Congratulations to Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF) for hosting their first fully vegan event and adopting a vegan menu policy for public fundraisers and events and a vegetarian menu policy for staff and volunteer events!

Last week, the Food for Thought team had our annual retreat! Three of our four team members traveled to Animal Place, a farmed animal sanctuary in Grass Valley, CA.

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.

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.

The New England Federation of Humane Societies connects animal welfare professionals so that they can educate, collaborate, and network with each other. As part of their efforts, they hold an annual training conference. The conference covers basic knowledge for those just starting out, advanced lectures for those who are specialized, and progressive discussions to lead shelters into the future…

Where do animal people go to connect with each other, eat incredible vegan food, play with puppies, and learn more about animal care and advocacy resources? This year it was New Orleans for the annual HSUS Animal Care Expo…

Congratulations to Heart L.A. (Housing Equality & Advocacy Resource Team) for hosting their first fully vegan event and adopting a vegan menu policy!…

We are excited to announce Peace of Mind Dog Rescue (POMDR) as our new Policy Grant recipient! Their mission is to find loving foster and forever homes for senior dogs…

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…

We are happy to award the Vegan Event Grant to Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society! Located in New Jersey, their organization provides a safe and peaceful haven for homeless, abandoned, or abused animals. They are dedicated to decreasing the number of cats and dogs euthanized in kill shelters. They offer adoption, trap-neuter-return, and education programs…

Food for Thought had a wonderful experience at our second in-person conference this year! Tami Andrew, our East Coast Coordinator, recently attended the Best Friends National Conference in Raleigh, NC…

After almost three years, we are so excited to return to in-person conferences! Our Food for Thought Program Manager, Crystal Kozlak, and East Coast Coordinator, Tami Andrew, attended the HSUS Animal Care Expo in Orlando, FL. Crystal and Tami finally got the opportunity to speak with organization representatives face-to-face!…

Animal Place’s Food for Thought Program offers grant opportunities to help companion animal shelters adopt a vegan or vegetarian menu policy! Food for Thought is a program of Animal Place, one of the oldest and largest sanctuaries for farmed animals in the United States. We help nonprofit organizations extend their compassion to all animals by adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy…

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.

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…

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…

This past July, Food for Thought was an exhibitor at the Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo Online 2020…

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…

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……

Congratulations to our newest policy grant recipient, Skagit Animals In Need! Based in Washington state, they support law enforcement and animal control in rehabilitation, foster care, and adoption for large animals such as horses…..

Food for Thought is proud to announce our new Policy Grant recipient, American Tortoise Rescue! Founded in 1990 and Located in Malibu, CA they provide protection and sanctuary to all species of tortoise and turtle. They have successfully re-homed over 4,000 tortoises and turtles; permanent sanctuary is given to those with special needs and they stay in the care of American Tortoise Rescue for the remainder of their lives.

Food for Thought is excited to announce Whole Dog Academy as our newest policy grant recipient! Based in Oregon, Whole Dog Academy works to improve the human and canine relationship. They educate shelter and rescue staff, veterinarians, dog trainers, and the general public on reward-based, force-free training.

We're excited to announce another vegan event grant recipient, Friends of Oakland Animal Services! This wonderful organization partners with Oakland Animal Services to take in over 5,000 homeless animals each year and provide critical services such as veterinary care. While they've had smaller events with vegan options, their first fully vegan event, Raise the Woof!, was so successful that it sold out!…

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….

This past July, Wildlife & Environmental Coordinator Barbara Troyer spoke at the Animal Rights National Conference (AR 2019) in Washington, D.C. as part of a panel she organized called "Sustainable Food Policies and Climate Crisis: Earth- and Animal-friendly Menus for a Changing Planet!"

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….