Grants, Feature-homepage, Shelters
Haley Waugh
Recap: Vegan Convergence of the Peoples #14

On Sunday, August 6th, Animal Place’s Food for Thought Program Manager, Melissa White, spoke on a funders’ panel at Vegan Convergence of the Peoples #14. The panelists included Dawn Moncrief of A Well-Fed World and Leslie Barcus of VegFund.

Recap: Vegan Convergence of the Peoples #14
Grants, Wildlife
Haley Waugh
Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Wildlife Rescue ...

We’re pleased to highlight recent event grant recipient, Wildlife Rescue League (WRL), based in Falls Church, Virginia. WRL provides care for sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife with the intent of releasing them back into their native habitat; and they run a wildlife assistance helpline too!

WRL’s Groundhog Day Vegan Luncheon was well attended and a fun and educational way to introduce delicious plant-based foods to the public and WRL’s members and volunteers. …

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Wildlife Rescue League
Shelters
Haley Waugh
Recap: RescueCon

​Last weekend West Coast Coordinator, Allie Gunter, traveled to Oxnard, California to attend the first-ever RescueCon. This very vegan-friendly event featured a variety of activities, vendors, and speakers (including one of Food for Thought’s very own endorsers, The Kitten Lady!). There was bunny yoga, a cat cafe, adoptable companion animals, rescued mini horses, and even a dog running for president!

To further top off an already amazing weekend showcasing the special connection between humans and nonhuman animals, all of the food at RescueCon was 100% plant-based! …

Recap: RescueCon

shelter

Recap: Best Friends Animal Society Conference 2024

Best Friends Animal Society hosted their annual conference in Orlando, Florida from July 11-13, 2024. Hundreds of attendees from the shelter, rescue and animal care community gathered to discuss, celebrate and learn about how we can all work towards a more humane future for animals.

Congratulations to Kelli, our raffle basket winner!

Eden, our West Coast and Central Coordinator, was inspired by the incredible conversations at our booth - there is a clear demand for plant-based event menu’s, and the food at this conference did not disappoint! Vegetable and quinoa salad, chocolate cake and rigatoni with plant-based meatballs were just a few of the highlight dishes.

Many attendees were engaged and excited by Food For Thought’s initiatives and mission - a few organizations even applied for a grant or policy on the spot! There was incredible reception to our mission, and it was a wonderful opportunity to reach a wide audience of engagement.

We would like to thank Best Friends Animal Society for inviting us to exhibit, as well as our many generous raffle basket donors including Dr. Bronner, Go Max Go foods, Dr. Melanie Joy, Vegan Club, Mad Hippie, Dandie’s Marshmallows and more!

RECAP: HSUS ANIMAL CARE EXPO 2024

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) hosted its annual Animal Care Expo in the vibrant city of San Antonio, TX, from May 15-17, 2024. This in-person event brought together over 2,500 dedicated attendees from various sectors, including animal shelters, spay and neuter clinics, and veterinary education programs. The conference was a hub of knowledge, compassion, and inspiring discussions about animal welfare.

Beth represented Food for Thought at the conference and had an amazing time chatting with lots of enthusiastic attendees. People were really interested in learning more about our mission. The response was fantastic, with many visitors to our booth agreeing on the importance of extending compassion to farmed animals. It's clear that there's a growing awareness and commitment to comprehensive animal welfare at shelters and rescues.

We had some great conversations with attendees, many of whom took brochures or signed up for more information. Quite a few people were excited about presenting our program and grant opportunities to their Boards, which could lead to some awesome collaborations in the future.

One of the highlights of the conference was the vegan catering, which received rave reviews from attendees. The variety and excitement of the vegan food options demonstrated how delicious and diverse vegan events can be, reinforcing our message that compassion can be both ethical and enjoyable. Our favorite has to be the vegetable and mushroom trees—how cool are they!

The 2024 Animal Care Expo in San Antonio was a significant milestone for Food for Thought. We are excited about future collaborations and the continued journey towards a more compassionate world for all animals. See you in 2025!

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Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Cat Haven

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Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Cat Haven

We are excited to announce our latest Vegan Event Grant Recipient, Cat Haven! It’s their mission to lead their community in Baton Rouge, LA in becoming a no-kill community for cats and kittens. They provide care, shelter, and adoption services, and advocate for routine spaying and neutering for population control.

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Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic

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Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic

We are excited to announce another Vegan Event Grant Recipient, Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic! Their organization offers low-cost spay/neuter in Saint Louis, MO. Over 20,000 adoptable pets are euthanized annually in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. They establish programs and policies to decrease the number of unwanted dogs and cats euthanized each year…

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Policy Grant Recipient: Animal Protective Association of Missouri

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Policy Grant Recipient: Animal Protective Association of Missouri

We are excited to announce the Animal Protective Association of Missouri as our latest Policy Grant recipient! Serving the people and animals of St. Louis is their top priority. The APA is dedicated to bringing people and pets together, advancing humane education, and creating programs beneficial to the human/animal bond. Services provided by the APA include a low-cost veterinary clinic, pet food distribution, and education programs.

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Recap: Best Friends National Conference and AAWA Conference

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Recap: Best Friends National Conference and AAWA Conference

Last month, Food for Thought attended two virtual conferences: Best Friends National Conference and The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Conference. The Food for Thought team held virtual booths at both conferences. Our virtual booths showcased resources to help organizations adopt a plant-based menu policy…

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Food for Thought Exhibited at 3 Virtual Conferences

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Food for Thought Exhibited at 3 Virtual Conferences

Organizations are hosting virtual conferences because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Virtual conferences are a great opportunity to network while ensuring attendees safety. Last month, Food for Thought exhibited at three virtual conferences.: HSUS Animal Care Expo, Animal Care Conference, and New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference…

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Policy Grant Recipient: Leavenworth County Humane Society

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Policy Grant Recipient: Leavenworth County Humane Society

Congratulations to our newest Policy Grant recipient, Leavenworth County Humane Society, Inc.! Based in Kansas, they are the only no-kill animal shelter in Leavenworth County. They also offer humane education, veterinary and training assistance, and they work to improve animal care protection laws. Their vision is to be the place where…

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Policy Grant Recipient: Ohlone Humane Society

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Policy Grant Recipient: Ohlone Humane Society

We’re excited to announce a new Policy Grant recipient, Ohlone Humane Society! This Californian-based animal welfare nonprofit advocates for all animals. They serve the Fremont, Newark, and Union City areas and rescue companion animals to native species. In addition to foster and adoption……

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Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Spay Neuter Project Los Angeles

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Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Spay Neuter Project Los Angeles

Congratulations to our vegan grant recipient, The Spay Neuter Project Los Angeles! This incredible organization provides quality veterinary care to underserved communities in Los Angeles. Their low-waste and fully plant-based event, The Million Pet Soirée, was a huge success in raising money for their cause….

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Policy Grant Recipient: Animal Village NM

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Policy Grant Recipient: Animal Village NM

We're excited to announce a new policy grant recipient: AnimalVillageNM! This New Mexico based no-kill shelter works to reduce the number of dogs and cats who were abandoned for euthanasia at municipal shelters. AnimalVillageNM is not only dedicated to rescuing animals, but focused on giving their adopters the tools to create a loving, forever home. This includes ensuring cats are adopted to homes where they will be indoors and not declawed, providing educational support, and offering K9 training classes. AnimalVillageNM puts animals needs and safety as top priority….

Food for Thought is a PROGRAM OF Animal Place