Phew! What an amazing year! We're delighted to share this collection of piggy happenings and events that kept our little microsanctuary running all year. Jenna and Friends Animal Sanctuary (JAFAS) is our little slice of heaven, and if you’re reading this, you are part of this great story! Whether you donated through one of our fundraisers, came out to volunteer one Saturday morning, or follow us on social media, we are so glad you are a member of our little piggy family. Four new rescued pigs!This year, we rescued Martin, Tabitha, Gregory, and Bella! The sights and sounds that these four sweethearts bring to our little microsanctuary is so heartwarming. We have four more shining faces to greet us every morning, four new oinking and squealing sounds to add to the usual cacophony of sanctuary noises (especially at feeding time), and above all, four new beautiful souls that will never have to worry about food and shelter ever again. They are now part of a loving herd that they can call their forever family. New pig sponsorship pagesYou can now sponsor individual pigs at JAFAS! Thanks to Kerry Thompson (our amazing web designer), we've made it really simple on our website. Just navigate to the Become a Sponsor page to read more about the program and how to get started. Each pig has a dedicated sponsorship page where you can read his/her rescue story and sign up for recurring donations. Need some incentive? When you donate $50 or more a month, you'll receive a certificate of sponsorship with a photo of the pig with his or her rescue story. And when you donate $100 or more a month, you'll receive the certificate PLUS an 8" x 8" canvas print that you can proudly display on your wall. JAFAS t-shirts are here!Want a comfy blue-denim t-shirt to show your support of our important mission here at JAFAS? We just got our first delivery from 4imprint, and they are awesome! We have three different sizes - medium, large, and extra large. To order one, send us a message through our contact form or email us directly at jennaandfriendsanimalsanctuary@gmail.com. Handy Randy is our sanctuary rock star!Have you ever told someone you don’t know how you could possibly live without him? We sound like a broken record, because we say this to Randy Mapes every single day. If you’ve followed us on social media or been fortunate enough to come out to visit the animals, you’ve probably met Randy, our sanctuary handyman extraordinaire. He fixes all kinds of things, designs and builds piggie houses, puts up fencing, hangs heat lamps, hauls food and straw, and transports rescued pigs - just to name a few of his many talents. He even built us an outhouse for volunteers! His goal is to stay one step ahead of Petey the farm pig, and we know that's no easy feat! Randy is a true angel delivered to us directly from heaven. When he's not here at the sanctuary, you can find him helping others at church or talking to people about the healing powers of pigs and nature and how he's transformed his life from a near death experience (stay tuned for his upcoming book!). Randy is a blessing to the planet earth, and if you ever get a chance to meet his smiling face, you will be forever changed for the better. Insanely awesome food donationsWe appreciate each and every food donation to the pigs, but we just have to mention these three insanely awesome ones!
Little Martin went to college for a dayIn the spring semester, the UNC Vegans for Peace held an awesome tabling event in the pit of the UNC campus, talking to passersby about animal-related issues, including the impact of animal agriculture and factory farming on our health and environment. We brought little Martin so students could meet a real-life pig and see for themselves his wonderful personality. Martin even got to meet some basketball players! Go Tar Heels! Too many visitors and volunteers to count!Just about every Saturday morning in 2022, we hosted groups of visitors and volunteers of all ages who came out to meet the pigs and help with small chores. Many of these folks have come back multiple times throughout the year to help out with various projects or just visit with the pigs (we call it pig therapy!) We even had a visit from a bunch of nice folks from Christ United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. A special shout-out goes to the UNC Vegans for Peace for continuing to come out regularly to socialize with the pigs and support our little sanctuary in the woods! Fundraisers keep us goingWe received generous donations from over 14 fundraising campaigns this year, including several Facebook birthday fundraisers started by our supporters (Melissa Woodbury, Laurie Sharkey, Kathy Ford, Randy Mapes, and Geretia Long Lomeli) and a fundraising event that Viscious Fishes hosted last summer where they donated proceeds from sales of beer and t-shirts to JAFAS. Petey is an official mascot at Hooray Foods!When Deeksha Mittal from Hooray Foods approached us about using Petey’s face and rescue story on some of their marketing collateral, we didn’t have to think twice. We are thrilled to help them get the word out about the plight of farm pigs who suffer so miserably in the hog industry. We can choose not to support the suffering by switching to cruelty-free (and delicious!) alternatives like Hooray Foods plant-based bacon. The only problem we have now is that all this fame and fortune has gone straight to Petey’s head. He’s such a demanding boy! Collaboration with local universitiesWe’ve been so lucky for continued opportunities to work closely with both UNC and NC State on animal-related projects and events this year. UNC-Vegans for Peace continue to volunteer on a regular basis (they are the best poop scoopers we’ve ever seen!), and two students from the UNC of Journalism did projects about the mission and day-to-day operation of the sanctuary. We also did a presentation on the NC State campus for about 50 students in the Animal Companion Club. A few of those students even came out to volunteer and meet the animals after the presentation! Here's even more cool stuff!
A special thank youWe are truly grateful for all the love and support we've received throughout 2022. It would literally take us all day to thank every person who's touch our lives this year. Whether you've come out to visit, donated to one of our fundraisers, sent us an email, or responded to one of our social media posts, we appreciate you! Please know that it brightens our day whenever we're able to share our little slice of heaven. A special thank you to these folks and organizations!
How can you help?So glad you asked! You can:
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AuthorAnna O'Neal, founder and caretaker at Jenna and Friends Animal Sanctuary Archives
June 2023
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