Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation Celebrates 15th Annual Unconditional Love Gala, Honors Cathy Bissell, Dave Portnoy
HAMPTON BAYS, NY – The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) celebrated their honorees Cathy Bissell and Dave Portnoy, with his rescue pup Miss Peaches at the foundation’s 15th Annual Unconditional Love Gala on July 20th, 2024.The Gala delivered an evening of glamor and giving, featuring live entertainment, a gourmet dinner, and a silent auction. Funds raised from the gala directly support the shelter’s efforts to provide medical care, food, shelter, and love to animals in need.
The gala, serving as the premiere fundraising event for the Foundation, plays a vital role in raising essential funds to support SASF’s mission to nurture the bond between humans and companion animals through education, advocacy and adoption.
“We were honored to recognize Cathy Bissell for her lifelong commitment to animal welfare,” said Jordan Lippner, Chair of the Board of Directors at the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. Cathy created BISSELL Pet Foundation in 2011 which has impacted the lives of nearly 750,000 pets and directed over $30 million to shelters and programs to support animal welfare and provide resources to underserved communities.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “This recognition reaffirms the importance of our collective efforts in advocating for animal welfare and is a testament to the lives we have saved. Together, we can continue our critical work to find every pet a loving home.” said Cathy Bissell, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Dave Portnoy, along with his beloved rescue pup Miss Peaches, were honored with the prestigious Animal Welfare Award and SASF Paws of Purpose Award, respectively. “Miss Peaches and I are excited to be a part of this awesome event. Our goal is to find as many loving homes for dogs as sweet as Miss Peaches,” said Dave Portnoy, recipient of the Animal Welfare Award.
The gala, serving as the premiere fundraising event for the Foundation, plays a vital role in raising essential funds to support SASF’s mission to nurture the bond between humans and companion animals through education, advocacy and adoption.
Notable attendees included: Cathy Bissell, Dave Portnoy, Miss Peaches, Jordan Lippner, Brooke Shields, Grier Henchy, Jill Rappaport, Alan Brown, Luisa Diaz, Ramona Singer, Bo Dietl, Bradford Rand, and Jean Shafiroff.
About the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF):
The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of our donors and volunteers to care for the homeless animals in our community and place them in loving forever homes. The number of animals in need of our help is growing every day. The overpopulation of pets on Long Island is a major issue and sadly more amazing animals are ending up homeless. Whether caring for strays found wandering the streets, rescuing neglected and abandoned animals, or saving dogs from the horrors of the puppy mill industry, the shelter is a haven for all animals and for some, the last resort. Without SASF, these animals would not be able to survive. The shelter provides a steppingstone for animals to find loving homes. It offers them housing, food, medical treatment, training, and rehabilitation when necessary.
For additional information, please visit www.sasf.org
About Cathy Bissell:
With 13 years of experience in animal welfare and as the founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation, Cathy Bissell is dedicated to creating solutions for animal welfare organizations and the communities they serve. Cathy oversees the foundation’s day-to-day operations, constantly collaborating with small and large animal shelters in different parts of the country to understand the most pressing challenges and needs and develop programs to make the greatest impact. Cathy’s hands-on approach and lifesaving vision have launched 13 programs that the foundation executes and improves upon to support its growing partner network of more than 6,000+ shelters in all 50 states, impacting nearly 750,000 pets since 2011.
Cathy’s insight into the struggles of shelters and pet owners inspired her to create the groundbreaking Fix the Future™ initiative in 2023 to address the lack of access to veterinary care for both shelters and pet owners. Through the deployment of BPF’s network of more than 160 (and growing) relief veterinarians, the foundation is reducing future shelter intake and solving the access to care crisis for communities across the country.
Additionally, in 2016, Cathy conceived and established the foundation’s Empty the Shelters™ adoption event, which has since become the nation’s largest funded adoption event and has helped to find homes for more than 226,296 pets. BPF’s programs continue to prioritize the original pillars of adoption, spay/neuter and microchipping, while growing to include ground and air transport, crisis and disaster response, community spay/neuter and vaccine clinics, heartworm prevention and treatment, and mentorship programs for shelters.
Not only is Cathy the driving force behind every program, but mindful of every dollar, she also ensures that each gift is maximized to reach the greatest number of pets. Shelters know they can turn to Cathy Bissell and BISSELL Pet Foundation to respond quickly to their concerns when other organizations cannot. Today, Cathy’s own five adopted pets inspire her as daily reminders to continue saving animals until every pet has a home.
For additional information, please visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org
About Dave Portnoy:
Dave Portnoy is the founder and owner of digital media company, Barstool Sports. He is a businessman and social media personality. Barstool Sports has grown into a massive media juggernaut that creates innovative content with massive distribution through his leadership. In February 2024, Dave adopted Miss Peaches which led to an increase in awareness for rescue animals and shelters around the country. Dave’s influence and reach continues to be impactful.
