Barstool Sports' Portnoy Makes Surprise Donation To South Jersey Animal Rescue

OCEAN VIEW, NJ — A South Jersey animal rescue is receiving a much-needed donation from none other than Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy.

Beacon Animal Rescue, the nonprofit, volunteer-based animal rescue serving Cape May and Atlantic counties, received a surprise phone call from Portnoy on Wednesday, vowing to help the organization.

One of Beacon’s volunteers, Jillian Shoffler, a special education teacher in Upper Township, conceived the idea of reaching out to Portnoy.

“I decided to write a letter to Dave on behalf of Beacon explaining our needed repair and figured asking for a donation of any amount was worth a shot. The worst he could say was no,” Shoffler said. “I had no idea if he would be interested in donating to Beacon, but knew I had nothing to lose by contacting him.”

Portnoy, along with his own rescue dog Miss Peaches, surprised Shoffler yesterday with a Facetime call. Portnoy said that after he received Shoffler’s letter explaining Beacon’s situation, that he “did the research on Beacon” and noted that the organization has been around for a long time and does “a great job.”

The call was recorded and has been going viral on Beacon and Barstool Sports’ social media
channels (click here to watch the video). Beacon’s Executive Director Ryan Parker, who was aware that a letter was being sent to Portnoy, said that everyone at the rescue has been stunned by both Portnoy’s generosity and the feedback that Beacon is getting on social media, such as likes and shares, more followers and even additional donations.

“We are super excited and exceedingly grateful to Mr. Portnoy for helping Beacon Animal Rescue,” Parker said. “His response to our letter is already helping in ways we couldn’t even imagine.”

A new septic system should be up-and-running by early June, allowing Beacon Animal Rescue to once again take in dogs and cats and find loving homes for each.

“We were already planning to do whatever we could to fix the situation,” Parker said. “However, gaining the help of Mr. Portnoy and Miss Peaches is a blessing beyond our wildest dreams.”