Look To The Stars News: Farm Sanctuary

Ginnifer Goodwin Wants You To Adopt A Turkey

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Farm Sanctuary, the leading farm animal protection organization in the US, has unveiled two public service announcements urging compassion for turkeys this Thanksgiving starring actress Ginnifer Goodwin, star of HBO’s “Big Love” and the official 2009 spokesperson for the organization’s annual Adopt-A-Turkey Project (adoptaturkey.org), a national program designed to end the misery of commercially-raised turkeys.

A special Q&A with the star on celebrating a compassionate Thanksgiving, her recent visit to Farm Sanctuary, vegan living and much more is also available on the organization’s website.

“With so many delicious, cruelty-free Thanksgiving dishes available, there is no reason why any living being should have to suffer,” said Goodwin, who is joined by Magnolia, a rescued turkey who lives at Farm Sanctuary’s California Shelter, for the spots. “I encourage everyone to start a new, compassionate Thanksgiving tradition this year and Adopt-A-Turkey, rather than eat one.”

Each year 250 to 300 million turkeys are slaughtered for food in the U.S.— more than 45 million for Thanksgiving alone— resulting in thousands of birds being tightly confined in dark, filthy sheds, debeaked and detoed without anesthetic and bred to reach a crippling weight at an unnaturally fast rate.

The two spots, “Sponsor a Feathered Friend” and “Save a Life on Thanksgiving,” produced by Joshua Katcher of Perhaps Media (perhapsmedia.net) and featuring the song “Recite This in Faith” by the band USVS (myspace.com/usvs), were shot on location at Farm Sanctuary’s beautiful 300-acre Orland, California farm, located 100 miles north of Sacramento, and home to more than 300 animals rescued from abusive factory farming conditions. The organization is also releasing special “behind-the-scenes” footage of Goodwin discussing commercial turkey farming and fun bloopers and outtakes from the shoot.

The PSAs, “behind-the-scenes” footage and special Q&A with Ginnifer Goodwin can be found here.

For more information about Thanksgiving’s toll on turkeys and resources for celebrating a compassionate holiday, visit adoptaturkey.org.

Russell Simmons To Host Celebration FOR The Turkeys

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Hip Hop mogul Russell Simmons is to host a very special event for Farm Sanctuary later this month as a compassionate benefit for turkeys – who get a tough time around Thanksgiving every year.

Celebration FOR The Turkeys will take place at Tavern on the Green in New York City on November 22, and will feature guest speaker Jonathon Safran Foer – author of “Eating Animals” – and special guests Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Peter Max and Ally Sheedy.

According to the organizers, the event will feature: "An elegant vegan brunch at the landmark Tavern on the Green from noon – 5 p.m. in Central Park. Our holiday meal, with menu design by Candle 79 served “family style,” will be followed by a festive reception featuring a spiced cider, hot cocoa, holiday nog, and desserts from the area’s favorite vegan pastry chefs and a Silent Auction for all your holiday shopping needs!"

Farm Sanctuary is an organization committed to combatting the abuses of factory farming and to encouraging a new awareness and understanding about “farm animals.” The charity advocates for laws and policies to prevent suffering and promote compassion, reaching out to legislators and businesses, and working to bring about institutional reforms.

To find out more about this event, click here.

Emily Deschanel To Hold Q&A For Charity

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:30:00 -0000

The Screen Actors Guild will present a special screening of the hit TV show Bones in Los Angeles tonight, followed by a Q&A session with actress Emily Deschanel.

An actress with talent and poise, Emily Deschanel has built an impressive list of credits in her career, challenging herself with each new role.
 
An animal rights activist passionately involved with the charity Farm Sanctuary, Dechanel works to end cruelty to farm animals and promotes compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy. She is also involved with The Humane Society and Women for Women International.  Deschanel was born in Los Angeles and received her B.F.A. in Theater from Boston University.

The Screen Actors Guild encourages interest in acting and improving the acting skills of interested persons though educational seminars, workshops, tapes and films.

This event starts at 7pm tonight, October 27, at the SAG Foundation Actors Center at 5757 Wilshire Avenue. For more information, click here.

Celebrities Sign Letter To Stop Tail Docking

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:30:00 -0000

An animal rights charity has gathered support from a number of celebrities for its urgent call to end a cruel practice commonplace in the dairy industry.

On behalf of Kim Basinger, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Maher, Bob Barker and a host of other California celebrities – as well as their more than 200,000 members and supporters – Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, sent a letter today to Governor Schwarzenegger urging him to do the right thing and sign a bill sitting on his desk that would end the cruel and outdated practice of amputating dairy cows’ tails.

Both chambers of the California legislature recently passed a bill that would ban tail docking in the dairy industry, but the bill will not become law unless the governor signs it.

Tail docking, the amputation of a cow’s tail by applying a tight rubber ring around the appendage until the tissue becomes necrotic and falls off, or is alternatively cut off with shears, is a procedure usually performed without analgesics and causes the animal to suffer acute and lingering pain. It also prohibits them from warding off biting insects with their tail, leading to greater distress during fly season. Peer-reviewed research from both governmental and academic sources indicates there are no health or safety benefits associated with tail docking, and the procedure has been opposed by numerous professional associations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

“With last November’s landslide passage of Prop 2, banning the three cruelest farm animal confinement systems in the state, Californians made it clear they will no longer tolerate cruel and unnecessary practices on factory farms,” said Gene Baur, Farm Sanctuary’s president and co-founder. “By putting an end to tail docking, Governor Schwarzenegger has the opportunity to continue this wave of compassion and send a humane message to the rest of the country.”

Celebrities who signed Farm Sanctuary’s letter to Governor Schwarzenegger urging him to ban tail docking in California include Alicia Silverstone, Bill Maher, Bob Barker, Emily Deschanel, Eric Roberts, Esai Morales, Fred Willard, Ginnifer Goodwin, James Cromwell, Joan van Ark, Kim Basinger, Kristen Bell, Mariel Hemingway, Mimi Kennedy and Valerie Harper.

Look To The Stars Exclusive: An Interview With Corey Feldman

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Brandy Reynolds

Run through your top 10 favorite films from the 1980’s, and chances are that Corey Feldman will feature in at least one of them. From The Goonies to Gremlins to Stand By Me to The Lost Boys to Friday the 13th:The Final Chapter, his is a face a whole generation grew up recognizing.

Recent viewers may recognize Feldman from The Two Coreys, a reality show on the A&E Network that also starred Corey Haim. Since the late 90’s, he has also been enjoying success with his band, the Truth Movement, but it is charity work that keeps the actor and musician occupied for much of his time. With interests in animal welfare, environmental issues and several other causes, Feldman was awarded the Paws of Fame Award by the Wildlife Way Station.

Look To The Stars’ reporter Brandy Reynolds was lucky enough to catch up with Corey recently to chat about his work towards making the world a better place.

Hi Corey… can you tell us about some of the charities you support?

I support a lot of charities, I’m very involved with several different charities on all different levels. I can kind of give you the hit list .

I can’t really be selective. All are meaningful. At the top of the list would be the The Humane Society, PETA, Farm Sanctuary , Last Chance for Animals. All relatively related to each other. All related to animal rights and animal protection and health and welfare of animals.

And there’s environmental… Greenpeace, Global Green, Save Our Earth… and cancer charities, children’s charities like Camp Rainbow, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I try to lend my voice to those who don’t have a voice of their own. Which is why I talk about animals, children, or environment – because those 3 topics don’t have their own representative.

Were you raised to think about others, or is there a certain event in your life that made you really want to get involved with charity work?

I’ve always cared about others, I myself was raised in a very abusive house hold. I spent most of my life very poor – always living hand to mouth and figuring out where the next meal was coming from… that was a big part of my life. So that made me very sympathetic to the less fortunate; and my mother was a huge animal rights advocate. When I was a child working as actor she had me involved with a group called Actors and Others for Animals which was one of the first animal rights organizations based out of Hollywood. So I was involved with them very early on… probably seven or eight years old -running around rescuing dogs and bringing them to our home. Shortly after that we ended up with 30 dogs and 20 cats living at our ranch.

We were really consumed with trying to save the world – and at that point of course no one was really doing what we were doing, there wasn’t really a lot of vegetarianism and animal rights activism. By the time I was 10 years old, I was resigned to the fact the I wanted to be a vegetarian for the rest of my life. However, growing up in a strict family environment, my grandparents where old Jewish traditional type people and thought I was crazy for wanting to be a vegetarian. It took until I was about 13 years old when I made the decision to be a strict vegetarian… and have been every since, and it’s been about 24 years for me now.

What would you recommend others do to get involved and what can they do?

There’s a lot you can do and it depends where you want to focus your time and energy. For me, I say anything you can do to help another struggling being [is great]. If you have the opportunity, just do it. That could mean anything from going down to the homeless shelters and feeding people, or if you have food you can go down to the homeless shelters and give it to them. You can hand out things to people on the streets – I don’t suggest handing out money because you don’t know what it’s going to be spent on.

You can get involved , you can be come a volunteer at any countless number of shelters or abuse clinics or hospitals. As far as environmental causes and helping the world goes – become environmentally safer and more eco friendly. There are small things you can do at home, such as using only bio-degradable products, earth-friendly products, making sure you turn your lights off, separate plastic and metals… every little bit that a human being does can push us forward in the battle of trying to restore our earth.

Do you feel Hollywood should set a better example?

I think the wheels are in motion and it’s certainly a hot point that people are progressively thinking about escalating this battle to the next level and making sure that we are setting a example. If you look around, everything is green this and green that. But there’s always more that can be done. For example, I put out a album a couple of months ago with my band, Truth Movement, and we wanted to kind of raise the bar when it came to environmental products and doing things environmentally friendly. So we released it under my own label in order that we could release it on one hundred percent recyclable biodegradable materials – the package is one hundred percent recyable material, the tray is corn plastic and we used soy wheat to print the images. Our first single is called Green Is The Color, so right there that was a way that I made my mark with my band to set a example. Yes it can be done in the end. It cost us a little bit more , but it can be done. And it’s worth it because we are making a statement that we are not going to keep taking the easier softer way.

What can we tell the people to look forward to and watch for in your up-coming projects?

Theres a couple of things. We’re doing a live premiere of our record release party in which I just mentioned. It’s call Technology Analogy. That event is planned at the Key Club on April 10th .

We are also talking to Weed Ware. They make materials out of weed instead of regular material. One of the things they focus on is they make all band materials out of weed. And we are now using all weed materials in our band (drum sticks and guitar picks).

Another thing we’re doing – I can’t say that this is done yet – but we are trying to have all of our musical performances completely green. It’s not one hundred percent yet , but we are trying.

On April 16 we are headlining an event at the Whiskey on Sunset which is going to be for the animal awareness week. So we basically have a series of events that are directed at raising awareness and financing efforts to stop animal testing. And on March 28, my wife Susie – who is also a huge animal and environmental activist (she is the one who got me involved) – will be presenting an award at the Genesis Awards at the Beverley Hilton.

Look To The Stars would like to thank Corey Feldman for taking the time to talk to us and share his thoughts on making the world a better place. To find out more about his efforts and upcoming events, visit Coreyfeldman.net or Myspace.com /technologyanalogy.

Corey Feldman Offers Special Experiences In Charity Auction

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actor and musician Corey Feldman is offering special packages and once-in-a-lifetime experiences in a new online auction to raise funds for charity.

The 37-year-old star of The Two Coreys is auctioning off experiences such as a Meet and Greet along with VIP attendance and backstage passes to the album release party/Green Carpet event for his new CD “Technology Analogy,” lunch at the Ivy in Beverly Hills with Corey and his wife Susie Feldman, a personal one-on-one acting scene study, and your own personalized phone voice message/greeting/recording made by Corey or Susie. Signed Cds are also up for grabs.

Proceeds from the auction will go to the Hollywood Note Foundation – an organization created to further promote, expand, contribute, and to honor those global philanthropic endeavors of Hollywood celebrities, charities and corporations – and also to Farm Sanctuary, a charity that works to end cruelty to farm animals and promotes compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy.

The auction is being hosted on AuctionWire and can be accessed here. Bids close on February 15.

LTTS Exclusive: Celebrity Babes Come Out To PLAY For Charity

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Last weekend in Los Angeles celebrities showed up at infamous Saddle Ranch Chop House on Sunset Boulevard for the second annual ‘Babes on the Bull’ charity event to benefit P.L.A.Y. (Providing Laughter and Amusement for Youth), an organization that collects new toys, books and games and distributes them to children in hospitals, shelters and other organizations.

Guests packed the Saddle Ranch for an afternoon of ’LA’s hottest girls’ riding the mechanical bull for charity with extra entertainment in the form of fire dancers (Fire Groove) and a live auction which included amazing seats at a Laker’s game, VIP booths at LA’s hippest clubs, golf outings, LA Dodgers baseball tickets and others. The best aspect of the auction was that everyone entering the Ranch-including the general public- received a hundred-dollar voucher to use towards auction items.

Celebrities who lent their name and came out to PLAY for the cause included: Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean, actress AnnaLynne McCord (90210), MTV’s ‘Wild N Out’ stars D.J. D-Wrek and Leonard Robinson, Warrant front man Jani Lane, actress Claudia Jordon, David Faustino (Married w/Children, STAR-VING), Gladiator Romeo, Cory & Susie Feldman, Amanda Detmer, Colleen Shannon, Jaimarie Bjorge, model/actress Kaki West, recording artist Oryon, ‘Vacancy 2’ star Lola Davidson, and actress Kelly Monaco.

Warrant front man Jani Lane was all smiles as he arrived and admitted that he’s never ridden a mechanical bull.

Actor David Faustino, who lives within walking distance of the venue, was happy to lend his support for a great cause. “I figured I’d come out today and support the cause” he said on the red carpet, “I live in the neighborhood, so you know, I give a little cheer, a little money and you know-promote, the whole package.”

Corey and Susie Feldman, the power couple who star in the A&E hit show ‘The Two Coreys’, were genuinely excited to take part in the event. “We’re here to support the kids of course,” said Corey. Granted, Corey is no stranger to giving back big-time to the community while also promoting animal rights. He’s a spokesperson for PETA, Farm Sanctuary, The Humane Society, MoveOn, and Greenpeace, and was awarded the Paws of Fame Award by the Wildlife Way Station for his dedication to animal rights.

Inside the venue, the crowd was pumped up as girls took to the bull to raise cash for the kids. And it wasn’t just "babes’ who rode the bull, a few celebrities gave it a try. First to give it a shot was actress Jaimarie Bjorge, who remained in the saddle for the duration of the ride and got the crowd pumped up for the rest of the riders.

All in all, this was a great event for a great cause and no doubt, there are quite a few grateful children in Los Angeles today.

Farm Sanctuary Hosts Winter Wonderland For Animals

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:30:00 -0000

On Thursday, December 4 from 6 to 10 p.m., Farm Sanctuary – the nation’s largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals – is hosting the elegant Winter Wonderland for the Animals: A Farm Sanctuary Benefit to raise vital funds for the organization’s life-saving rescue, education and advocacy efforts for farm animals.

Through this special event, celebrities, activists and other kindhearted individuals join Farm Sanctuary in celebrating compassion for all beings by helping give farm animals the most precious gift this holiday season: life.

Special celebrity guests include Laurie Anderson, Alison Becker, Jennifer Coolidge, Corey Feldman, Peter Max, Patrick McDonnell, Tatum O’Neal, Maulik Pancholy, Daniela Sea, Ally Sheedy, Princess Superstar, Loretta Swit, Justin Theroux, DJ Miss Guy, and many more.

This festive party held at The Art Directors Club (106 W. 29th St., New York, NY) will feature inspirational presentations from special guests including Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur, author of the best-seller, “Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food.” The event will also feature delicious cocktails and delightful gourmet hors d’oeuvres from New York City’s finest vegan restaurants and caterers. Just in time for holiday gift-giving, guests will have the opportunity to purchase several charming items from the silent auction. All proceeds from the event will go toward Farm Sanctuary’s efforts to end factory farming cruelty and provide safe refuge for farm animals in need.

Tickets are $100 per guest and are available from www.farmsanctuary.org.

A Chance To Meet Forest Whitaker

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Fans of Forest Whitaker take note: here is your chance to join the award winning actor on the set of his new movie and maybe even sit down to a bite to eat with the man himself and his daughter.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is being auctioned by Farm Sanctuary, an organization that works to end cruelty to farm animals and promotes compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy. Founded in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming and to encourage a new awareness and understanding about farm animals, Farm Sanctuary now runs several sanctuaries in the US to house rescued animals.

Whitaker and his young daughter, True, are known for their ongoing support of Farm Sanctuary, and True Whitaker was Farm Sanctuary’s first Child Chair at the 2007 Gala in Beverly Hills – sharing the spotlight with other supporters such as Ellen DeGeneres and David Duchovny. Forest and True also recorded a PSA for PETA together.

The auction – which runs until September 18 – can be accessed through the Charity Buzz website. Also up for grabs are opportunities to meet and dine with Kristen Bell and Alicia Silverstone, DVDs signed by Jerry Seinfeld, CDs signed by Natalie Merchant and Emmylou Harris, a poster signed by John Travolta, and much more.

Stars Flock To Farm Sanctuary Gala

Wed, 21 May 2008 10:32:57 -0000

Written by Parrish

What could be better than a fancy evening in downtown Manhattan celebrating a brilliant foundation with some of today’s hottest celebrities? The answer: absolutely nothing!

This past Saturday I had the honor of attending Farm Sanctuary’s annual gala. Farm Sanctuary was started in 1986 and is now considered to be the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. Each year the gala helps raise funds for their noble work and honor those who make a difference.

The evening was pure elegance with beautifully decorated tables, a classy silent auction area and, of course, the second floor VIP loft where all the famous faces mingled.

Within minutes upstairs I was surrounded by a goggle of celebrities all sharing one thing – a love for Farm Sanctuary. Swoosie Kurtz told me: “I’m just so blown away by what they do. They are so specific in what they do and their goals and they really get thing done.”

Emily Deschanel, a vegan of 16 years, said that she “loves that Farm Sanctuary works from so many different angles” and “that they do so much like passing laws for the farm animals and educating the public.”

As the evening progressed I hobnobbed with stars like Rory Freedman, Dennis Kucinich, Kevin Nealon, Victoria Moran, Ally Sheedy, Loretta Swit, Russell Simmons and Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur.

The ceremony itself was hosted by Heather Mills, emceed by Melissa Rivers and Susie Essman led the live auction. As the evening closed we were treated to a twilight reception with desserts by Vegan Treats and a musical performance by Grammy Award winner Shawn Colvin.

All and all it was a glorious example of what people can do with a compassionate heart, a willing spirit and a generous pocket. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit www.FarmSanctuary.org.

Parrish is a regular contributor to Ecorazzi, the web’s leading green-gossip site.

(Photo copyright Andrew Ford)

Heather Mills Hosts 2008 Farm Sanctuary Gala

Mon, 05 May 2008 12:51:18 -0000

Written by Dawn Fantasia

Heather Mills is giving hope to animal-lovers everywhere by returning to host this year’s Farm Sanctuary Gala on May 17th, with emcee Melissa Rivers.

Heather and Melissa will be joined by many caring people and well-known celebrities, such as Kristen Bell and Kevin Nealon, who share their dream of bringing public awareness and compassion to the safety of farm animals. This will be a night to remember, full of exquisite vegan cuisine and sensational entertainment provided by Shawn Colvin.

Gift bags featuring vegan foods, cruelty-free items and other unique farm animal-related gifts are to be given out at the event to educate Gala guests about compassionate living, and an auction featuring original paintings, photography, gift baskets, jewelry and more will help to raise funds for the charity.

Guests set to attend this black tie event include Rachel Leigh Cook, Jennifer Coolidge, Emily Deschanel, Christine Ebersole, Lisa Edelstein, Susie Essman, Corey Feldman, Richard Kind, Swoosie Kurtz, Vanessa Marcil, Peter Max, Esai Morales, Eric Roberts, Ally Sheedy, Hal Sparks, Loretta Swit, True Whitaker, Persia White, Debra Wilson Skelton and more.

While volunteer opportunities to help at the event are no longer available, tickets for the Gala are still on sale at $400 each. For more information about purchasing a ticket or making a donation please visit the Farm Sanctuary Gala ’08 website.

(Photo courtesy of Farm Sanctuary)

Look To The Stars News: Farm Sanctuary

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