WATKINS GLEN, NY – On November 17, Farm Sanctuary — America’s largest and most effective farm animal rescue and protection organization — will host their annual Celebration for the Turkeys at their New York Shelter in Watkins Glen (3136 Aikens Rd.) from 1:00 – 4:30 p.m., and then at the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel (16 North Franklin St.) from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. The festive event where turkeys are the guests of honor, rather than part of the menu, attracts hundreds of guests from all over the country seeking to celebrate a more compassionate holiday.
So what will be on the menu? A gourmet holiday feast of favorite traditional Thanksgiving dishes, prepared with vegan ingredients; the opportunity to spend time getting to know the rescued animals who call Farm Sanctuary home; and special guest presentations from New York Times bestselling author and two-time “Oprah” guest Victoria Moran, Farm Sanctuary National Shelter Director Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives Bruce Friedrich, and Vice President of the New York State Humane Association Holly Cheever, DVM. The highlight of the event, however, is the Feeding of the Turkeys ceremony, during which guests delight in watching our rescued turkeys gobble up a feast of their own!
Farm Sanctuary has been giving turkeys a reason to be thankful for more than 25 years, but now with growing mainstream awareness of the deplorable conditions they endure on industrial farms, it is an idea whose time has come.
“The Celebration for the Turkeys gets bigger and bigger every year because it is just an incredibly fun opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving in a way that is more consistent with the spirit of the holiday and with our own values as a compassionate, animal-loving society,” says Gene Baur, President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. And past event attendees agree: One past attendee had this to say: “Seeing and trying an alternative holiday dinner was amazing!” Another said: “Will never miss it again. Best decision I’ve made all year to come.”
Farm Sanctuary is America’s largest and most effective farm animal protection and rescue organization. Since 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 shelter efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, New York; Orland, California; and Los Angeles provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals. These animals stand as ambassadors for the billions on factory farms who have no voice, and their stories help raise awareness about the harsh realities of factory farming.
