Gene Baur of Farm Sanctuary and a Celebration of Turkeys!

Around this time of year for the past few years, Larissa and I head out to the Farm Sanctuary website to sponsor a turkey through their Adopt A Turkey Project. An estimated 46 million turkeys are killed each year at Thanksgiving alone so helping a rescued bird by sponsoring it is something we love to do.  The Farm Sanctuary Adopt A Turkey Project has been in place since 1986, the year the sanctuary opened.

This year it occurred to me that having a representative from Farm Sanctuary come on the podcast and talk about the program might be a great way to help promote it. I emailed the sanctuary and received a response stating that the president and co-founder, Gene Baur, would be glad to join us for a chat! Needless to say, we were SUPER excited that Gene himself offered to speak with us!

You can listen to our interview here or read on for a quick summary of what we discuss.

Who is Gene Baur?

In addition to being the president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, Gene is a national best-selling author who has been hailed as “the conscience of the food movement” by Time Magazine. He was recently named to Oprah Winfrey’s list of SuperSoul 100 Givers.

As a pioneer in the animal activism movement, Gene has advocated on behalf of animals in courts and before federal legislative bodies.  Through his investigations, he has uncovered and documented the deplorable living conditions and cruel practices of factory farming. His investigations helped to pass the first United States laws to ban inhumane factory farming practices.

Gene is the author of two national best-selling books, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food and Living the Farm Sanctuary Life: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Mindfully, Living Longer, and Feeling Better Every Day.

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Humane Education at Farm Sanctuary

In addition to the countless animals that Farm Sanctuary has rescued and rehabilitated since opening its doors in 1986, its Humane Education program has served to spread awareness of factory farming and the intelligent and emotional nature of animals.

The Humane Education program helps educate children in the classroom about issues with our current food system, and also shares the stories of the animals who call Farm Sanctuary home.

Farm Sanctuary's Adopt a Turkey Project and Celebration for the Turkeys

During our interview with Gene, we discussed the sanctuary’s Adopt A Turkey Project, which allows people to donate to Farm Sanctuary by sponsoring a rescued turkey. Every “adopter” receives a special adopt a turkey certificate with a color photo of the turkey they chose to sponsor. Adoption certificates can either be mailed or emailed.

This year we adopted Gerda, who was saved by an anonymous rescuer. She was one of 24 turkeys rescued from a factory farm. Debeaked, weak, and ill, Gerda recovered and now enjoys a happy life at the sanctuary. 

Gerda is a turkey at gene baur's farm sanctuary

Gene also discussed the Celebration for the Turkeys events which are held at both of their Sanctuary locations (Acton, CA and Watkins Glen, NY).  During these events, attendees enjoy an amazing vegan Thanksgiving meal and then “turn the tables” by treating the turkeys to a meal prepared just for them!  Here is a video from one of those events!

While progress can sometimes seem painfully slow, it’s still progress! Doing what you can by sponsoring great organizations such as Farm Sanctuary in any way you can is one more step toward a time when all animals will no longer be seen as food but, rather, as friends.

Other Resources

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