A guest blog by Chicken Run Rescue

Monique was our 1209th rescue who arrived last August. Like most, her story started with an email: 

“Hi…a hen wandered into our garage last night.  Neighbors said they’ve seen it wandering around for a few days so I don’t think it will find its way home.  Has infected eye and maybe something wrong with it’s beak. What should I do with it? We can’t keep it.” Neighbors had been chasing her out of their yards and into the street. As always for stray reports, I asked for pictures of the bird and of where they were at the moment. I wept when I saw the extent of her eye infection to think of her wandering about with no food or protection and knew her options were non-existent if we didn’t step in. The event of bird flu had just resurfaced and was now considered to be endemic- here to stay- so we had to be be on high biosecurity alert to keep our residents safe. It would take some time and networking to find her a safe place to be fostered and vet care arranged.

Alumni CRR shelter helper Katie lived near her location and works at a vet clinic in that area. Better still the clinic had just hired a new vet with avian experience. We arranged to have Monique brought directly to the clinic while we scrambled to put the rest of the plan together. Katie provided temporary Foster care and Lauren drove the space shuttle to and from the vet clinic. By the end of October, her infection had cleared and our vet OK’d transfer to CRR. 

Monique introduced herself to the residents here and invented using yurt roofs as hammocks and sneaking snacks when others were not looking. Resident Cheekee was indignant about that- they looked like they could be sisters. She was full of energy and thrilled she found such a fun place to live. However, 2 weeks later her infection relapsed and she had to go back to 2 more weeks of crate rest and meds.

Continue reading →

This past year saw the addition of a chapter in the Duluth area! Prior to the pandemic, there was a large vegan recipe group that met in the Duluth area. They had a plant-based food and cooking discussion. Sheri Olson, was interested in reviving something similar but with a more specific focus of partnering with CAA. She had recently moved from the Twin Cities where she had been a CAA volunteer. She reached out to CAA Executive Director Laura Matanah and got support for starting a new chapter. 

Read below for Sheri’s responses to some questions we sent her. Learn more about this exciting new chapter which is helping to serve the needs of the veg curious in the North Shore area:

Interview with Sheri Olson, CAA Duluth Chapter

Continue reading →

A guest blog by Michael Willemsen, CAA Chapter coordinator

The St. Cloud area has had a long history of environmental and animal rights advocacy. I met Zach Ewald many years ago at St. Cloud State University through a student group called Advocates for Animals and the Environment. We received guidance and materials from non-profit groups such as Compassionate Action for Animals and Vegan Outreach. Shannon Kimball came up to St. Cloud and gave some unforgettable presentations to both SCSU and SCTCC students through the Bridges of Respect program. We happily volunteered to help! Fast forward to 2014 when Zach started Food Not Bombs in St. Cloud and we formed the unofficial Central Minnesota Vegan Association (CMVA). We hosted film showings, did leafleting outreach, and participated in some tabling events. My personal favorite was when our group had a free food giveaway at St. Cloud Pride in the Park.

In the Spring of 2021, I approached Zach with an idea of getting more involved for animal rights in our local community. The CMVA group had long since disbanded. We communicated online and reached out to Laura Matanah (CAA’s Executive Director). She was supportive of our idea to start a local chapter and provided us with logistical support. After meeting with Zach and others for some vegan grilling at a local park, our St. Cloud Chapter was officially recognized in June of 2021.

Our first vegan potluck was at Mississippi River County Park. It was well attended with lots of good conversation and delicious food on a beautiful day. It was a great start! We passed out over 300 “Compassionate Choices” booklets from Vegan Outreach through their Adopt-A-College program that fall. These booklets encourage people to move toward a plant-based diet. Our St. Cloud chapter tuned in virtually (while hosting our own vegan potluck at Riverside Park) for a wonderful CAA ThanksLiving celebration.

In 2022 we continued to host potluck and dine out events to build the local community. In September of 2022 we grew to include 32 Facebook group members and 21 people who communicate via email. Five people from our St. Cloud Chapter helped to promote the Twin Cities Veg Fest and celebrated the 10th anniversary of Veg Fest as event volunteers! We also took the lead in hosting “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva” film screening. It’s fun being part of an egalitarian organization that cultivates empathy for all animals. Grassroots organizations will always work best locally.

Vegan/Vegetarian Diet-Related

Veganuary—January

International Vegan Cuisine Month—February 

Plant Power Day—March 7

National Eat your Vegetables Day–June 17 

Independence from Meat Day –July 4

World Plant Milk Day—August 22 

Hug a Vegetarian Day —September 23

Continue reading →

a guest blog by Herbivorous Acres, January 2023

National Bird Day is January 5th, and to celebrate this, we wanted to highlight some of our feathered friends. Roosters are highly exploited in the animal agriculture industry and we are proud to provide sanctuary to three roosters on the farm. Herbivorous Acres has two roosters under our “wing”, and the property owners of our sanctuary also have a rooster named Tony that we help care for. Dennis (Brahma Cross breed) is around 6 years old and is a handsome gentleman. Dennis rules the roost and has three ladies that he cares for. He dotes on his ladies constantly and is the best boyfriend to Nooch, Tempeh, and Seitan (our three hens).

Cornelius is a stunning and quirky 5 year old Welsummer rooster and lives with our duck family. Cornelius needs to be housed separately from other chickens due to some aggression issues. It keeps other chickens safe, although he still has some strong opinions about people from time to time. He doesn’t do very well when he has hens around and is much more calibrated with his duck friends. He has some “funky feet” that make him extra special. This deformity has been with him since birth and it causes some health issues from time to time. 

Continue reading →

December 23, 2022

Thanks to generous donations by foundations and individual supporters we have recently been able to hire someone to support and expand our growth! Abbey Feola will be our new full-time Program Manager.

You may recall that Abbey was working for us 10 hours a week as a program assistant. She has been doing an outstanding job supporting other staff. The needs of our growth require more hours and an enhanced focus. We have created a new position that will organize and coordinate many of our initiatives this year.

Abbey (she/her) joined CAA as Program Assistant in February of 2022 after volunteering at several CAA events and loving the open, welcoming atmosphere she found there. As Program Assistant, she supported participants taking the Explore Veg Challenge and assisted with a variety of other CAA programming.

Continue reading →

We are invited to a free Special Virtual Documentary Night in January. This event is in collaboration with APEX Advocacy, the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition, and the Afro Vegan Society.

The event, in honor of Veganuary, will be on Sunday, January 22nd  from 6 pm to 8 pm Central Time. You don’t have to stay the entire time. It is very flexible so people can come late or leave early if needed. 

The meeting is to talk about the documentary, The End of Medicine. This documentary explores the correlation between the treatment of animals and emerging health threats. You can watch it for free HERE. 

Continue reading →

CAA welcomes our newest board member Lydia Green, who comes to CAA with experience from several other animal advocacy organizations. She has served in Executive Assistant positions and is excited for her first opportunity to serve as a Board Member.  Her experience with other animal advocacy groups will be valuable to the board. 

Back in 2018, Lydia began working with CAA at Twin Cities VegFest as a sponsorship coordinator. She has also been a food demo coordinator and, most recently, helped at the CAA booth during the Pride Festival. There she helped spread awareness of the suffering of farmed animals. 

In addition to her work with CAA, she has volunteered with Mercy for Animals (community outreach and event planning), Agriculture Fairness Alliance (grant-writing), Animal Rights Coalition (protests and outreach events), and Farmaste Animal Sanctuary (Animal Care Provider).  As a result, she sees the value of collaborative work on behalf of animals. In addition, she brings some fresh ideas for community outreach and education.

Lydia shared why she wants to join our board: “I believe in the mission of CAA and want to work towards moving people to a vegan/plant-based lifestyle to improve the lives of farmed animals and our planet.”  She is always looking for more ways to be involved in animal advocacy. Her personal goal is to have her own micro-sanctuary for rescued goats. 

Lydia answered a few questions to help us get to know her and what she brings to CAA:

What do you like about CAA? What would you like to see CAA change or improve upon?

“I like that CAA is dedicated to helping people go vegan and improving the lives of farmed animals. I would like to see CAA more involved with community outreach to reach a larger demographic, especially with youths. For example, I would love to see a program where children/young adults are educated about a plant-based lifestyle and take field trips to farm sanctuaries to build a personal relationships with farmed animals.  I would also love more collaboration between other animal advocacy groups in the Twin Cities.”

In your opinion, how should the animal advocacy movement go about achieving its goals?

“I think there has to be a good balance between education and resources. The public has to be educated about the impact of their actions but also be provided resources to change their habits and beliefs. In addition, many animal advocacy groups work in silos, which is very unfortunate because we are up against corporations and individuals with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. It will take a lot of teamwork and dedication to dismantle the current systems. Animal advocacy groups should work more collaboratively to achieve set goals and create a more impactful and effective movement.“

What experience do you have with fundraising? As a CAA Board Member, how would you help CAA raise money?

“I think it would be a good idea to try to plan CAA fundraising events and other activities with some local businesses that are also passionate about animal advocacy. I would happily help and/or manage fundraising events or activities for CAA.”