Michael Ray Reveals Inspiration Behind Wrigley Cares Charity

When Michael Ray become the proud owner of his rescue dog, Wrigley, he had no idea he would become an outspoken advocate for animals, and animal rescue, but that's exactly what happened. The "One That Got Away" singer partnered with Puma and Zappos For Good to create a one-of-a-kind sneaker, with proceeds benefiting Ray's charity, Wrigley Cares: Helping Animals in Need.

"It feels incredible," Ray shares with PopCulture.com and other media about the ability to give back. "I feel like to me, personally, that's what I'm put on this earth to do, is to help. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for people that helped me and my family. Growing up around first responders, my dad was a paramedic firefighter. My grandfather a volunteer firefighter. My grandmother was a volunteer firefighter. My uncle was an EMT firefighter. Everybody around me was those people that were born to put themselves second.

"That was my example," he continues. "My mom was the first lady to always volunteer for something, to give back, to do something. So, I feel like I was being raised that way. Having their blood in me, that last name, but now on a bigger platform, I feel like it's my job to do that and I love it. I love doing it and there's a lot of stuff I do that I don't want anybody to know about. You know like I'm not doing it for the press of it. I'm not doing it for any other reason than because I just want to give back on some occasions."

When Ray launched Wrigley Cares, which encourages people to bring animal food and supplies to his shows, he had no idea how quickly fans would latch on to the idea.

"With Wrigley Cares, it became this big thing that the fans started 'cause they were bringing my dog so much stuff that I was like, 'What in the hell am I gonna do with this?' And so I was like, 'Well, if they're doing this for Wrigley, what would they do for dogs in their own backyard, and how can we continue to grow their awareness of adoption?' Or just the fact that, 'Hey, if you're walking around your grocery store, spend an extra 15 bucks and donate something to the animal shelter. It goes a long way.'

"And then next thing you know, we're a quarter of a million meals in and designed a shoe with Puma," Ray remarks. "So, it's became this way bigger thing than we expected, but it's cool and it shows the power of music and it shoes why country music is what it is, because the fans are just as passionate about everything we do, as we are. I said it before, if you want to start something, if you tell county fans to do it, you better hold on. You'd better be serious, 'cause they're gonna come and they're gonna make it happen for you."

To purchase the sneakers as part of the Zappos For Good collection, with the proceeds going to Wrigley Cares, click here.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Rick Diamond