For 40 years, Farm Sanctuary has been offering hope and healing to creatures big and small in its efforts to end animal cruelty while simultaneously promoting compassionate living for us humans.
On Saturday, Charo, Sen. Adam Schiff and Jane Fonda (in absentia) were honored by founder Gene Baur and board chair Rob Procaccianti for their impact on the non-profit organization’s mission with an anniversary fundraiser event held at Amb. James Costos and Michael Smith’s Beverly Hills home.
“I’m very grateful to be honored by Farm Sanctuary with the Environmental Impact Award for my commitment to protecting this beautiful, precious planet of ours. I’m also grateful for the critical work that Farm Sanctuary does,” Fonda’s video message began. “We have to stand in kinship and humility with all sentient beings on Earth, and that means doing all we can to end an extractive and cruel industry like factory farming. Industrial animal agriculture exploits animals and workers, it pollutes and destroys natural ecosystems and is a major contributor the climate crisis and a loss of biodiversity.”
“Did you know in the United States, 10 times more land is used to feed farm animals than to feed people? So shifting away from animal production toward plant-based agriculture can significantly reduce our ecological footprint, the damage that we’re doing,” she continued. “I really applaud Farm Sanctuary for your groundbreaking work to end the abuses of factory farming and to build a more compassionate and sustainable food system that is good for all of us. We are on this activist journey together, and I am proud to stand with you.”
Elsewhere, Charo accepted the Compassionate Impact Award and Senator Schiff took home the Legislative Impact Award, all while guests enjoyed vegan passed apps.
“I’m so honored to be here. Trust me, I feel that I’ve been all around the world and have won many awards … but this is bigger. We are connected. I’ve never met you before, but I swear to you I feel like you are my cousins, because we are here for the same mission: We love and respect animals,” Charo told the crowd. “I was raised in Murcia near València, in España, and I was surrounded by animals. They are beautiful, so much better than humans.”
“It’s an honor for me to let you know that with the help of PETA, RuPaul, World of Wonder and myself, we did stop the bullfighting in Spain,” she added. “We are too civilized to see blood for entertainment. Spanish people are beautiful, and they are honored that this is out of fashion.”
Other notable attendees included Genesis Butler, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Corey Feldman and host committee members Diane Warren and Moby, the latter of whom offered to match $40,000 in donations.
