Showing Up to Save Our Community

MOMMY BLOGGER

Showing Up to Save Our Community

KIMBERLY RAE MILLER

WRITER

Independent businesses give our communities a sense of place

My community is changing. Housing prices are burgeoning on the absurd. There are more drugstores and banks now than we could ever need or want. And the small shops that make up the backbone of our neighborhood are struggling. Many of the stores that made it through the most dramatic days of the pandemic are now closing due to staff shortages, the high cost of upkeep, or supply chain issues. The small family grocer near the middle school that the kids walk to for snacks, the Italian grocer that sells homemade pasta and seems to have an endless supply of fresh nougat, the local shop that sells produce from the farm down the block from my house – these aren’t just places we stop to pick up apple juice and ground beef, these stores have been the backbone of our community for as long as I’ve lived here. They sponsor sports teams and school functions, keep the local food pantry stocked, join us for holiday services and offer their grandkids up as babysitters. Shopping local has an intimacy; the people who own and work at these small, independent shops also live here. They get to know the community and its needs. When my husband mentioned to the owner of the market down the road that he was originally from Tel Aviv, a few weeks later, we were met with a small stash of Israeli snacks in the specialty aisle. Do I need to buy Bamba and Bissli each week? No, but I do because I will always support the places that go that extra mile for my family. The shops and markets surrounding our area represent the communities and values of the people who live here. And like our community, they have weathered the last few years with uncertainty but a hopeful resolve to keep going. And when things are more uncertain than they are hopeful, I have seen miracles happen – businesses that closed only to be resurrected by the community. A community made of people who donated their time and money to keep the small businesses that make up our town going. Not just customers but investors, contractors, fellow business owners, and local politicians. People remember the conversations at the butcher’s counter, the specialty orders, and impromptu produce-picking lessons. We may be one of any number of customers you see each day, but those moments are special for us. And those moments are worth showing up. ■

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SUPPLIER PERSPECTIVES PET SPECIALTY

Turning Empathy into Action for Domestic Abuse Survivors with Pets Purina’s Purple Leash® Project

By Nina Leigh Krueger, President and CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare

For several years now, Purina’s purpose of enriching the lives of pets and the people who love them has been brought to life through our Purple Leash Project program, which is helping domesti c violence shelters across the country become pet friendly. While we have always believed that pets and people are bett er together, it has never been truer than for victi ms of domesti c abuse and their beloved pets. Not only does domesti c abuse impact one-third of women and a quarter of men in this country, but for victi ms with pets, leaving is made even more diffi cult by the fact that only 15% of shelters allow pets.

We believe that we can help change that.

Perhaps like many of you, I hadn’t spent much ti me internalizing the issue of domesti c violence before Purina started doing work in the space. And while I have been sheltered from the realiti es of abuse in many ways throughout my life, the more I’ve learned, the more I’ve realized that domesti c abuse is far too oft en a story that isn’t told. That is all the more reason why lending our voices and brands to shine a light on this issue through the Purple Leash Project has been so inspiring to me, and I’ve been humbled by the willingness of our retail partners to support this work.

Together, we are making a diff erence.

What started nearly a decade ago as a phone call to see how Purina could help a single domesti c violence shelter become pet friendly has evolved into a mission to change the narrati ve and the domesti c violence survivor services landscape altogether at a nati onal scale. From getti ng hands-on at shelters to make pet-friendly improvements through associate volunteer days to lobbying for federal support for survivors with pets in Washington, D.C., Purina is committ ed to doing more than writi ng checks to make a diff erence. We’re putti ng in work to make real change. And because of your support, and the support of our brands, we’ve helped 30 domesti c violence shelters become pet friendly and donated more than $1 million to the Purple Leash Project fund since creati ng the Purple Leash Project with our nonprofi t partner, RedRover, in 2019.

More survivors and pets are safe today because of this work. This program is saving lives.

The Purple Leash Project is inspiring pet owners to get involved and join us on this mission. In fact, in additi on to the funding Purina provides, consumers have donated more than $400,000 to the Purple Leash Project so far.

But there is more work to do.

There are more doors to open for survivors of domesti c violence with pets, so they can escape abuse and heal together. It is only through the support and advocacy of many that we will conti nue to lead this charge and protect the bond between survivors and their beloved pets. To our partners who have embraced the Purple Leash Project, thank you. And to those who are considering it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Purina sales rep to fi nd out how you can support this initi ati ve during key periods throughout the year with merch programs designed to drive att enti on and awareness of this issue and give your customers a way to get involved by donati ng and purchasing specially marked Purina products.

Purina trademarks are owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. Any other marks are property of their respecti ve owners.