by Arabella Watters
Native Foods Cafe
I grew up in a household of animal lovers, there’s no disputing that. As a child, my weekends were filled with trips to the zoo and aquarium, as well as adventures traipsing around the Santa Ynez Mountains (the name of the range that slope ups quietly behind my home in Santa Barbara, California) looking for whatever species of bird or butterfly I had pinpointed as exciting from whatever wildlife guidebook I was obsessed with that week. My parents were absolutely nuts about whale watching. Despite my sometimes-jaded perspective at the ripe old age of twenty, I have to say that there’s something about that rush of watching the dolphins bump intimately against the bow of the boat in the thousands or the otherworldliness of a humpback whale rising out of the sea that gets me. My childhood was relatively inundated with a very hands on education about animals.
Native Foods Cafe vegan restaurant uses this photo courtesy of Woodstock Sanctuary.
It wasn’t really a surprise to me when my Dad and stepmom decided right about the time that I was starting high school that they wanted to become vegans. For both environmental reasons and animal rights activism, our home, became a full-fledged shrine to kale, tempeh sausages, quinoa, and a variety of mildy spiced curry tagines. Cream-based soup and cream cheese frosting both became persona non gratis.
All that being said, now that you know a little bit about me and my past both as an animal lover and a quasi-by-association-vegan it would make sense for me to introduce one of my favorite animal organizations that I think is completely worth every second of the day I spend distracting myself on their website.
Native Foods Cafe vegan restaurant uses this photo courtesy of Woodstock Sanctuary.
The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, located just a it’s name would suggest right outside of Woodstock, NY was started by couple Jenny Brown and Doug Abel in late 2004. The sanctuary rescues hundreds of animals from abuse and slaughter and gives them a home, hopefully either to eventually be adopted out or simply to live our their lives in peace. I don’t think any of the animals are complaining about the large open spaces, grassy pastures, and unconditional love and nurturing they receive at Woodstock.
Native Foods Cafe vegan restaurant uses this photo courtesy of Woodstock Sanctuary.
My mom turned me onto the sanctuary about a year ago, and I have to say, its one of my goals to visit it sometime before I graduate from college. The sanctuary is home to over 200 cows, chickens, pigs, rabbits, goats, sheep, turkeys, duck, and geese and plays host to a a multitude of vegan friendly events such as the Sanctuary in the City Benefit on April 30 cohosted by Alexander Gray Associates. Open to the public and always looking for volunteers, the sanctuary radiates a warm, unadulterated love for animals, as well as a fierce dedication to their rights. Also, if you have any inclination towards cute animal pics, the photos of the farm residents on the sanctuary’s website, including Ashton the sheep, Stanley the pig, and Binky and Bella the rabbits will make productivity relatively impossible. I also find myself wanting to adopt every single animal on the farm, which despite being tempting, is a little unreasonable since I’m currently residing in a 12x12 college dorm. Check out the site and all the ways it lets you help all the awesome creatures who live on the sanctuary. I guarantee, it will make your day.
Native Foods Cafe, vegan, vegan food, vegan restaurant, animal sanctuary, Woodstock Sanctuary