Pardon a Turkey ... For Real

Though I haven't eaten turkey in almost 16 years (my veganaversary is the day after Thanksgiving!), I only began my annual tradition of adopting a turkey last year. Every year around Thanksgiving, the Farm Sanctuary raises money through their Adopt-A-Turkey Project. Between 250 and 300 million turkeys are raised for slaughter every year in the U.S. – more than 46 million alone for Thanksgiving. I want NO part of that! But I do love the idea of putting my money toward helping some of these birds live a long and happy life.

Donors pick out their favorite bird on the Farm Sanctuary website and give a gift of $30 to sponsor their turkey of choice. The money is used to help further Farm Sanctuary's compassionate work of rescuing animals and providing care for them at their California and New York sanctuaries. This year, I chose Daphne:

Isn't she a cutie? She reminds of my girl cat Pandora. I'm not sure why. There's just something about her look that made me think, "if Pandora was a turkey, that's what she'd look like." You see the resemblance?

Anyway, last year I adopted Gideon, but I couldn't find him on the list this time. I hope that doesn't mean he's gone on to turkey heaven. :-( If so, at least he spent his last few years in a lovely sanctuary.

If you're already a vegan or vegetarian, consider adopting a turkey as an annual tradition. And if you're an omni, I double-dog-dare you to give up meat this holiday and adopt a turkey instead. Double. Dog. Dare. That's right.

Have a happy Tofurky Day, y'all! I won't be posting tomorrow night because I'll be at my parents' house getting ready for the big day. But I'll be back on Thursday night with a full Thanksgiving recap!