Current Press Releases

Farm Sanctuary Holds Party for the Pigs Benefit in
Washington, D.C.

Actress Persia White and Musician Nellie McKay to host benefit for the survivors of the Midwest flood disaster

WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 8, 2008 – On October 18, Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, will hold the Party for the Pigs: A Benefit for the Survivors of the Midwest Flood Disaster in Washington D.C. Farm Sanctuary invites the public to join hosts actress Persia White and musician Nellie McKay, for a night of musical entertainment, delectable vegan hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and a farm animal-inspired silent auction. The Party for the Pigs will feature a presentation from Gene Baur president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary and author of the best-seller “Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food,” as well as a special musical performance by singer, songwriter and Broadway actress Nellie McKay.

In June of this year, after thousands of pigs were abandoned in the Midwest floods, Farm Sanctuary, in coalition with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the American Humane Association, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston, mobilized in Iowa to take part in one of the most ambitious farm animal rescue efforts ever undertaken. During both land and water rescue operations, more than 60 pigs, many of them pregnant, were brought to safety. All of these pigs were transported to Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter for urgent care and rehabilitation.

Many of the pigs rescued were once confined to gestation crates on factory farms in southeastern Iowa, the nation’s largest pork-producing state. Gestation crates are 2-foot-wide metal enclosures that keep breeding sows immobilized throughout their pregnancies, preventing them from turning around or lying down comfortably. The European Union has banned these cruel confinement systems and Farm Sanctuary has led efforts nationwide to end the use of gestation crates in the U.S. Florida, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado have all passed laws that ban the use of gestation crates. Proposition 2, a pending ballot initiative in California slated for a vote in November, would phase out the use of gestation crates in that state if passed.

All proceeds from the October 18 event will go towards covering the urgent care and rehabilitation of the rescued pigs residing at Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter, as well as Farm Sanctuary's efforts to end factory farming cruelty, such as the use of gestation crates, and provide safe refuge for other farm animals in need.

Major sponsors of the event include Gail’s Vegetarian Catering, Soul Vegetarian, Sunflower Vegetarian, Vegan Express Bakery, Vegetable Garden, and X’s to O’s Vegan Bakery. 

The October 18 Party for the Pigs will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. in Washington, D.C. An RSVP is required for attendance and tickets are $50 per guest. Those interested in attending can register online at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225 ext. 221.  Media can RSVP by contacting Angela Barker at abarker@farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225 ext. 256.

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.