Heidi and Joel Neal, of Rockland, first purchased the Loyal Biscuit Co. in January of 2009. What was then a single retail location with one employee has since grown to add five additional locations with more than forty employees. The primary focus of the Loyal Biscuit Co. is to not only supply Maine communities with healthy dog and cat supplies, but to provide support to the local animal shelters with donations of healthy pet food, financial support, and promoting the adoption of companion animals.
As the Neal’s celebrated their 10th year of business in 2020, they wanted to be able to provide more funding for nonprofit organizations within the state of Maine. Heidi created the Loyal Biscuit Co. Fenway Fund in 2019, named after her beloved dog and Loyal Biscuit Co logo. Grants are funded by the proceeds of sales within the six Loyal Biscuit retail locations and are awarded bi-annually to 501c3 Maine animal related organizations whose proposals are selected by a committee of Loyal Biscuit Co. employees. The Fenway Fund is a vital way for Loyal Biscuit to support animal welfare within Maine communities by providing seed money for projects that will help better the lives of animals that often fall below funding availability.
Since its beginnings in 2019, Loyal Biscuit Fenway Fund has donated over $75,000 to local organizations.
Last week, the Loyal Biscuit committee selected their seventh round of applicants to receive grant funding for projects they feel best met the criteria of the fund, for a total donation of $5,444.92.
Maine Paws for Veterans, in Topsham, will receive a $500 grant for the creation and publication of a coloring book to help explain their Psychiatric Service Dog Training to children. Their mission is to not only support the veteran, but their family as well. This coloring book will be available to families, as well as used to help educate children about service dogs through public outreach.
Pope Memorial Humane Society, in Thomaston, will receive $3,030.52 for the installation of stall mats for their outside Dog Pavilion. The project will provide a safe space for shelter dogs to get exercise, training and enrichment outside while waiting to be adopted. The current floor is concrete and has proven to be unsafe for dogs to play on, especially when wet. The mats will help ensure the safety of the dogs with a solid, uniform floor covering for them to be on.
PAWS Animal Adoption Center, in Camden, will receive a grant for $1,914.92 for an Otoscope and Microscope for the PAWS Cares Community Veterinary Clinic. PAWS has expanded their community wellness initiative into a new Community Vet Clinic that provides veterinary care to pet owners who are struggling or cannot afford to see a private veterinarian. In addition to providing care to the community, they also use their medical center to help other Maine shelters care for animals waiting to be adopted.
“I am so proud of our Fenway Fund committee for the great selections they made in this round of funding from our program,” said Neal. “The projects these rescue organizations are doing to better the lives of animals in our communities are amazing and I love that we get to be a part of it.”
“Giving back to our communities has always been a priority of ours since the day we started and to now be able to grant these funds to some pretty amazing organizations is such a great feeling,” she said. “We honestly have the best customers because none of this would be possible without them.”
The application process for the Fenway Fund will re-open again in July 2023 for any 501c3 Maine animal related organizations. For more information or questions about the Fenway Fund application process, please contact heidi@loyalbiscuit.com.
The Loyal Biscuit Co. is an award-winning pet supply store with locations at 180 Front St, Bath; Reny’s Plaza, 1 Belmont Avenue, Belfast; Hannaford Shopping Plaza, 421 Wilson Street, Brewer; US Route 1, Camden-Rockport; 408 Main Street, Rockland; and 109 Main Street, Waterville. You can find the LBC online at loyalbiscuit.com or facebook.com/loyalbiscuit.
