Premiering July
15 for Coral Reef Awareness Week, the series highlights the
global Sheba Hope
Grows™ program, supporting coral restoration
across 11 countries
FRANKLIN, Tenn., July 15,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their longtime
commitment to supporting the restoration of coral reefs around the
globe, SHEBA® premium cat food, proudly part of the Mars
family of brands, is releasing a new video series today — the first
day of Coral Reef Awareness Week — called "Growing Hope in
Hawaiʻi," starring Hawaiian-born actress Auliʻi Cravalho. The
series follows the cat mom and ocean advocate back home in Hawaiʻi,
catching up with fellow SHEBA brand partner, Kuleana Coral Reefs, a
nonprofit organization helping to restore and protect Hawaiʻi's
coral reefs and native ecosystem. Together, they highlight how
important coral reefs are to the Hawaiian culture and how working
to preserve them represents a vital step towards ensuring our
oceans have more fish for the future. The importance of coral reefs
cannot be underestimated. While they take up less than 0.1% of the
ocean floor, they are depended on by 25% of all marine species, and
one billion people worldwide rely on them for their livelihood and
protection1.
Growing Hope in Hawaiʻi
"Growing Hope in Hawaiʻi" will show viewers over three episodes
why healthy coral reefs are important to the Hawaiian environment,
culture and local communities, the impactful work that Kuleana is
doing to restore their local reefs, and the scalable solutions Mars
has created to drive impact globally through its Sheba Hope
Grows™ program. The first episode dropped today on the SHEBA
brand's social channels and SHEBA.com/Sustainability, with the next
two following throughout the rest of Coral Reef Awareness Week.
"I've always had a strong love and respect for the ocean,
growing up in Hawaiʻi. It's what truly connects us across the
world, and I was raised to understand that we are the stewards of
our natural world and need to protect it," said Cravalho. "After
working with the SHEBA brand and Kuleana Coral Reefs last year, I
was moved to pursue getting my scuba certification, so that I can
spend more time enjoying the beauty of the ocean and continue to
learn more about how we can help preserve our reefs. I am certain
that this second year of our partnership will continue to inspire
people that there is hope. The SHEBA brand has implemented scalable
solutions for coral reef restoration and is driving momentum toward
a plentiful, sustainable fish population for years to come,
especially in my Hawaiian home."
Over the last two years, the SHEBA brand has donated
$1 million to Kuleana to support
their efforts to restore damaged coral reefs around Hawaiʻi. The
SHEBA brand and Kuleana's joint efforts to regrow coral are vital
to the marine ecosystems and biodiversity in Hawaiʻi, while also
benefiting the local people and communities. Healthier coral means
more fish and vibrant beauty across the reefs, which can help
support local fishers tourism and businesses on the islands.
"Meaningful support from the SHEBA brand has helped us expand
our impact and operations across the archipelago of Hawaiʻi," said
Kapono Kaluhiokalani, Co-Founder and
Director of Outreach at Kuleana Coral Reefs. "Our collaboration has
also helped with training efforts, safety equipment purchases and
community outreach. We're grateful to work with a partner who
shares our goals of restoring abundant reef ecosystems and
inspiring others that there's hope to preserve Hawaiʻi's coral
reefs for current and future generations."
Growing Hope Globally
The partnership with Kuleana is part of the brand's global Sheba
Hope Grows™ program, which currently has 63 restoration sites in 11
countries — an increase from 30 sites in 10 countries over the past
year — across five continents, including the iconic Great Barrier
Reef, Mexico and Kenya.
"While we know cats love fish, we also recognize that we have a
responsibility to minimize our impact on the planet, which is why
we're so proud of the global impact our Sheba Hope Grows™ program
is making," said Jean-Paul Jansen,
Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Pet Nutrition North America. "Through
this program, we work with expert partners across the globe who
share our dedication to restoring coral reefs, like Kuleana in
Hawaiʻi, to combat the devastation that reefs are facing."
Over the last 30 years, the world's reefs have lost 50% of their
coral cover due to devastating factors like climate change, land
use changes, destructive fishing practices and water
pollution1, so drastic interventions are needed now.
That's why Mars spent more than a decade developing and
implementing a holistic approach to coral reef restoration called
MARRS: Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System. The hero of this
approach is the reef stars, hexagonal structures planted in webs
across large areas of dead coral, providing a strong platform for
new coral to grow within a few years. The new coral can eventually
grow to cover the reef stars, which become fully integrated into
the reef and create new habitats for marine life, encouraging the
settlement of more native corals and bringing the entire reef back
to life.
Globally so far, Mars and its partners through the Sheba Hope
Grows™ program have planted more than 90,000 reef stars across
their 63 sites in 11 countries, restoring 112,000 square meters
(1.2 million square feet) of reefs. Kuleana hopes to implement the
reef star technology in Hawaiʻi to see the positive impact they
could have on their local reefs.
To help rally awareness and support for coral reef restoration,
the SHEBA brand released a limited-edition, 24-count variety pack,
featuring artwork of a healthy coral reef on the box and a QR code
to learn more about the brand's commitment to coral restoration. As
cat parents purchase this variety pack, they are playing an
important role in supporting the brand's global mission to restore
coral reefs around the world, including the Kuleana partnership in
Hawaiʻi.
To learn more about the brand's commitment to coral reef
restoration, watch "Growing Hope in Hawaiʻi" and purchase the
limited-edition variety pack, visit
SHEBA.com/Sustainability and follow the brand on Instagram,
TikTok and Facebook.
About the SHEBA® Brand
The SHEBA® brand knows that cat owners love cats for
their independent spirits, individual personalities and discerning
palates. That's why the SHEBA brand puts cats at the heart of
everything it does, creating premium recipes designed to entice
cats' unique tastes and desires with irresistible real meat, fish
or poultry and no artificial flavors. The SHEBA brand appreciates
the relationship between cats and their owners and uses that
understanding to celebrate and fuel their unique bond. Look for
SHEBA premium cat and kitten food and cat treats at retailers
nationwide. For more information, visit www.sheba.com.
About Mars Petcare
Part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more
than a century of history making diverse products and offering
services for people and the pets people love, the 85,000 Associates
across 50+ countries in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose:
A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. With 85 years of experience, our
portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs
of the world's pets – including brands PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, ROYAL
CANIN®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA®, CESAR®, IAMS™ and EUKANUBA™, as
well as the Waltham Petcare Science Institute that has advanced
research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years.
Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through
an international network of over 2,000 pet hospitals and diagnostic
services including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™, Linnaeus, AniCura
and Antech. We're also active in innovation and technology for
pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic health screening and DNA testing
for dogs, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO
accelerator and COMPANION FUND programs that drive innovation and
disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business and
guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to
fight for what we believe in – and we choose to fight for our
Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.
About Kuleana Coral
Kuleana Coral Restoration is a group of fishermen, surfers, and
ocean advocates working to restore, protect, and monitor Hawaiian
coral reefs using modern science and indigenous management
techniques. Guided by the knowledge of coastal communities and our
kuleana (responsibility) to the ocean, the nonprofit organization
develops scalable restoration methods unique to Hawai'i to sustain
what sustains us: the reef. To learn more or donate visit
www.kuleanacoral.org.
CONTACTS:
Jonathan E.
Bayless
Mars Petcare
Jonathan.Bayless@effem.com
Jaime Castile
Weber Shandwick
jcastile@webershandwick.com
1 The Journey to a Million Corals 2023 Impact
Report
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SOURCE The SHEBA® Brand