On Saturday, Friends of Animals participated in the “13th Annual Shindig Festival of Vegan Living” at Catskill Animal Sanctuary in New York. People of all ages celebrated compassionate living throughout the day by stopping at education stations with rescued animals throughout the sanctuary, like the one that read “Learn About Cows,” where a staff member talked about the horrors of the dairy industry as cows and calves mingled with attendees. 

Visitors also got to watch vegan cooking demos like spaghetti and ‘wheatballs,’ hear inspirational lectures like that presented by Tim Van Orden who has thrived as a vegan athlete, and buy vegan products like Treeline Cheese, Gone Pie desserts and Fanciful Fox soaps and bath and body items.

Sanctuary staff members reported that they had a lot of first-time visitors to the sanctuary and for some of them they tried their first vegan meal. They were also thrilled to see new T-shirts and sweatshirts proudly worn, and for everyone to see the animals who call the sanctuary home as they are supposed to be—free, happy and loved.

From our merchandise table, we got to watch Amelia, who came to CAS as a tiny piglet, run around and play in the mud and snooze in the sunshine. Amelia was rescued from an upstate New York animal hoarder with a long history of horrific abuse. Many deaths by starvation, neglect and injury had occurred at the hands of this woman. Staff members say she runs to greet anyone who calls her name, chuffing and snorting a big hello. For information about Catskill Animal Sanctuary, visit their website right here.