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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the October edition of FACT Sheets! With
the summer months behind us, FACT is busy working
on issues related to making farms humane and
healthy places for animals.
While reform of our human health care system has
received much attention lately, we cannot ignore the
massive overhaul needed to ensure that food animals
live in healthy conditions as well. For example, factory
farms routinely use antibiotics on healthy animals to
make them grow faster and as a substitute for healthy
living conditions. FACT, in conjunction with the
Keep Antibiotics Working coalition (KAW) is fighting to
end this misuse
of antibiotics on farms - and we need your help to
make it happen.
Beyond our work with KAW, this edition also updates
you on our Filthy Feed Campaign, a national
effort to
ban the use of poultry waste as feed for cows. We
are also announcing the launch of our new Humane
Education program with the centerpiece being
The
Awesome Adventures of Sweet Pea the Pig!
Read
more about this fun and educational program below.
If you haven't done so yet, please sign our Filthy Feed petition TODAY! Invite others to do
the same. As always, visit our
website for more information. Our secure Donate page makes it easier than ever to give
to FACT. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Richard Wood
Executive Director
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FACT ramps up Filthy Feed campaign
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In August we officially launched our exciting new
Filthy
Feed Campaign to ban poultry litter as feed for
cows.
Poultry litter consists primarily of manure, feathers,
spilled feed and bedding material that accumulate on
the floors of the buildings that house chickens and
turkeys. It can contain disease-causing bacteria,
antibiotics, toxic heavy metals, feed ingredients
normally prohibited for cattle, and even foreign objects
such as dead rodents, rocks, nails and glass.
Since the launch when we filed a legal
petition with the FDA to prohibit litter feeding, we have
been very busy with the campaign. In September,
Executive Director Richard Wood, and our Public
Health Program Director Steve Roach, along with
supporting organizations met with the FDA to urge the
Agency to prohibit the practice. Every major national
consumer organization has endorsed FACT's petition,
including groups like the Consumers Union, Humane
Society of the United States, Consumer Federation of
America, and the National Sustainable Agriculture
Coalition.
Our grassroots petition has gained momentum with
over 400 signatures to date. We have also taken
initial steps to build partnerships with companies that
we feel will take a stand on this issue. In addition, we
began working with a student at Loyola University in
Chicago to help bring our message to the broader
college campus community. As part of this broader
effort, FACT developed a Filthy Feed video to raise
awareness. There's much more to do! For more
information and to show your support, please visit our
Filthy Feed website.
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Support FACT and enjoy an evening of HamBINGO fun!
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On Monday, November 16, from 8 - 10 pm, FACT will
be throwing a "HamBINGO" night at Hamburger
Mary's in Chicago, hosted by their drag diva Velicity
Metropolis. Come out for an evening of laughter, fun
AND bingo as you help support FACT in improving the
welfare of farm animals. 100% of the donations
collected from the sale of bingo cards will benefit
FACT. You can play as many cards as you like and
the cards will be good all night long. Hamburger
Mary's is located at 5400 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL
60640. Become a member of FACT's Facebook page
and RSVP today! For more information contact Jacki
Rossi or call (773) 525-4952.
.
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FACT kicks off Humane Education program for kids
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FACT is happy to announce the launch our new
humane education program called The
Awesome
Adventures of Sweet Pea the Pig! The
program is
designed to cultivate positive character traits among
children through humane education, animal stories
and yoga. Students will gain knowledge about farm
animals and how they should be treated with dignity,
care and respect.
The pilot program will feature workshops in the
Chicago area. On Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 4pm to 5pm,
FACT staff members will be presenting this free
program at Namaskar
Yoga Studio (3946 N. Southport). On
Tuesday,
Oct. 20 from 4:15pm to 5:15pm, the program will be
featured at Bloom
Yoga
Studio (4663 N. Rockwell). Both workshops
are
free and open to all children ages 6 to 8 years old.
Healthful snacks and coloring sheets will be provided
at that end of each program.
The presenters (Lisa Isenhart, Larissa McKenna and
Jacki Rossi) are members of FACT's staff. Lisa and
Larissa are both Certified Humane Education
Specialists accredited through the Humane Society
University. Larissa is also certified as an Advanced
Yoga Instructor and teaches at several studios in
Chicago. For more information about our new
humane education program please call Larissa
McKenna at (773) 525-4952 or email to
Larissa McKenna.
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Help FACT Design Our Annual Holiday Card
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There is still time to design FACT's holiday card. We
would be honored to display artwork that
demonstrates our shared commitment to making
farms humane and healthy places for animals. We
are looking for a winter and/or non-religious holiday
theme. The design should feature cows, chickens and
pigs, or a combination of all three.
Entries must be received by next Friday, October 16,
2009. The winner will be announced by October 20,
2009 and will be recognized on the back of FACT's
holiday card, as well as on our website. Mail entries
to: Jacki Rossi, Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT),
P.O. Box 14599, Chicago, IL 60614 or email Jacki
Rossi. We look forward to receiving your entry!
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