August 24, 2023

Join us for the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer Rally at Twin Cities Veg Fest on September 17th! This special gathering will take place from noon to 1 pm on Harriet Island in St. Paul. We invite everyone to come support October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

At the rally, you’ll hear local experts, and breast cancer survivors share inspiring stories. But that’s not all – we have a unique treat for you! Percussionists from local bands “beat the drum” for breast cancer prevention. Get ready to enjoy some amazing music while raising your voice for this important cause.

During the rally, you’ll hear about the four lifestyle steps that can reduce the risk of breast cancer and recurrence. Food for Life instructors Jodi Gruhn, Jill Erickson, and Joel Erickson will be sharing their knowledge. These passionate advocates for plant-based nutrition educate about the power of healthy eating. In addition, we are honored to have Kiley Krocak share her inspiring story of surviving breast cancer!

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August 24, 2023

We are thrilled to have with us three fantastic performers at the Cultural Star Stage at Twin Cities Veg Fest: Mary Bue, Happy Lance Brunious and the Red Wine Trio with Elyse Jones. Queen Frye will be the EmCee. The festival will be September 17 at Harriet Island Park in St. Paul. Join us for the great sounds and fun! Enjoy the tasty festival food while grooving along to the tunes.

These award winning groups offer something for everyone with stylings from vegan songwriter to rapper and jazz vocalist, to modern jazz trio.

Mary Bue is a songwriter, international retreat guide, music and yoga teacher, and vegan of 10+ years based out of Minneapolis, often “roaming this beautiful world.” You may remember her from when she performed at one of our ThanksLiving celebration with her moving song “Veal.”

Named Best Songwriter of 2020 by City Pages, her music touches upon archetypal themes of the human condition: love, loss, triumph, dreams,  and the natural world. A longtime student of yoga and psychology, Mary weaves sacred subject matter into her songs, seeking of deeper levels of consciousness, and deep concern for the environment mixed into her sometimes crass, real-world hue. Her latest album The World is Your Lover was released in 2020 and garnered rave reviews from around the globe.  Mary is working on her 9th studio album The Wildness of Living and Dying to be released in early 2024.  She’ll be joined at Twin Cities Veg Fest by longtime collaborators Shannon Frid-Rubin (Cloud Cult) and Steve Price (The Suburbs).

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August 16, 2023

Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) recently had the opportunity to participate in the Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit, which took place from July 26 to July 29. The event brought together CAA staff, board members, and volunteers, offering them a chance to connect with like-minded individuals and gain valuable knowledge in the field of animal advocacy. We deeply appreciate the movement donors who enabled volunteers to attend! 

Read on to read a summary of resources each person discovered, what they learned, and what they found interesting or valuable about the summit.

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August 16, 2023

On August 12, Compassionate Action For Animals held its most successful fundraiser ever for the Twin Cities Veg Fest. The Twin Cities first Plant-based Bike Crawl was the brainchild of the CAA Board of Directors. It all started with the brilliant minds of the CAA Board of Directors. They came up with this fantastic idea, and with the help of a dedicated team of board members and volunteers, they made it happen. And boy, was it a blast! Best yet, the ride raised a total of $2,305 after expenses!

Equally important, the Crawl drew in a lot of interested folks—many of them new to CAA and veganism. Over fifty riders had a fun day enjoying the perfect weather, touring beautiful south Minneapolis, and sampling a variety of vegan goodies. It was also a chance to meet like-minded folks in CAA’s vibrant community. A couple of dedicated doggie companions even joined in the fun!

The bike crawl covered a total of 18 miles starting at Powderhorn Park. From there, the riders pedaled their way to Reverie Cafe + Bar, where they enjoyed mouthwatering jackfruit carnitas tacos. Then, they made a pit stop at Herbie Butcher, where they indulged in a cup of one of their tasty sides topped with vegan fried chicken. Finally, they wrapped up their ride at Vegan East, where they treated themselves to a special commemorative chocolate cupcake. Along the route, they also enjoyed homemade vegan snacks lovingly prepared and served by the awesome CAA volunteers. Talk about a feast on wheels!

The Plant-based Bike Crawl was so incredibly successful and fun that there’s a good chance it might happen again next year. So, keep your eyes peeled and stay tuned for your chance to join in on this epic adventure next time.

August 16, 2023

Recently, CAA announced the opening of a new full time position within the organization — the Graphic Design, Social Media, and Marketing Coordinator. This position combines roles from two previous positions along with a new marketing role. All made possible by generous donations and grants.  Now, we are pleased to introduce Sara Beth Olson who accepted our offer and is just starting her new role! 

Sara comes to us with 5+ years of experience in content marketing for digital agencies, working with a wide variety of end clients on blogs, websites, social media, ebooks, and more. Her time in this industry has given her the knowledge base to help organizations succeed in their marketing goals and drive results. 

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A guest blog by Chicken Run Rescue, August 2023

Last June I had to tell a friend that a famous CRR hen she had been
looking forward to meeting in person had passed unexpectedly.

“I wanted to let you know before you arrive here that we lost Zelda on May
5th, the day after International Respect for Chickens Day. It was a brief
illness and completely unexpected. I could tell you had developed a special
feeling for her so wanted to soften the blow before your first visit to our
sanctuary.”

As sanctuary caregivers, we live in a perpetual state of grief. We had lost 5
of our family since April. When multiple animals share a home, that’s how it
goes. There is always someone who will be next to leave us and next to
arrive. Hypervigilance is required to monitor many individuals on a daily
basis; intimate familiarity and knowing their personal habits is key to
recognizing subtle changes that might indicate a problem. Where and when
they sleep, how they move and breathe, posture, what and when they eat,
and social interactions are just a few of the things that can send a caregiver
into sleepless nights of fret. They all come to us from the most dire of
straits, sometimes alone, sometimes en masse. They bear the mental and
physical scars of their past lives. Wounded inside and out. That is the
nature of rescue/sanctuary work.

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July 25, 2023

Last year, President Biden signed an important law called the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and the Reducing Animal Testing Act. These laws are important because they aim to make a big change in how we develop new drugs and test them. CAA was one of the diverse groups who signed on to help make sure these acts passed.Cruelty-Free Drugs are Coming! One important thing the new law does is remove a rule that said experimental drugs had to be tested on animals. Now, we are getting closer to finding better and kinder ways to develop drugs. The law also provides $5 million to support a program that will use new and better methods instead of testing on animals. This means we can find safe and effective drugs without hurting animals.

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July 22, 2023

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Chickens: Marge, Janet, Metoo, Mia. People:Theresa, Joe, Michael, Laura, Dom

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Michael holding Dakota

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Andrew, Rosa, Elicia

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Elicia and Dakota

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Veggie Pot Pie

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Theresa holding Metoo

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Joe holding Luna

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Birds top to bottom: Luna, Molly, Juan, Hopeful, Ms Machowski, Betelgeuse, Rosa Humans L-R: Laura, Joe, Michael, Abbey, Andrew

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John, Dominic

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Abbey with treats by Mary

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L-R: Metoo, Janet, Marge, Mia

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L-R: Juan, Dubba, Hannah In yurt: Ms Machowski, Molly, Rosa

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A few weeks ago, a group of volunteers from Compassionate Action for Animals officially became Friends of the Flock at Chicken Run Rescue (CRA). These dedicated volunteers had an important goal: to get to know the residents of the sanctuary and help make their lives even better.

The day began with a brief meditation session – a self-care moment before the storm of activity. Hosted by the amazing Mary Britton Clouse and Bert Clouse (CRR co-founders), the volunteers were made to feel at home. They learned about the residents of the sanctuary and what it takes to provide them optimal care. Then, it was time to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

From cleaning the chicken living spaces to spreading mulch and doing yard work, it was a day of hard work and dedication. But it was worth it. The chickens expressed great interest in what they were doing and kept them company. And with tasty vegan treats from Mary, the volunteers had plenty of energy to get the job done.

As the day came to a close, the group relaxed around more scrumptious vegan food. CAA supplied a vegan pot pie, a dish that emphasized that pot pies can (and should) be made without our dear friends inside them. The participants all chipped in yummy vegan picnic fare they brought as well. It was a perfect end to the day, and a reminder that there are many ways to live a compassionate life.

Through their work at the sanctuary, the volunteers gained a better understanding of chickens as friends. They saw their sentience first hand, and it helped clarify the importance of leaving chickens off our plate. The potluck also showed how delicious vegan food can be.

If you’re inspired by the work of Chicken Run Rescue and would like to get involved, reach out to mary@chickenrunrescue.org to see what opportunities they might have in future. CAA’s has some other sanctuary tours coming soon. Keep posted here and on our social media for more details.

Thank you to our photographers: J. M. Pierce Photography, Mary Britton Clouse and Theresa Zingery