey’s Promise sometime in September.

While it’s still early in the process, the two admit to already having learned a great deal about running a nonprofit.

“I felt for sure I could just come in one day and give away food,” Mellott said with a laugh.

“It’s a learning experience for us,” Barkman added. “We’re learning as we go.”

• Contact Jonathan E. Coleman at 704-789-9105.