WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 3, 2026--
Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT), (NASDAQ: CENTA), a leading consumer goods company in the pet and garden industries, is deepening its commitment to local wildlife care and conservation through its support of Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek. By combining employee volunteer efforts with in-kind donations and a $50,000 contribution toward Lindsay’s new aviary expansion project, Central is helping strengthen the organization’s capacity to rehabilitate native animals and engage the community in environmental education.
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As part of this collaboration, Central employees participated in a volunteer day at Lindsay Wildlife Experience, contributing hands-on support to facility upkeep, habitat maintenance, and enrichment activities.
Central’s portfolio of leading brands also provided in-kind donations to support the daily care of wildlife patients and educational programming. Ferry-Morse contributed native California wildflower seeds for educational activities supporting Lindsay’s summer camp attendees. Kaytee, Zilla, and Aqueon supplied nutrition and care products for wild birds, small animals, and reptiles.
In addition to these efforts, Central is contributing $50,000 toward Lindsay Wildlife Experience’s largest capital project in its 70-year history. The $2 million project includes six new aviaries housing seven raptor birds, children’s play structures, and expanded educational opportunities, with completion expected by October 31, 2026.
“Supporting organizations like Lindsay Wildlife Experience aligns closely with our purpose of nurturing happy and healthy homes—for people and the animals they care about,” said Niko Lahanas, CEO of Central Garden & Pet, who grew up going on field trips to Lindsay Wildlife Experience. “By combining our employees’ time and passion with the resources of our brands, we’re proud to play a role in advancing wildlife conservation and education in our own backyard.”
“We’re incredibly grateful for Central Garden & Pet’s generous support and hands-on involvement,” said John Calender of Lindsay Wildlife Experience. “From the volunteer efforts to the thoughtful product donations, and Central’s $50,000 Falcon donor contribution toward our new aviaries project, this partnership directly enhances our ability to care for injured and orphaned wildlife while educating our community about the importance of protecting native species.”
About Central Garden & Pet
Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading consumer goods company in the pet and garden industries. Guided by the belief that home is central to life, the company's purpose is to proudly nurture happy and healthy homes. For over 45 years, its innovative and trusted solutions have helped lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier, and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a diversified portfolio of market-leading brands including Amdro®, Aqueon®, Best Bully Sticks®, Cadet®, C&S®, Farnam®, Ferry-Morse®, Kaytee®, Nylabone®, Pennington®, Sevin® and Zoёcon®. With fiscal 2025 net sales of $3.1 billion, the company has strong manufacturing and logistics capabilities supported by a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture that incorporates sustainability. Central is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and employs over 6,000 people, primarily across North America. Visit www.central.com to learn more.
Central Garden & Pet is contributing $50,000 toward Lindsay Wildlife Experience’s largest capital project in its 70-year history.
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, won the Democratic primary in a battleground New Jersey congressional district to take on Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has been absent with an unspecified illness for months.
Bennett’s victory over three other Democrats on Tuesday sets up the state’s premier contest in November, when the party hopes it can flip the onetime Republican stronghold that has proven competitive in recent years. The district includes bedroom communities and farm towns as well as President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club.
Kean’s absence — his last vote was in early March — has supercharged interest in the seat, which Democrats view as key to winning control of the narrowly divided U.S. House. Voters in the 7th District have ousted two incumbents during midterm elections over the past decade.
Addressing supporters in Bridgewater, Bennett called Kean a “coward.”
“You are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,” she said.
In her speech, Bennett referred to “Tom Kean Jr., wherever you are,” drawing applause from supporters. She criticized Kean over his vote for Trump’s tax legislation and his failure to stand up to the president's threat to cut funding for a rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York.
Trump's package of spending and tax cuts expanded the state and local tax deduction. New Jersey has among the highest property taxes in the nation.
The Democrats are leaning into the rising costs of groceries and gasoline caused by the Iran war and Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Bennett built her campaign around her experience as a Navy helicopter pilot as well as around affordability, noting that she drives a no-frills sedan and emphasizing her relatability as a working mom.
Araz Shahinian, a 49-year-old systems developer, said he voted for Bennett, noting he’s worried about the state of politics and rising prices. “She had the more centrist views,” he said.
Bennett's victory comes as Kean, who received Trump’s endorsement, remains out of public view. He did not make any appearances ahead of the primary, and he did not face a challenge for the Republican nomination.
Kean issued a statement on Tuesday saying “I will continue putting our constituents first” and “I am optimistic about the road ahead.”
“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals. I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,” Kean said, without explaining his condition.
Nina Ovryn, a Democratic voter and Bennett supporter who attended her victory party, said she was disappointed by Kean's absence.
“It shines a spotlight on the fact that he’s basically absent in the district and now he’s absent in Congress,” she said.
The district was redrawn after the most recent census to become more favorable to Republicans, but it's gone back and forth in recent years. Kean ousted incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in 2022, who defeated Republican Rep. Leonard Lance in 2018.
Justin Murphy, an attorney from southern New Jersey, won the state’s Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, setting up a fall contest with incumbent Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.
Murphy faces the tall task of becoming the first New Jersey Republican to win a race for Senate in more than five decades — and in a year when control of the chamber is being hotly contested.
Booker was uncontested in Tuesday's Democratic primary and is running for a full third term.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew is seeking a fifth term in southern New Jersey’s 2nd District. He was originally elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party during Trump's first term. Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, New Jersey, won the district's Democratic primary Tuesday.
Dr. Adam Hamawy, a surgeon and Army veteran, won a crowded primary in the heavily Democratic 12th District in central New Jersey, where Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is retiring. He'll face attorney Gregg Mele, who was unchallenged in the GOP primary.
Hamawy shot to prominence with endorsements from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives. Some of his opponents recently began criticizing him over his connection to Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up the United Nations and other New York-area landmarks.
Hamawy was a defense witness in the sheikh's trial but wasn’t accused of wrongdoing. He has condemned violence and distanced himself from the sheikh during the campaign. Abdel-Rahman died in federal prison in 2017.
The Republican primary in New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District was too early to call. Rosie Pino led Tiffany Burress by 366 votes out of 12,702 votes counted. It was unclear how many votes were left to count in Passaic County, where Burress led Pino by 45 percentage points.
The winner will take on first-term Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou. Her margin of victory in 2024 was narrower than her long-serving predecessor, Rep. Bill Pascrell, and coincided with Trump winning a county in the district.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of a Bennett supporter's last name to Nina Ovryn, not Orvyn.
Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
From left, Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, holds her daughter Rosie, alongside her husband Alex Hydrean and daughter Millie during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, hugs attendees during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, hugs an attendee during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Supporters hug during a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Supporters cheer during a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Voting messages are displayed on a car at a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
A worker sets up the stage during a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
A sign directs voters to a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Cherry Hill township, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A person walks from a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Oaklyn, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
FILE - This photo combination shows Democrat candidates for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, from left, Rebecca Bennett, May 30, 2026, in Flemington, N.J., Brian Varela, May 30, 2026, in Sparta, N.J. and Michael Roth, May 31, 2026, in Rahway, N.J. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2019, file photo, New Jersey Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Westfield, addresses reporters in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
