KINGS BEACH, Calif. – On September 16, for the third consecutive year, Kings Beach resident John Merryfield and his ever-growing band of merry paddlers will embark on a stand-up paddle circumnavigating Lake Tahoe to raise money and awareness for Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. The third annual Stand Up for Farm Animals will take approximately two days to complete, but Merryfield says the intense physical and psychological strain of the 72-mile trek around the lake is “nothing compared to the cruel conditions endured by animals on factory farms.” To watch a short video of Merryfield describing the event, click here.
“The event is to do something beautiful and fun to change something decidedly not beautiful and fun, and that is the treatment of animals raised for food,” explains Merryfield. “All animals deserve protection from needless cruelty and suffering, and all animals should have the freedom to walk, run, swim, and play. We are paddling for the millions of animals intensely confined on factory farms, like calves in veal crates and chickens in battery cages, who are not afforded simple freedoms like turning around. As a society, we should protect the weakest and most vulnerable.”
The event, which began three years ago with Merryfield paddling by himself, has since spawned Surfers for Compassion, a group of surfers and others dedicated to ending the violence animal agriculture inflicts upon people, animals, and the environment through fun, community-driven, water-themed fundraising events.
“By combining what he loves to do with a critically important cause, John Merryfield is an inspiration to everyone who feels outraged about the cruel and horrific practices of factory farming,” says Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur, who Time magazine recently called “the conscience of the food movement.” “John demonstrates that there are countless ways to take a stand, literally, in support of compassion for farm animals.”
Paddlers who wish to join Merryfield for all or part of the paddle should call 530-583-6190 or email [email protected].
