By Carolyn Mullin
No one puts on a Thanksgiving to remember quite like Farm Sanctuary! At our annual Celebration FOR the Turkeys, we relish good eats, hang out with our beloved farm animal residents, and enjoy the company of hundreds of kindhearted individuals — all in commemoration of our feathered friends: the turkeys.
This year, we’ve expanded the event from the peaceful pastures at our Orland, California and Watkins Glen, New York sanctuaries to the Big Apple, where guests will join hip hop mogul Russell Simmons and Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated and Eating Animals (a great read for those new to factory farming issues) and indulge in a lavish vegan brunch and dessert reception on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Can’t make it to the New York City affair? While our Watkins Glen event is sold out, we still need volunteers to help out with this Nov. 21 benefit. And in California, tickets are still available and include a very special performance by music legend Jonathan Richman (::swoon::) as well as a guest appearance by L-Word actress Daniela Sea!
And speaking of swooning … are you ready for this? Farm Sanctuary is giving away a pair of tickets to the California Celebration – a $150 value! Here’s the catch: We want to hear how you incorporate compassion into your Thanksgiving celebrations, especially with friends or family members who just don’t get “it” (i.e., your desire to save a turkey rather than eat one). We can all benefit from each other’s experiences and make this holiday one that everyone will want to be a part of (turkeys too)! We’ll randomly select a winner from the entries and will share these ideas in an upcoming blog entry.
Submit your entry here by Nov. 16 for a chance to win. Best of luck!
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Carolyn Mullin is an education & advocacy coordinator based at Farm Sanctuary’s West Coast shelter in lovely Orland, California. She writes for the Farm Sanctuary Kidz Club site; oversees the California Visitor and Volunteer Programs; ensures that all is well with the interns who reside on the shelter; coordinates shelter events, including the annual Country Hoe Down, Fourth of July Pignic and Celebration FOR the Turkeys; researches and writes for various publications such as the Guide to Compassionate Living; and engages in community outreach and education. Before her start with Farm Sanctuary in 2006, Carolyn served with AmeriCorps in Gainesville, Florida as a reading tutor for students in grades K-3, managed an organic greenhouse for the Fruit and Vegetable Lab at the Department of Entomology at the University of Florida, and was president of the very active Animal Activists of Alachua, a community/student group based on the University of Florida campus. She holds an M.A. in Nonprofit Management from Regis University and a B.A. in Religion Studies from the University of Florida. Friend her on Facebook.