GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Pet Alliance is once again looking to give back to the shelters and rescues that help the organization throughout the year.

The alliance is now accepting applications for its 2023 grants and awards program. The pet alliance said its theme this year is “Better Together.”

The awards and grants recognize the hard work people at shelters do to help the animal population. Michigan Pet Alliance’s chairperson Deborah Schutt said its especially good when a shelter employee thinks outside the box, such as when one worker recently got a call from a woman on her deathbed.

“She told the staff, ‘The only thing I want to do right now is cuddle a cat,’ And that shelter worker, got up, got a cat, and took it to the nursing home. Those are the types of things that we think are way above and beyond, and really of great service to the community. And those are types of things we feel should be awarded and people should know about,” said Schutt.

“I would encourage all the shelters and home-based rescues to apply. The application is as simple as can be, because one full page is just your contact information and things like that. And then there really is just a paragraph or two that you write about the program and the effect that it has. So, it’s a simple application. So the shelter could very well be, or the home-based rescue, $3,000 richer for probably taking about 15 minutes out of their time to fill out an application.”

The categories and awards do include $3,000 for the Better Together Community Outreach Award and $2,000 for the Better Together Creative Programs Award, among others.

For more information and to register, visit the Michigan Pet Alliance website.