On November 17 and 18, the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY held its annual “Celebration for the Turkeys.” The goal of the event was to show appreciation for the turkeys on Thanksgiving, rather than eating them. The main event was a well-prepared banquet made especially for the turkeys, including foods such as pumpkin pie, squash, kale, and cranberries, which younger children could feed them. The dishes were laid out on turkey-sized tables, on which the turkeys could easily hop up to dig in. After the banquet for the turkeys, the Farm Sanctuary hosted a vegan banquet for the visitors with special guest speakers, including Gene Baur, the founder of Farm Sanctuary. Guests could also “adopt” a turkey beforehand by donating money to a turkey of their choice at the sanctuary.
Farm Sanctuary is an organization that rescues thousands of animals from factory farms and helps to educate others about vegan living. They value compassion and positive interactions towards all animals, human or otherwise. The idea behind the Celebration for the Turkeys is to raise awareness for these values. Over 46 million turkeys are killed each year for our Thanksgiving meals, often in extremely poor and abusive conditions. The turkeys that are celebrated each year at the Farm Sanctuary have previously been rescued from these unfortunate environments. So next year, think about creating an alternative to the classic Thanksgiving picture and giving the turkeys their own Thanksgiving feast.