Outreach for Animals Week: A Volunteer-Driven Success

By Jessica Mumford

From October 12-19, 2008, CAA organized a week-long event called Outreach for Animals Week. Through the work of CAA's wonderful volunteers, this event accomplished its two main goals: to raise funds in support of the efforts of Compassionate Action for Animals; and to leaflet and thereby spread the word about the cruelties of factory farming.

Volunteers signed up online and created individual fund raising pages to collect pledges from friends and family. Those who raised $200 or more received a free t-shirt, and those who raised over $500 received a t-shirt, gift basket, and free entrance to the 2009 CAA banquet as a guest of honor.

In all, 35 volunteers from across the greater Twin Cities metro donated their valuable time and energy into raising pledges for CAA. Those pledges greatly supported the vital work of Compassionate Action for Animals in educating the public about farm animal abuse and promoting compassionate alternatives through leafleting, social events, food giveaways, speakers, the media, and more.

Through the Outreach for Animals event, volunteers raised over $3,000 for CAA's cause. Many volunteers said they found fund raising to be initially intimidating, but easy once they got started. Of the fund raisers, four raised over $200!

Apart from being a successful fund raiser, Outreach for Animals Week also organized a week-long leaflet-a-thon. Volunteers signed up for shifts of three hours or more to leaflet in the greater Twin Cities metro. CAA volunteers distributed leaflets on college campuses, outside of concert venues, and other areas open to the public. By leafleting, CAA's volunteers empowered individuals to make informed and compassionate choices that will save countless animals. After the totals were calculated, CAA volunteers had spent over 150 hours leafleting, handing out more than 8,500 leaflets. It has been estimated that for every fifty leaflets that are handed out, one person will make the switch to vegetarianism. Since the average American eats 2,400 animals in a lifetime, the leaflet-a-thon can be said to have saved the lives of over 400,000 animals. The Outreach for Animals Week committee extends its most sincere thanks to all those volunteers who made this event such a success.