The Humane Line

Join us in running for the animals!

2009-08-13T12:58:00.005-04:00

If you are vegetarian or vegan and enjoy running or jogging (or would like to start), please consider joining Team Vegan Philly for its second year running for the animals! TVP is a group of veg and vegan folks from the greater Philadelphia area who run in either the 8k, half-marathon, or full marathon as part of the Philadelphia Marathon (this year on November 22) as a fundraiser to raise money for animals. Last year about 18 TVP members ran for the animals, raising over $10,000 and garnering front page coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer! Please consider joining us for this year's run! You can find more info online at www.TeamVeganPhilly.com or by emailing us at info@thehumaneleague.com

Comics For Compassion: A Comedic Benefit for HLP

2009-06-30T11:13:00.002-04:00

Come out and laugh with the Humane League on Thursday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Triumph Brewing Company in Old City at Comics For Compassion! For just $12 at the door you can enjoy 8 stand up comedians AND know that your money is helping to alleviate animal suffering. Check out the flier here, and the invite on Facebook!

Be an Animal Activist this Week

2009-06-22T13:57:00.003-04:00

Looking to speak out for animals in Philly this week or weekend? Here are some upcoming events that you can get involved in ...

** June 23 is the annual worldwide Olympic Day, but PETA has renamed it Olympic Shame Day this year to bring attention to the Canadian seal slaughter. Join Philadelphia area activists in raising public awareness about Canada's Olympic shame by demonstrating outside the Canadian Consulate.

Where: Canadian Consulate at 1650 Market St
When: 12:00PM-1:00PM on Tuesday, June 23
Email Sonia Parrott @ sparrott@udel.edu with questions

** As the zoo continues to celebrate its 150th anniversary, animal activist of Philly continue to protest the zoo for its inhumane conditions. Come out anytime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 27

______________________________________________________

Want more details about these and other similar opportunities for animal activists in Philadelphia? Check out the Animal ACTivists of Philly on Meetup.com.

Join the Humane League on Facebook

2009-06-21T17:32:00.002-04:00

Need another way to keep with the Humane League? We now have a group on Facebook! Join and you will be one of the first to know about all of our upcoming events.

It's Time to Get More Involved with the Humane League!

2009-06-19T13:27:00.004-04:00

Whether you have only a minute or an entire summer, the Humane League has an opportunity for you to help us grow and develop our campaigns to help reduce animal suffering.

Have a minute? Why not ...

1. Tell all of your non-vegan friends to check out www.VegStarterPack.com.

2. Let us know what restaurants you wished had more vegan and vegetarian options.

3. Sign up for our email and mailing lists so that you can keep up with the Humane League gossip.

Have a few hours? Why not ...

1. Volunteer to leaflet at a concert or two this summer. We hand out "go veg" pamphlets almost every weekend outside of concert venues, at large outdoor events, and all around town.

2. Tell your favorite restaurant about vegan food and ask if they would be open to providing more options. Tell the about the Humane League and how we are running a campaign to help them do so successfully.

Have a whole summer? Why not ...

1. Work for the Humane League! We are hiring a summer canvasser who will be able to set their own hours (15 to 40 per week) and will make commission that can average $10-15 an hour.

Want to get involved in some way? Contact us ...

1. On Twitter: @TheHumaneLeague

2. By email: info@thehumaneleague.com

3. Through our Web site's "contact us" form: http://thehumaneleague.com/contact.htm

Activist Alert: Please Call Jefferson Hospital and Ask Them to Go Cage-Free!

2009-06-11T11:02:00.004-04:00

We have been working on a new cage-free egg campaign. This time, it's Jefferson Hospital that we are asking to make the switch. Jefferson Hospital currently buys eggs from cruel, unsustainable battery cage egg farms. You can help us with this campaign by asking Jefferson to go cage-free like many other hospitals and institutions have already done!

Please call Jefferson Hospital and ask them to stop purchasing battery cage eggs! We need many calls today and tomorrow, please call Shelly Chamberlain in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at 215-955-5146 and share your opinion. Let them know that you think that they should make the switch to cage-free!

Local Student Filmmaker Receives Award for Animal Film

2009-06-09T10:33:00.002-04:00

NBC reports positive animal news in Philly: Philadelphia's own Joe Bohannon will be accepting the equivalent of an Academy Award for a student filmmaker for his hard work on a documentary to help shed light on the lives of mistreated tropical birds.

Check out the full story at NBC Philadelphia online.

Saturday June 6 Animal Events in Philly

2009-06-03T12:02:00.003-04:00

Lots of fun things going on this weekend in Philly, especially on Saturday, June 6! There are so many awesome events that it's hard to choose what to do, but we've managed to do just that. Here is where you will find the Humane League this Saturday:

In the morning and early afternoon we will be visiting the Rat Chick (local rat advocacy nonprofit mentioned here last week) at the 7th Annual Fab Rat & Animal Friends Festival. Come out to the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center (1430 East Passyunk Ave) any time between 12 noon and 4 p.m. to learn all about rats and the Rat Chick Rat Rescue and Advocacy Group. Enjoy funny rat videos, rat adoptions, a light-hearted rat beauty pageant, the A-Rat-Emmy Awards, raffles, family entertainment, and great vegan food!

Learn all the details here.

Then in the evening, we will be hosting PETA VP and author Bruce Friedrich as he signs his new book and speaks about effective animal advocacy over $12 all-you-can-eat all-veg dim sum at Singapore (1006 Race St) at 6 p.m.

Email us at info@thehumaneleague.com for more info or to R.S.V.P. You can also find this as an event on Facebook!

We hope to see you out and about learning all about animals this Saturday!

Rats on the Cover of Wall Street Journal - and Here in Philly with Rat Chick Rescue

2009-05-26T10:30:00.005-04:00

On May 16, the Wall Street Journal had a great article on page one about people who love rats: "Their Calling Is Defending Rats, Yet These Folks Aren't Lawyers." The animal rights world went nuts over this article! Did you know that here in Philly we have our own group of rat lovers and protectors?

Rat Chick Rat Rescue and Advocacy Group is an all volunteer organization based in Philadelphia. They operate a virtual shelter model where the rats are maintained in foster homes by our members and rat loving friends, and work in cooperation with other shelters, groups and individuals to help find a home for any homeless rat.

The Rat Chicks also work within the community to educate people about these loving animals in an effort to dispel the years of negative image placed upon them.

To visit the Rat Chick Rescue online click here:
Read all about the good deeds of Rat Chick!

To see all of Rat Chick's adoptable pets click here:
Rat Chick Petfinder - Give a loving rat a home.

To become MySpace friends with Rat Chick click here:
Rat Chick MySpace - be a friend.

To Email the Rat Chick click here:
Email the Rat Chick.

Also look around most HLP events for people with rats crawling all around them - they will surely be the Rat Chick Rescue and Advocacy Group!

Please Support Upcoming Bill that Would Ban Live Pigeon Shoots

2009-05-25T10:40:00.002-04:00

Pennsylvania is the only state known to legally host multiple pigeon shoots, most of them at private rod and gun clubs. Pigeons are captured and smuggled in to PA, often packed tightly into cages without food for several days. On the day of the shoot, they are mechanically launched into the air and shot at. They don't always die; so participants - sometimes kids join in this part - go around and stomp on them or rip their heads off. This is a game apparently. People bet on who can shoot the most pigeons.

Legislation is being voted on next month in Pennsylvania to ban the killing of animals launched for trap shoots or tied in place for block shoots. You can help by asking your representative to support this bill!

Send a letter from the HSUS Take Action site: https://community.hsus.org/campaign/PA_2009_caged_animal_shoots2

Celebrate National Vegetarian Week with Us!

2009-05-19T11:27:00.002-04:00

Happy National Vegetarian Week!

Looking for a way to celebrate around Philly this week? Join the Humane League at the Bubble House on Penn's campus for dinner Friday, May 22, at 6 p.m. This restaurant recently redid their menu at our suggestion to include more visible vegan and vegetarian options and we are having this dinner to thank them - so please come out and let them know that vegans appreciate them!

Email info@thehumaneleague.com to let us know you'll be joining us!

Win Free Vegan Cookie Sampler

2009-05-08T13:54:00.001-04:00

Hurry up! You only have until tomorrow to enter to win a free vegan cookie sampler over at One Frugal Foodie!

Philadelphia Spring Festival for the Animals This Weekend!

2009-05-01T15:33:00.003-04:00

It seems like it has been a long time spent planning, advertising, and getting ready for our big spring fund-raiser, the Philly Walk for Animals - but the big day is finally here!

Tomorrow, May 2, at noon we will be gathering in Rittenhouse Square to walk 2.5 miles to raise money for the animals ... and over 250 people have registered to join us! Following the walk, at around 1 p.m., we will be teaming up with PAWS for a fun-filled Festival for the Animals!

Hope to see you there!

P.S. Donations are still accepted and welcome (and dare I say even encouraged?) after the event! You can always make a safe and secure donation online at www.thehumaneleague.com/donate, where you can also find all the necessary info for mailing in a donation.

Subscribe to a Magazine and the Humane League Gets a Donation

2009-04-21T10:22:00.003-04:00

Did you know that you can earn the Humane League a donation by ordering your next magazine subscription through our magazine fund-raising page?

There are all the best mags available - over 650 in total - at discounted subscription prices. And the best part is that all you have to do is order from the page and the Humane League will receive a check in the mail for 40 percent of what you spend!

Veg Leafleting Outreach This Saturday!

2009-04-16T12:16:00.002-04:00

If you missed our recent e-newsletter, here's just one of the notices that you missed! To sign up for our e-mailing, send an e-mail to info@thehumaneleague.com.

Earth Day is rapidly approaching, and this Saturday you can join the Humane League to help educate hundreds of people about the number one way we can help the planet – by adopting a plant-based diet! The weather this Saturday will be a beautiful, sunny 74 degrees, so come enjoy the spring weather and help us spread a message of compassion!

We will be conducting veg leafleting at two different locations, both occurring this Saturday starting at 1 pm:

Location 1: Earth Day Festival, meeting at 1 pm on the corner of Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore. To RSVP or ask questions, e-mail heatherveleanu at yahoo.com. Please note we will not be leafleting at that intersection, just meeting there then going into Clark Park to leaflet – so if you plan on attending, please RSVP!

Location 2: Philadelphia Library Festival, meeting at 1 pm at the corner of 20th and Callowhill Sts. by the Whole Foods sign, then leafleting the Library Festival that will surround the Main Public Library at 20th and Vine sts. Please RSVP at info@thehumaneleague.com or call 484-904-6004 the day of the event.

Cockfighting Ring Busted in Philadelphia

2009-04-08T20:55:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia police and SPCA busted a cockfighting ring with more than 40 roosters, and some hens, at a North Philly auto shop this weekend. The police were alerted by firefighters that were called to the scene for a fire, and saw the birds. The owner of the shop, 62-year-old Jose Rivera, was arrested on animal fighting charges despite his claims that he was keeping the chickens to make soup.

Read the full story at CBS 21 online by clicking here.

BREAKING NEWS: MFA Reveals Undercover Footage from Factory Egg Farm

2009-04-02T15:54:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, April 1, Mercy For Animals (MFA) released brand new undercover investigation footage and testimony that reveals unacceptable abuse at New England's largest egg factory farm, Quality Egg of New England (QENE) in Turner, Maine.

What MFA Found
The farm in question, which was selected at random for this investigation, has despicable living conditions that are worsened by lack of vet care, insufficient killing methods that leave injured birds to slowly die in trash cans and manure pits, workers blowing cigarette smoke into the hens' faces, rotting corpses in cages with hens still producing eggs for human consumption, lack of proper training for handling the birds, and much more. What's worse: the owner, Jack DeCoster, has a long history as a notorious polluter and animal abusers, having been fined multiple times for his gross negligence for the environment and animals.

What MFA is Asking of You
Eggland's Best, a company that boasts high standards, uses QENE as a supplier. MFA is asking all of us to use our money to help their efforts. MFA needs you to refrain from buying any Eggland's Best products until they agree to stop using QENE. You can also contact Eggland's Best and let them know that you will not stand for such inhumane production of your food. Furthermore, these conditions are, unfortunately, a industry-wide problem and going completely egg free will help immensely.

What is Being Done
MFA will continue discussions with Eggland's Best and other QENE distributors. Additionally, the state of Maine is stepping up! Yesterday, the state received a warrant to raid QENE, based on the conditions being a violation of Maine's anti-cruelty laws.

Learn More
* Get egg-free recipes at ChooseVeg.com
* Discover all the details of the undercover footage at MFA's site
* Get facts about battery cages at Wikipedia
* View an animated Animal Visual to get an inside look at life in a battery cage

Veg in the News: Temple Students Find Turkey in Their Veg Meals

2009-04-01T13:54:00.002-04:00

Vegetarianism has made the front page of the Temple News, unfortunately it's not good news. Apparently the state university, which has been hailed for its veg-friendly meals, accidentally labels collard greens veg when they actually contained finely shredded turkey. Whoops! Even worse, it wasn't the only time this has happened: the vegetarian potatoes and cabbage were made with turkey broth.

Read it for yourself online: "Sodexo slips up with veggie fare"

Yoga Benefit Class This Weekend

2009-03-30T11:55:00.003-04:00

Get more info on the upcoming yoga class to benefit the Humane League at www.thehumaneleague.com/yoga. Hope to see you at Dhyana Yoga in Old City this Saturday, April 4, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Animal-Human Bond on the Screen at Philly Cinefest

2009-03-30T11:04:00.003-04:00

The 2009 Philadelphia Film Festival and Cinefest began this past weekend and continues through Monday April 6. Although we haven't seen any of the independent films that will be showing over the next week, we are certainly intrigued by the description of "Old Partner," a South Korean movie:

Director Chung-ryoul Lee delivers a poignant, humanitarian and heart-warming story laden with nostalgia for a way of life that is quickly disappearing.

Won-kyun Choi, an octogenarian Korean farmer, and his wife Sam-soon Lee have lived with their trusty and hard-working ox for 40 years in a remote valley in South Korea. Come rain or shine, the ox has toiled in the fields and carried burdensome loads to home and to market. Through their efforts, father and ox have enabled a whole generation of children to obtain college educations. Now in their twilight years, Mr. Choi and his ox are old, skinny and tired, and it’s anybody’s guess who will give out first. The devotion between the two of them is observable: the ox is the yin to Choi’s yang, the “one” who stayed behind on the farm to help him when his sons left home. It is this special bond between man and mammal that clearly infuriates Mrs. Choi, who rues the day the ox entered her life. As anyone who saw Weeping Camel knows, it’s not only humans who have feelings and show emotion. This gem was a huge hit at the recent Sundance film festival, and it will steal your heart, too — come prepared with tissues. (Korean with English subtitles) (Korean with English subtitles) -- Carol Coombes

The first showing of this film has already past, but you can catch it Thursday, April 2, at 12:15 p.m., at the Ritz East 1.

Vegan Scrapple Takes 2nd Place in ScrappleFest

2009-03-25T13:41:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Reading Terminal Market hosted ScrappleFest 2009. I will never understand this city's obsession with a "meat" made by grinding up all of the unusable pieces of the pig (eyes, ears, snouts, bones ...), but I have become obsessed with the results of the contest.

Coming in second out of eight competitors, Vrapple, a vegan scrapple imitation, was the talk of the day. Vrapple creator Sarah Cain, owner of Fair Food Farmstand in the Market, and chef John Blanche created a maple-roasted pumpkin dish using the faux scrapple for the (second)prize-winning. Head on over to Reading Terminal's Fair Food to congratulate Cain and give Vrapple a taste for yourself.

Get the full scoop from someone that was at ScrappleFest from the Philadelphia Daily News article.

Don't Buy an Easter Bunny

2009-03-24T13:32:00.003-04:00

Walking past a pet store yesterday, I saw a proud (albeit cheap and falling apart) sign: "We have Easter bunnies!"

People, I beg of you, do not buy a pet as a gift ever. If you truly want a rabbit as a pet, first research the care and attention that they will need. Then, whatever you do, don't buy one from a pet store! Bunny mills exist just as true as puppy mills do, especially this time of year. If you wait a month or two after the spring holidays, there will, unfortunately, be more than enough hoppers in need of a home. People buy them because they are cute, then get rid of them when they become too much too handle. So if you must have an Easter bunny of your own, please rescue one that gets ditched after the season.

Read up even more about the cruel truths of bunny mills, the realities of keeping a rabbit as a pet, and more in Change.org's article "Easter Bunny Fever: Don't Catch It!"

Happy Meatout!

2009-03-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

Send this eCard

Celebrate Meatout Day Tomorrow

2009-03-19T13:21:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow, March 20, is the international day to promote and celebrate all things veg; it's MEATOUT! Join the Humane League in our celebrations: At 4 p.m. we will be meeting up at 15th and Market streets, by the giant clothespin sculpture. We will spend the next two hours handing out leaflets to passing commuters on the streets, spreading the word about how easy and awesome it is to be veg!

After, Snack Bar (253 S. 20th St.) is offering all-vegan specials for the night, including vegan gnocchi, a vegan dessert, and more! We will be walking from Center City to the restaurant at 6 p.m.

Join us for one or both of these outreach and social Meatout events. Drop us an e-mail at info@thehumaneleague.com to let us know that we should expect you!

How To: Get a Job Working for the Animals

2009-02-20T20:43:00.001-05:00

Last night I attended the first (and hopefully now monthly) Vegan Drinks Philly. About 70 vegans, vegetarians, and veg-inclined people packed into the small bar room at the local vegan go-to restaurant Horizons. It was a fun, social, easy going, friendly atmosphere. And the most popular question of the evening was how did I get a job in the animal rights field. So in case anyone else is interested, here's the path that I followed ...

Almost two years ago I started writing for this site. I would say that having this on my resume, and being something that potential employers could easily review, was a major benefit. I was particularly complimented on interviews over the professional nature of my writing.

So that's my first suggestion: take up a hobby that relates to animals or veganism and then present yourself in a professional manner while doing so. Volunteer with local shelters or rescues and always show up when you say that you will. Start a blog, but keep it more informative than personal, more article like than diary. And in everything that you do watch your language. Consider everyone that you interact with a potential employer and therefore offer them respect.

Once I decided that I was ready to move on to a full-time job benefiting animals, I began looking around online. There are some animal-based job searches, such as the Humane Society's Humane Career Toolbox, but I found the most fruitful search to be going directly to the source. If you are willing to move, head to the Web sites of Farm Sanctuary, PETA, and HSUS. Check out what job openings they have. But don't be discouraged if you don't get a response. HSUS didn't respond to me at all. PETA considered me, but said "no thanks." Farm Sanctuary interviewed me in person, but went with someone that had more experience.

So my second big tip is to look for smaller, growing organizations, and be ready to work for pennies! Growing companies will not be able to pay as much but will also be willing to let you learn on the job - as long as you have the passion, professionalism, and at least some skills.

And finally, as with any job search, keep at it. It never hurts to send your resume, even you think you are not quite qualified.

Earn the Humane League a Donation When You Shop and Search Online with iGive

2009-02-18T15:03:00.002-05:00

You can now earn the Humane League a donation every time you shop or search online! Check out http://www.igive.com/hlp to shop from 700 different online retailers, and http://www.isearchigive.com/hlp to search online.

Sign up now because for the entire month of February the Humane League gets 2 cents per search, instead of the normal 1 cent. After you become a member - for free! - place any size order with any retailer (except Amazon) and HLP will receive an additional $5 donation from iGive.

The iGive mall has stores where you can buy toys, clothes, shoes, food, purses, flowers, pet supplies, office needs, books, magazines, arts and crafts, computer products, travel related services, and much, much more. You can shop at Overstock, American Eagle, AT&T, eBay, Amazon, Netflix, Restaurant.com, Snapfish, Urban Outfitters, and hundreds more. You will even find great vegan options such as e.l.f. makeup and cosmetics!

Sign up for a free account today, select the Humane League of Philadelphia as you cause, and shop and search as normal knowing that you are helping make a difference!

Meet our New Projects Director!

2009-02-05T21:02:00.002-05:00

Say hello to The Humane League's new Projects Director, Sally Andersen!

Sally is now working full-time with the Humane League of Philadelphia to expand our veg outreach programs and launch several new ones, as well as assist with financial development. With Sally's help we've dramatically expanded our veg outreach programs on MySpace, and are now reaching over 2,500 teenagers and young adults each week with video and information on the cruel realities of factory farming, and links to go veg! She's also started a writing program to get our message of compassion into the Op-Ed and Letters to the Editor Sections of papers in the greater Philadelphia area as well as around the country.

One of Sally's other main projects is our new Restaurant Outreach campaign, which will be working to get more vegan items added to the menus of restaurants in the greater Philadelphia area! Modeled after a similar successful program in Washington DC, the restaurant outreach campaign will continue to push veganism into the mainstream by making it easier to go vegan and by exposing the general public to delicious, cruelty-free meals at their favorite restaurants.

Feel free to say hello to Sally at sally@thehumaneleague.com , or stop by her personal blog - http://www.LivingWithoutMeat.com

No Battery Cages Campaign Heats Up

2009-02-05T20:43:00.006-05:00

Our No Battery Cages campaign is heating up, with our attention focused squarely on St. Joe's University and West Chester University.

In the fall over 1,000 St. Joe's faculty and students signed a petition calling on the school to go cage-free. Over a hundred letters were submitted to the administration and dining services, and numerous campus paper articles discussed the issue. While the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and local Catholic school Immaculata University have gone free, and while the Pope, National Catholic Bioethics Center, and National Catholic Rural Life Conference have all decried battery cage egg farms as unethical and against Catholic values, St. Joes - a Catholic university - continues to support this cruel practice.

Yesterday, in the bitter cold, a group of Humane League volunteers gathered outside a St. Joe's basketball game to begin educating alumni about the cruelty that St. Joe's is supporting by purchasing battery cage eggs. Hundreds of leaflets were distributed to St. Joe's alumni (as well as many students), and our body screen TV was there to show them exactly what kinds of farms St. Joe's is getting its products from. In the coming weeks, as St. Joe's students continue to share information with their administration and ask for a policy change, we'll continue to educate the St. Joe's alumni community about the issue and have launched a "Do Not Donate" campaign, encouraging alumni to withhold donations until the school does the right thing and goes cage-free. You can learn more about the campaign and watch a video at http://www.CageFreeStJoes.com .

Meanwhile, we have just started working with students at West Chester University to encourage their school to go cage-free. Aramark, their dining services provider, has their contract up for renewal this May and we are encouraging the school to not renew that contract unless Aramark switches to cage-free eggs on campus. We've launched a WCU campaign website at http://www.CageFreeWestChester.com, and will keep you updated as things move forward!

Getting ACTIVE for animals

2009-01-27T11:33:00.004-05:00

We're all familiar with the saying that "Every dark cloud has a silver ling." Without a doubt there are few issues more troubling in our world than the horrific treatment of non-human animals on farms, laboratories, puppy mills, fur farms and elsewhere. But to this dark cloud of cruelty and suffering there is indeed a type of silver lining: because the problem is so massive and affects so many animals, each of us has the ability to do a huge amount of good in our lifetimes, saving hundreds of lives and reducing a great deal of suffering. It's because of this potential to do so much good that many of us at the Humane League choose to focus on animal protection issues as opposed to other social justice issues (issues that are important, but on which we feel we'd be able to make less of an impact).

All of us who care about animals want to make a change, but as advocates we face the temptation of spending all our time reading about cruelties done to animals, reflecting on how we wish things could be better or what we wish would happen in society, and commiserating with like-minded people over tasty veg meals while forgetting that the most important thing is that we take ACTION for animals. If we are thinking and reading about the suffering of animals, even talking about it in person or online, but not taking action for animals, then really all that we are doing is entertaining ourselves with intellectual and social stimulation while animals continue to suffer.

While there will always be discussion and debate about the best path to a future world where animals are not exploited for human gain, all of us know that there are several things that need to happen. The public needs to learn about the cruelties occurring in slaughterhouses and factory farms, in laboratories and elsewhere, and to be persuaded that the suffering of animals matters. The public needs to learn how they can live their life enjoyably without supporting these cruelties. Corporations, businesses and institutions need to be pressed to reduce or end the suffering they're causing to animals. Laws need to be passed to step-by-step provide greater protection for animals.

While we might not be able to get laws passed on our own, each of us can do a great deal of good in our own lives to educate the public and to press for change at the businesses and institutions that surround us. The most important thing is that we get ACTIVE - today, tomorrow, this weekend, and next month - doing activities that make a quantifiable difference in the lives of animals.

Joining the Humane League for a veg outreach session to pass out booklets to the public is one such way, and we regularly receive feedback of people going veg (and therefore lives saved) as a result of getting a booklet from us. Leafleting on your own or leaving stacks of information at sympathetic businesses, coffee shops, or libraries is another way. Sponsoring a veg starter kit stand in your neighborhood is a great way to reach many people. Slipping leaflets on factory farming into any envelopes you're sending out (say, if you're paying the bills) or leaving one with the toll booth attendant is a way. Holding a house party for non-veg friends to watch an animal protection film and share veg starter kits and recipe guides is a way. Joining the Humane League in its No Battery Cage campaign by getting letters signed or coming to an outreach event is a way, as is joining other groups like COK or HSUS that are successfully working to achieve change at the institutional and corporate levels. Donating to fund pro-veg advertising is a great way to create change and save lives if free time is something you just don't have. Passing out leaflets on fur farming by a fur store on a busy city street is a way to potentially spare dozens of lives with a few hours of work.

Over the past week, in the bitter cold, a few HLP volunteers distributed veg outreach booklets at a concert, several colleges, and in center city Philadelphia, reaching over 1,000 people with the realities of factory farming. Please join us this coming weekend on South Street to help us reach another 1,000 people. Please volunteer to host a Humane League house party to educate friends and co-workers and raise money to save farmed animals. Please get ACTIVE to help animals, in any and all ways you can, because our sympathy alone does nothing to help - something all of us have to remind ourselves daily, so that our focus remains steadily on "what's the next thing I can do that will directly help animals," and so that animals may reap the benefits of our compassion.

And remember, we're always here to help you get active for animals by providing literature, guidance, or feedback - info@thehumaneleague.com

Goat and Sheep Rescued! And other updates

2009-01-19T19:48:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy past week at The Humane League, and we're excited to kick-start the year with some animal rescues and the continued work of our veg outreach campaigns!

"Nathan" and "Runkle" - a sheep and goat seized in a cruelty case here in Philadelphia - were rescued by the Humane League a few days ago and brought out to our great friend Dr. Rob Teti of Chenoa Manor animal sanctuary in Avondale, PA (near West Chester). Here these animals will be free to run the fields and enjoy life with other rescued sheep, goats, and lots of other farmed animals. (See their picture at the end of the post, pre-rescue).

Last week The Humane League also presented our humane education program to ten different classes at a South Philadelphia grade school over the course of two days as part of their "Kindness to Animals" week. The students learned about the cruelties inflicted on pigs, cows and chickens on factory farms, and did an art project that helped them put themselves in the shoes of those animals.

As is always the case, the reaction of the students to hearing about how animals are actually treated on farms was one of anger and a sense of injustice. Today is the celebration of the birth of Martin Luther King, an icon today but a man who was reviled by many in his era who were threatened by the idea that a difference in skin tone or ethnic background does make a person any better than or worse than another person. (He was even declared by the deputy director of the FBI as "the most dangerous threat to national security" at that time). King's descendants, including his widow Coretta Scott King and son Dexter, have in recent years both advocated for veganism/vegetarianism as an important step towards creating a just and equitable world for all who dwell in it. We can only hope that with the continued work and advocacy of every single one of us, 45 years from now the idea of animal rights will be looked upon with a similar acceptance to what is now granted to the idea of civil rights.

If we are to reach such a future in 45 years, or even 100 years, we all have to keep active and keep educating and creating social change on animal protection issues.

On that note, our veg outreach programs have started up again in 2009, with 2,700 veg starter kits distributed in our veg newsstand boxes since January 1. Our veg leafleting is off to a slow start as we've focused on some institutional matters like end of year finances, redesigning our website, and hiring our first employee - and as we try to wait out this bitter cold and wait for colleges to be back in session - but we'll have a packed schedule of college and concert leafleting all spring. We're also in the process of tripling our online veg outreach programs (done via MySpace) and - well, there's a lot more to come, but we'll save that for later!

Welcome!

2009-01-14T00:52:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the new Humane League of Philadelphia blog! We'll have a real post up later this week with some updates on new animal rescues, outreach events, and more, but for now - welcome! In the coming months we hope that you'll find this blog of interest for hearing and seeing more about what The Humane League of Philadelphia is doing, as well as reading commentary from myself and others at the Humane League about current animal issues and animal advocacy work.

If you here then you've probably visited our newly redesigned website, www.TheHumaneLeague.com . I hope you'll take some time to explore the site, we've got a lot of great resources up there (like our guide to veg eating at fast food restaurants around the country, to name one example), our 2008 Annual Report has been posted, and there are some videos that you might be interested in checking out as well.

For the Animals,
Nick