A Well-Fed World

When we think about where eggs or chicken come from, most of us imagine happy hens roaming in green pastures, or pecking at scratch on Old MacDonald’s farm. This is how I wish chickens were treated.

Sadly, most birds raised for meat and eggs in the U.S. are treated far worse than the advertising would have you believe.

That’s one of the reasons I started Legal Impact for Chickens. Our mission is to file strategic litigation to make factory farms improve the conditions their animals live in. We believe that chickens deserve better. Chickens should be treated with at least the amount of respect that poultry industry advertising often implies in its ads.

One of our primary goals is to file lawsuits that make the industry fit the perceptions that people have. In terms of the way chickens are treated, we want to make the reality closer to what everyday people would consider acceptable.

The other reason I started Legal Impact for Chickens is Conrad. 

My parents bought me my first pet bird, a cockatiel named Conrad, when I was eleven years old. I fell instantly in love with him and we became best friends. Seeing how much of an individual Conrad was; how he had his own feelings, opinions, and needs; and how much he enjoyed being near his loved ones (including me!), got me thinking about other birds in our world. 

I became passionate about animal advocacy, after learning about chickens on factory farms and not wanting my money to support the inhumane treatment of birds who were—in every way that matters—just like Conrad.

Conrad was my family for 22 years, and he recently passed away. But there are billions of Conrads in cramped, barren cages in factory farms. Their lives are short and miserable. None of them get to grow old, like Conrad did. None of them get to have a human companion who loves them and cares for them. When I visited an animal sanctuary and met chickens for the first time, it only drove this fact home.

Legal Impact for Chickens will file strategic lawsuits to improve the conditions of chickens and other animals on factory farms. We’ll do whatever it takes to hold the poultry industry accountable, and to push it in the direction of making the way they treat chickens look more like the way they advertise.

But we can’t do it without you! Please make a donation today in support of our work for chickens.

Make a gift today! If you can’t make a gift, please share this fundraiser with three people who you know care about animals. Thank you!

Donations are processed by A Well-Fed World, which is our "fiscal sponsor".  That means A Well-Fed World will collect these tax-deductible donations on our behalf, and make them available for our use.

Because it's only failure if you quit trying.

I don't like unfinished business. Last year I decided that 2014 was a year for a big challenge. I needed a goal that would scare and motivate me, so I signed up for the Buffalo Marathon. I was planning on running 26.2 miles and live to tell the tale.  I was also determined to raise $100 for one of my favorite non-profits for each one of those miles.

I worked hard to reach my goal, but unfortunately an injury (a fracture in my right heel bone) stopped me in the middle of my training (soon after my 16-mile run). I had to take some time off, and then I was only allowed to run very short distances every other day. And then I was able to run a little further each time, and then a little further. And I slowly got myself back on track. 

I am nothing if not determined (some might call it stubborn), so here I am again. The Buffalo Marathon organizers allowed me to defer my fee to this year's race. I joined a Fleet Feet training group. I'm back to running five times a week. I am back to feeling strong and hopeful, and, yes, a little bit terrified.  I am giving myself a second chance to do this, and I feel like I owe it to a Well-Fed World as well. 

Here is where you come in. On May 24th, I will get up and put on my running shoes and run for 26.2 miles. I will run to prove to myself that nothing is impossible, but I will also run in support of a wonderful organization called A Well-Fed World. 

As it says on their website, "A Well-Fed World is a hunger relief and animal protection organization working with grassroots groups in the U.S. and internationally on feeding and food production programs." They provide vegan food to people in need and support animal-saving projects by partnering with national and grassroots groups in the U.S. and globally. You can learn more about their mission on their website, and please take a couple of minutes to watch the video below.

It would be a great honor if you could support my efforts with your donation. No amount is too small; every single dollar counts. And all your donations, no matter how small, will support the great work that A Well-Fed World is doing. They will also keep me motivated through all the cold and snowy runs that I still have ahead of me.