A drop of oil the size of a dime on a bird's body or wings can damage the insulated layer of down feathers and cause the bird to freeze to death. So when 58,000 gallons of heavy-duty oil spilled into the San Francisco Bay Wednesday, November 7th, experts and volunteers from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) and Dawn knew they had no time to waste.

A call went out to P&G, and nearly 200 cases of Dawn Ultra were immediately shipped to the clean-up site. Now the lives of birds and other marine wildlife throughout the bay are being saved.

Staffers from International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), a member of the OWCN, were among the first to arrive at the scene. Roughly 200 birds were found dead in the bay on the first day, but hundreds of others were on the beach and in the water struggling for life. Members of the organization spent the next few days trying to quickly reach the remaining birds with much needed medical attention. Rescuers were able to transport hundreds of severely oiled birds to the IBRRC for medical exams and a life-saving bath in Dawn Ultra.

The spill, which occurred when a large cargo ship crashed into the western span of the Bay Bridge, has been reported as one of the largest in the past two decades. Thanks to Dawn's long standing relationship with the IBRRC, the brand was able to quickly respond to this crisis with multiple cases of Dawn Ultra dish liquid.

The IBRRC has been using Dawn since the 1970s, when founder Alice Berkner discovered that the product's powerful degreasing action was also gentle enough to be used on the delicate feathers of oiled birds. After trying everything from mascara remover to acetone, she found out that Dawn actually worked the best," said IBRRC spokesperson Karen" Benzel. "We've been using it ever since."

"It's a product that's proven to be safe for the birds and the handlers, yet works the quickest to remove the oil," said the center's director Jay Holcomb.

The brand has been supporting the IBRRC with product donations for many years, but recently gave consumers an opportunity to make a difference too. In 2002, Dawn launched their Save-A-Duck Campaign that allowed consumers to help the center and drive awareness of the work they do. Dawn is also planning to donate 10 cents from every bottle of Dawn Ultra sold to the IBRRC and the Tri-state Bird Rescue and Research Center. Last year alone, Dawn donated $50,000 to the organization to aid in research and to maintain their facilities.