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Spring Newsletter
April 2010
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Thank you for signing up to receive our newsletter. Spring has sprung and we have some exciting things happening this season at for the Animals sanctuary . We have upcoming events and scheduled visiting days so
please read our newsletter for more information on these exciting happenings, or visit our website. And we hope to see you soon!
  For the Animals sanctuary is a place where you can see animals who were rescued from the animal-agriculture industry doing what they do naturally: loving, playing, and living free. Our goal here at the sanctuary is to show the public that non-human animals are just like you and me. They have desires, preferences, and unique personalities. They are not products made to be exploited for their flesh and milk and viewing them as such results in great suffering for these innocent beings. Adopting a Vegan diet is the one thing that we can all do today -right now- to end animal-suffering. In the words of Anne Frank: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Please visit our website for more information on going Vegan.
And while for the Animals is a sanctuary for the cows, pigs, chickens, goats, and other non-human animals that live here, it is also a place where Vegans can come and find respite among fellow Vegans and the Animals we love. It is a place to get reaffirmed in your beliefs, to remind you of why you choose the lifestyle you do, and a place to get lots of thank you kisses from all the animals whose lives you honor and respect.
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Hanna and Her Sisters: The Sanctuary Goats
Eight goats were purchased by a woman who thought she could make a quick buck by raising them for their meat. What she didn't expect was that as she was fattening up the goats for slaughter, she would come to know them as individuals. Animals that she first saw as products, she came to learn have unique, individual personalities. They were not mindless machines, but living and breathing animals with a will and desire to live- just like the human animal. Unfortunately, the woman did not see to the goats' needs enough to keep them healthy, but she did decide to spare their lives.
And so instead of being thrown on a truck and hauled away to a slaughterhouse, these eight girl-goats found their forever home at for the Animals sanctuary. Hanna and Her Sisters, (as they are now collectively called), Rebecca, Molly, Lizzie, Lucy, Alice, Angie, and Nora came to the sanctuary in bad shape. But overtime, they were brought back to health by the healing hearts and hands of Deb and Steve, sanctuary owners. And now these gals are living out their lives- each one indeed expressing her unique self as the individual that she is. After spending just a short time with these animals, you can tell them apart just as easily by their behaviors as you could by their markings.
Rebecca & Molly were severely anemic and very weak from a hookworm infestation when they were first rescued, so they were kept separated out of the herd for 2 1/2 weeks while they underwent blood transfusions. This experience has bonded them tightly and they are the best of friends and can always be found together. Lizzy is clearly the leader. She is very friendly but a bit of a bully when it comes to snack time as she tries to devour everyone's treats. Hanna, is eager to be pet and hangs around with Lizzy and sometimes assumes the lead position as well. Angie was very shy when she first came to the sanctuary but has really come around, thanks to the aid of yummy treats- especially broccoli. Lucy was very sick when she came to the sanctuary and needed to be quarantined while she was nursed back to health for 2 weeks before being introduced back into the herd. This has made her a bit of an outcast and she can be seen tagging along on the outskirts of the gang. But don't feel bad for Lucy- she is happy to sleep with the cows who accept her just fine! And there is Alice who is very shy with humans and super smart. Whenever she needs medication she somehow senses it and hides. There is no fooling her. And lastly, there is Nora. She is second in command and extremely sweet.
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Hope and Amy
Easter, Passover, and just plain Springtime makes April one of our favorite months here at for the Animals sanctuary. It is a time for resurrection and renewal as the long winter draws to a close and all of us animals celebrate the coming of summer, the sun, long days, plentiful food and time to spend with family and friends.
But somehow this celebration of spring that we all share has morphed to include causing pain to animals, such as slaughtering baby lambs, hiding colored eggs or selling bunny rabbits and little chicks dyed in rainbow colors.
Instead, let us remember that this is a time to celebrate life and second chances.
One of our most recent "Second Chance" stories here at for the Animals is the story of Hope and Amy. After years of being forced to bear calves and having them torn from her so the farmers could sell her milk, Hope was no longer able to get pregnant and produce enough milk. Normally she and all the other cows who can no longer easily get pregnant or produce large quantities of milk are sent to slaughter, because the farmers cannot economically justify feeding them.
Just this year alone hundreds of thousands of America's dairy cows are being ground into hamburgers because milk prices have dropped so low that farmers can no longer afford to feed any animals that are not producing the largest amounts of milk. The pressure to provide cheap milk also means that these cows are forced to take hormones, antibiotics, and not given adequate vet care, which takes a toll on their bodies in addition to the stress of multiple pregnancies.
However instead of ending up at a slaughterhouse, Hope was spared when a rescue stepped in to help save her.
They brought the frightened cow to for the Animals sanctuary, where she quickly fit in with another new arrival, Amy, a young calf discarded by the dairy industry as a milk by-product and destined for slaughter. The two became close friends, and the motherless-calf and the mother who had lost her many babies quickly became a second-chance family. Although Hope and Amy both have a long way to go before they are both fully healed from the damage done to them from their time in the dairy industrial complex, they are well on their way.
Please see if you can celebrate the life of one of our residents and help give each of them the second chance they deserve. Each of them was destined to be exploited, killed, and eaten, but instead for the Animals sanctuary has given them a second chance, and resurrected them from products to happy living beings who get to enjoy the sunshine and look forward to summer with the rest of us.
Want sponsor Amy or Hope? Please visit our website.
Your donation helps us continue our life saving work. |
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Sanctuary Events and Visiting Days
Family Day at the Sanctuary
Saturday June 5th 12pm - 4pm
(Rain date June 12th)
Bring the family over to the sanctuary to meet the Animals and have some fun! We will have vegan snacks, and great games and crafts for the kids.
Admission for this event is a minimum donation of $10 per adult and $5 per child (ages 5 - 15). 100% of your donation helps us continue our rescue work and vegan outreach.
Please bring a blanket to sit on. And out of respect for the Animals, we ask that you don't bring any non-vegan food on the premises, i.e. dairy, cheese, eggs, fish, or meat of any kind. You are welcome to bring any non-alcoholic beverages of your choice.
**It is vital that we get an accurate count of how many people will be attending this event so please RSVP by May 29th.
***Volunteers are needed and appreciated on June 5th. If you are interested in volunteering for the day please contact us here for more info
Visiting Days and Work Parties at the Sanctuary
Want to come up and visit the animals or get some exercise working to care for the animals and the grounds ? Check out the visiting days and work party dates below.
(Please note: the sanctuary owners Steve and Debbie run the sanctuary as well as working full-time jobs. Our visiting hours are based around their work schedules so please plan your visits for the posted visitation days only.)
You can email us with questions here.
2010 Visiting Days
Visiting hours are 12-4 pm.
It is helpful if you call ahead to confirm your visit:
(908) 362-5224.
We ask for a donation of $10 per adult and $5 per child (ages 5-15). 100% of all donations goes towards feeding and caring for the Animals at the sanctuary.
May 2
June 27
July 11
August 7
August 29
Work Party Days
(no donation required for work party days)
Bring boots and work gloves
May 22
August 22
On work party days please bring a Vegan dish and/or beverage to share so we can have a yummy lunch after a hard days work.
**We ask please don't bring any non-vegan food on the premises, i.e. dairy, cheese, eggs, fish, or meat of any kind. You are welcome to bring any non-alcoholic beverage of your choice.
Please call (908) 362-5224 or email to confirm which date you are coming for the work party.
Please note work party days are for adults only. If you have any questions please contact us.
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Thank you for taking the time out to read our newsletter. We hope to be seeing you at one of our events this visiting season!
Compassionately Yours,
Debbie, Steve, the sanctuary Animals, and the Sanctuary Board
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