Narrated by Oscar-nominee James Cromwell, this powerful 12-minute film takes you on an eye-opening exploration behind the closed doors of the nation's largest industrial poultry, pig, dairy and fish farms, hatcheries, and slaughter plants – revealing the often-unseen journey that animals make from Farm to Fridge.

Using arresting images covertly recorded on hidden camera, this provocative film puts into focus the harsh reality faced by farmed animals – creatures granted no federal protection from abuse during their lives on factory farms.

Challenging society's views and treatment of "food animals," Farm to Fridge elevates our moral and ethical discussion about where our food comes from, how it is produced, and who is left to pay the ultimate price for cheap meat, dairy and eggs.

This film is guaranteed to change the way you look at the power, and consequences, of your food choices.

You can watch this life-changing film for free online at MeatVideo. After viewing Farm to Fridge, we encourage you to share it with your friends on Facebook, order a free copy to screen in your community, and request a free Vegetarian Starter Kit.

We hope you find MFA's new film informative, motivational, and moving. Together we can protect farmed animals from abuse, and inspire others to explore cruelty-free food choices.

*Please note that this film contains graphic and violent images*

The vegan communitywas all abuzz last week when Oprah Winfrey and over 300 of herstaffers went vegan for a week. Oprah's vegan episode hit aired onTuesday, February 1^st. Oprah welcomed guests MichaelPollan (author) and Kathy Freston (vegan author) to answer questionscentered around the food industry and growing movement to go vegan.At one point, viewers were led on a tour through a Cargill-run cattlefactory farm. Viewers witnessed just about everything, except for theexecution; at which point correspondent Lisa Ling was brought totears.

There was a widevariety of responses from the staffers who took the challenge. Somelost weight and felt great; others experienced "junk foodwithdrawal," and felt irritable. While personal experiencesdiffered from one to another, everyone seemed to be in agreement withone thing: the importance of having a closer relationship with theirfood. Oprah even commented that this lifestyle choice was not onewhich she would ever fully adopt, stating, "You have to decidewhat's right for you and for your family. Half the battle is justbeing aware of where your food comes from and how it makes you feel.As Kathy says, just leaning into better eating can make a majordifference in all areas of your life."

CAA encourages youto take your own week-long vegan challenge. For recipe ideas, check outour recipe page and other sites such as VegWeb.If you plan on going out for a bite during your challenge week, checkout VegGuide for localveg-friendly restaurants in your area. Attend CAA events for supportand encouragement, including our Valentine's Cooking Class (Thrs. 10^th), Valentine's Potluck (Sat. 12^th), or our Vegan After Dark at Hard Times (Sat. 19^th).

After completingyour challenge, we would love to hear your story. Select stories willbe featured in our newsletter at the beginning of March. Celebrate your challenge with CAA at our 2^nd Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off on February 26^th!

Thank you for your continued support of Compassionate Action for Animals. You’ve made our work possible and powerful. Can you continue your support and make a contribution of $50, $25, or $15?

Thanks to your help, we are able to advocate for farm animals. Here’s a few of our accomplishments this year:

• Veg Month. Yes, you read that correctly. This year we expanded Veg Week to be Veg Month. We had a whole month’s worth of events, including hosting renowned vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz, our pledge to be veg, cooking classes, a religious panel, a tour of a chicken sanctuary, and more. Through this month-long series of events, hundreds of participants learned about the cruelty of factory farming, tried new vegan foods, met like-minded animal advocates, and had a great time.
• Bridges of Respect. For over a decade, CAA’s Bridges of Respect Humane Education program has been helping students gain the tools they need to successfully solve problems of animal abuse, environmental decline, and human rights through their individual choices, their work, and their activism for animals. But that’s not all. We have been working to see Humane Education incorporated as a cornerstone in the school system. For example, at Coon Rapids High School, our presentations are included as a regular agenda item at administrative meetings when discussing curricular needs, such as text books. So far this year we have provided 65 presentations at over a dozen schools. We have reached nearly 2,000 students in grades 6-12 with literature, videos, and vegan food samples. With your help, we can increase our outreach to teachers and students and do our part to help make Humane Education a constant feature in our school system’s curriculum.
• Their Lives, Our Voices. We hosted our third conference with prominent speakers from across the country. With an affordable price and great vegan food, animal activists congregated to learn about the latest strategies in fighting exploitation and to meet fellow activists.

These are just a few examples of the work we do. I’m thankful to work with talented, motivated, positive and fun volunteers, donors, and supporters that want to help animals.

Your support has made this possible, and your continued support will help us continue our crucial working going forward. Please make a contribution of $50, $25, or $15 today.

Yours for the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad Development Coordinator P.S. Mark your calendar for our banquet on April 7, 2011!

When Dee was just 15 years old she decided to stop eating meat and she became vegetarian. As she continued to educate herself more about vegetarianism and animal rights issues, it did not take long for her to transition into veganism. Dee has been active with animal rights and has volunteered at events such as the Thanks Living Festival in New York.

After Dee moved to Minnesota, she found CAA on Meetup. It was at Meetup events where Dee met fellow CAA volunteer Jin Dalsin. Today Dee and Jin coordinate the Vegan After Darks. When Dee is not working or volunteering she enjoys nature, reading, yoga, and indulging in great vegan food and wine.

Stop by a Vegan After Dark and introduce yourself to December's Volunteer of the Month Dee Hanson!

CAA is looking for a volunteer Office Manager at our 2100 office. The Office Manager position is a volunteer staff position, so it is unpaid. There are perks including free parking, access to office refreshments (coffee, tea and snacks), a free CAA t-shirt and more! If you are interested in the position, please e-mail Danielle your cover letter and resume.

CAA also has a number of other Volunteer Staff positions open. We currently have several dedicated Volunteer Staff members, but we are always looking for more. If you are looking for something with less time commitment then take a look at our volunteer opportunities. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please fill out a volunteer form, and the Director of Volunteer Programs will get in touch with you.