Support Me in my Walk for Farm Animals (Farm Sanctuary Charity Walk)

Two years ago, I participated in the Walk for Farm Animals supporting Farm Sanctuary and I've decided to raise money for this amazing animal charity once again this year! I have joined the Toronto walk that happens on September 28th, 2013.  Ever since I visited Farm Sanctuary, I've been a huge supporter of this amazing organization and will do everything that I can to help them out. They are one of the leading animal charities that rescue farm animals that have been abused as a result of factory farming, and they also do a lot to change government policies regarding abusive practices towards animals.

I would really appreciate any donations if you would like to sponsor me in this event.  By clicking the above button, you will be taking directly to my fundraising page, where your donations will go directly to Farm Sanctuary.  Any donations are appreciated and the rescued farm animals will be thankful for your support!

It would also be fantastic if you wanted to participate in the event and raise some money as well for this worthwhile cause!  You can sign up as a participant in a city close to you, become a Virtual Walker in your city like I did, or "Sleep In For Farm Animals" where you'd like to raise money but might be a bit too busy to take part in a walk. 

Thank you so much for your support!

Video: Cute Squirrels at the Park

On the weekend, I posted a photo of a cute squirrel that I was feeding at the park - I also took some video as well of a couple of adorable squirrels there! Here is a short Youtube video of a few of them - enjoy!

Cute Squirrels at the Park!

Today, I spent the afternoon walking to the park and feeding the squirrels. Many of them would come running towards me, eager to take a peanut right from my hand! I caught a picture of this one sitting right beside me while he ate his peanut.

Happy weekend everyone!

Fall Volunteer Day at the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada

Last Saturday, I volunteered for the first time at the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada in Guelph, Ontario. My cousin and I decided to spend a day on the farm for the Sanctuary's Fall Volunteer Day to help out this wonderful organization. I've donated and visited there in the past, but this was my first time providing any help in the form of physical labor.

Their Fall (and Spring) Volunteer Days invite anyone to come and help out, whereas if you'd like to be a regular volunteer, you have to go through some training. I'm thinking of becoming a regular volunteer in the Spring!

We helped out with many various chores around the farm. It is a large farm with barns, visitor areas, a pond and trails through the forest that need to be maintained. It is difficult for the owners and regular volunteers to do these chores as they are regularly tending to the care of the donkeys. My cousin and I started out with spreading out grass seed in areas where visitors will spend time, and pulling weeds from around the paths.Of course, between doing the yard work, we couldn't resist spending some time with the citizens of the farm - the donkeys!

If you've never heard of the Donkey Sanctuary before, this is a little bit about the charity from their website:

Since 1992, The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada has been a refuge for donkeys, mules and hinnies who have been neglected or abused, or who can no longer be cared for by their owners. The Sanctuary rescues the donkey with hooves so long it lives in constant pain and cannot walk. It saves a terrified mule shivering in a pen in a slaughterhouse. It offers a home to a much-loved donkey whose aging owners can no longer provide adequte care. At the Sanctuary, the animals are provided a welcome and often life-saving peaceful haven after years of suffering and neglect.

Each donkey has his or her own bio up on the website, so you can read more about each individual's story. The farm is also home to goats and sheep!

After pulling weeds and spreading out grass seed (and enjoying some lunch), we helped in the forested area with loading dead tree branches and sticks into a trailer. As a group, we worked together to clear out four truckloads full! This will help visitors be able to explore the trails more easily and was necessary for regular maintenance of the area.

The best part of the day was being able to spend time with the animals! It was very rewarding to help out at such a wonderful sanctuary for the animals! I'm so happy that places like this exist. If you are interested in volunteering, they are always looking for extra help - please visit their website!

Walk For Farm Animals

After visiting Farm Sanctuary, I've been reading online and visiting their website to see if there are any ways I can assist with their fundraising efforts.  Right now, Farm Sanctuary is preparing one of their big fundraising initiatives, the Walk For Farm Animals!  Not only that, but Canadians are also pitching in with a walk taking place right here in Toronto!  I signed myself right up for this one as I would love to do some fundraising for this wonderful charitable organization.

I will be walking as a "Virtual Walker" which means that I will not be attending the official Toronto event as the date clashes with my work schedule.  I will still be doing a walk here at a local park in Mississauga on a date close to the actual event on September 24th.  I'll write all about it when I'm finished!  The walk in Toronto is 1.75 miles but I'm going to make this walk a full 5km (3.10 miles)!

I would really appreciate any donations if you would like to sponsor me in this event.  By clicking the above button, you will be taking directly to my fundraising page, where your donations will go directly to Farm Sanctuary.  Any donations are appreciated and the rescued farm animals will be thankful for your support!

It would also be fantastic if you wanted to participate in the event and raise some money as well for this worthwhile cause!  You can sign up as a participant in a city close to you, become a Virtual Walker in your city like I did, or "Sleep In For Farm Animals" where you'd like to raise money but might be a bit too busy to take part in a walk. 

Thank you so much for your support!

Visiting Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY

On Thursday, August 18th, 2011, we visited Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY.  Ever since reading about Farm Sanctuary online, I've wanted to visit.  Little did I know that this experience would be a contributing factor to my decision to adopt a Vegan diet.

We entered the large barn marked "People Barn" and waited for our tour in a very informative space.  There were lots of boards with details about some of the animals that they have rescued, health information regarding a vegan or vegetarian diet, displays showing how the mistreated animals are generally kept at factory farms, plus information on how to get involved to help.  There was also a nice store (that we stopped in after the tour and purchased many items!) and a friendly cat walking around that I befriended.

Farm Sanctuary is such an amazing organization that rescues abused and neglected animals, mostly those from factory farms that are on the verge of death.  It is so incredible that this sanctuary exists with hundreds of rescued animals on hundreds of acres of farm land.

We watched a short movie about the history and reasons why Farm Sanctuary exists.  We were told about Hilda, the first farm animal rescued that started Farm Sanctuary.  Hilda was a sheep who was left for dead in a pile of dead animal carcasses at a factory farm.  Everyone thought that Hilda had died, but she lifted her head and looked right at Gene Baur, the co-founder of Farm Sanctuary.  After rescuing Hilda, it was discovered that she had only collapsed due to the brutal transporting conditions and did not have any injuries or illnesses.  Hilda made a full recovery and lived out a happy and peaceful life at Farm Sanctuary.  She passed away from old age in 1997 and is buried in a beautiful garden with a wonderful memorial plaque so we can all pay tribute to this brave creature.

We started our tour around the farm to visit most of the animals that live at Farm Sanctuary.  Our tour guide was great at introducing us to the animals, explaining & answering all of our questions, and she was very cheerful all around!  We first visited the cows who had a huge pasture to walk around in, munch on grass, or just lay in the shade.  All of the animals on the farm have a great quality of life with many choices on where to go based on how they were feeling, if they wanted to socialize with the guests to the farm or be left alone.  They are very well taken care of in terms of food, socialization with other animals and people, and medicine.  The cows that we met were very sweet and friendly, and let you walk right up to them and pet them.  I am not used to interacting with farm animals so I found it amazing to be able to have interactions with such gentle creatures as the cows.

Next, we visited many happy goats in their section of the farm.  The goats even had a wooden playground that they could climb on (and many goats were sitting up there!).  They were very friendly and loved to be petted.  As we stayed there longer and longer, more goats decided to come out to greet us.  One of the goats had lost part of her ears due to frostbite and was missing part of her leg.  She had a prosthetic leg that she could walk around on, but she preferred to walk around the farm without it.  It is nice that the animals have nothing forced upon them and are given the choice to move about freely as they choose.

 

Next, we visited the turkeys and the chickens in one of the chicken coops.  What interesting creatures!  I had never interacted much with turkeys or chickens in the past but it was incredible to watch them kick up the hay and move around their home.  It was so sad to see that their beaks and toes were trimmed back from their days at the factory farm.  At least there is some comfort in knowing that they will live out the rest of their lives happily at the farm.

One of these gorgeous turkeys had it made in the shade on this warm summer day!  He was sitting underneath a big blue umbrella with plenty of water to drink on the comfortable grass.  There were some larger chickens in this area as well.  In November, Farm Sanctuary holds an event called "Celebration FOR the Turkeys" which sounds amazing!  From the website:

At Farm Sanctuary’s annual Celebration FOR the Turkeys at our New York and California Shelters, guests are invited to visit with cows, pigs, chickens, and other rescued residents and participate in our beloved Feeding of the Turkeys ceremony, where turkeys are offered a feast of pumpkin pie, stuffed squash and cranberries. Guests on both coasts will also indulge in a delectable vegan holiday meal of their own and be inspired by presentations from special guests.

I wish I could attend! 

We also walked past some ducks and geese.  We weren't able to interact directly with geese as they can sometimes not be kind to visiting humans, but we could see that they were very well loved.  There was a big pond that they could swim in, a grassy patch to enjoy and a barn to live in.  These geese were certainly enjoying the warm summer day in the pond or the shade.

Then, we visited the pig barns!  What relaxed, gentle creatures!  These pigs were laying on piles of hay, mostly sleeping or laying with their eyes closed.  We were able to pet one of the pigs and its skin felt so rough to the touch.  It was comforting to see that these pigs were indeed very content on the farm!

A very inspiring quote written on a board along a path at the farm.

After the hour long tour, we were given free vegan ice cream bars and I purchased many items from the gift shop!  I bought a t-shirt, a necklace (that says "veg for life"), the Farm Sanctuary book, some postcards, a patch, and a magnet for our fridge.  We also donated some money to this amazing and wonderful safe haven for animals!