After a Record-Breaking 2022, Adoption Event Aims to Find Homes for Even More Pets This Year

Clear the Shelters helped over 161,000 pets find homes during its nationwide event to promote pet adoption in 2022

Clear the Shelters set a new standard for pet adoptions in 2022, and now the NBCUniversal pet adoption and donation campaign wants to help thousands more pets find homes this year.

The campaign will return for its ninth consecutive year on Aug. 1 and continue until the month's end. During the initiative, NBC and Telemundo-owned and affiliated stations across the county and Puerto Rico will collaborate with local animal shelters and rescues to promote pet adoption and raise money for animal welfare.

Last year, Clear the Shelters set a new record with 161,000 pet adoptions and raised over $540,000. Almost 1,400 shelters and rescues — across every state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam — participated in the 2022 initiative. Since the campaign launched in 2015, more than 860,000 pets have found new homes through Clear the Shelters.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In 2023, Clear the Shelters will include online donations through Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit that hosts the fundraising campaign. Donors can cover transaction fees to ensure their entire donation goes directly to their chosen shelter or rescue. Online donations can be made at ClearTheSheltersFund.org.

WeRescue is also teaming up with Clear the Shelters to offer virtual pet adoptions for the fifth consecutive year. The app helps users look through adorable photos of pets in their area by breed, gender, size, and other factors. Hopeful pet owners can submit applications and communicate with shelters directly through the app. Hill's Pet Nutrition will be the lead national sponsor for the sixth consecutive year.

Related: Family Reunites with Missing Dog at Pet Adoption Event While Looking for New Puppy

"We are proud that Clear The Shelters supports the many outstanding shelters and rescues in our communities that perform the vital work of caring for vulnerable animals, so we are very excited for the campaign's return this August to help them find new homes for animals in need and raise more money to fund their efforts," Meredith McGinn, NBCUniversal Local's executive vice president of diginets & original production, said in a statement.

Clear the Shelters was inspired by a North Texas pet adoption event NBC5/KXAS and Telemundo 39/KXTX hosted in 2014 with area shelters. The event saw a record number of pets adopted in one day in North Texas. NBCUniversal Local took the campaign national the following year.

To learn more about Clear the Shelter and see a list of participating shelters, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.