Millions of people across the U.S. are celebrating a joyful & life-affirming Thanksgiving with compassionate, healthy alternatives to an animal-focused meal.

From an annual public vegan potluck in Tempe, Arizona, to a vegan Thanksgiving celebration for school children in Encino, California, and a public vegan meal in Jacksonville, FL featuring a talk with Dr. Will Tuttle, author of The World Peace Diet, people from coast to coast are sharing a message of compassion and sparing the lives of millions of turkeys and other animals by participating in Gentle Thanksgiving events.

Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) is supporting public and private Gentle Thanksgiving events in all 50 states, as well as in Canada and France. FARM activists have distributed thousands of Gentle Thanksgiving handouts and vegan food samples. FARM has also sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to pardon ALL turkeys this Thanksgiving.

In addition to celebrating with others around the table, Americans are also attending numerous celebrations WITH turkeys and other farmed animals at animal sanctuaries across the country. From coast to coast, rescued turkeys take center stage as pampered guests of honor at these popular events.

WHY a "GENTLE" Thanksgiving?

The Turkeys ~

• Each year in the U.S., nearly 300 million turkeys are killed, 40 million for Thanksgiving alone. Animals with a natural lifespan of 10-15 years who have an instinct to fly & build nests instead endure 4 months of miserable life crammed into sheds with as many as 25,000 turkeys. The toxic fumes in these sheds burn their eyes, throats, and lungs and many die, unable to reach food or water.

• The suffering today's farmed turkeys endure is endless, including painful mutilations as babies, structural deformities and organ collapse due to a growth rate 6 times the normal rate, and starvation or even death during transport to the slaughterhouse. Many of today's turkeys are unable to walk and most cannot reproduce naturally.

• At the slaughterhouse, their heads are dragged through an electrical bath, throats are cut, and many are scalded while still conscious.

Your Health ~

• Eating turkeys has health consequences too. Their flesh is laced with cholesterol, saturated fats, hormones, antibiotics, and deadly pathogens. More than 30 million Americans have explored plant-based eating. More and more popular chefs are promoting hearty vegan dishes, mainstream health advocacy groups and major films are promoting the disease-reducing impact of a plant-based diet, more colleges are offering vegan options, and vegan options in food markets are rapidly expanding.
  
  
• Those opting for a Gentle Thanksgiving have many healthy and delicious options. Tofurky or Celebration Roast and other delicious ready-to-eat dishes are available in local food markets or online. For the cook, a large variety of delicious recipes is available at www.GentleThanksgiving.org/recipes.
  

For more information, including an Event Directory and a Gentle Thanksgiving quiz, please visit www.GentleThanksgiving.org.

Gentle Thanksgiving is a Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) annual campaign.
www.farmusa.org ~ FARM ~ 10101 Ashburton Lane, Bethesda, MD 20817
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