Gentle Thanksgiving had a record number of events this year, with 350 communities across the US taking part. Activists in Australia, France, and Canada joined the action this year as well! Hundreds of retailers displayed Gentle Thanksgiving handouts, and activists held feed-ins and leafleting events throughout November.

A highlight of Gentle Thanksgiving 2010 was the inclusion of vegan food manufacturers. Tofurky, Wayfare, and Lotus Foods all came on board the campaign this year, offering free food to activists who put on feed-ins and food samples.

Their generosity paid off! We had more food events than ever before, with students, Meetup groups, families, and others deciding to leave turkey off the menu and share vegan food. Events in Chicago and DC had more than 100 attendees each, and dinners across the country served several dozen people each. In addition, nearly 200 health food stores provided free vegan information and recipes to customers.

Throughout November, caring people distributed approximately 23,000 Gentle Thanksgiving handouts to family, friends, and community members. Each colorful postcard-sized handout explains the suffering of turkeys and offers a free Veg Starter Kit and a subscription to our weekly e-newsletter, Meatout Mondays. Activists took part in an outreach contest to see whose event signed up the most non-vegans to Meatout Mondays. The winner will be announced in December, 2010.

In response to the annual Presidential Turkey Pardon, FARM wrote a letter to President Obama requesting that he pardon every turkey destined to become a White House dinner for Thanksgiving. Letters to the editor were published in 100 newspapers across the country.

Special thanks to the many compassionate people who observed a Gentle Thanksgiving by eating cruelty-free holiday foods and spreading the message of kindness to others.