VINE Sanctuary Newsletter
Reflecting on Refuge
VINE Sanctuary was founded by accident, when co-founders pattrice jones and Miriam Jones found a chicken in a ditch in the part of the country where factory farming was invented and perfected. More than seventeen years later, the sanctuary cares for more than 600 animals while pursuing a variety of education and advocacy projects.

When we first began, we enjoyed the support and solidarity of other sanctuaries. We have tried to extend the same as new sanctuaries have sprung up. This year, we hope to make an even more substantial contribution to the farmed animal sanctuary movement.
Registration for the September 29-30 conference “ Sanctuary: Reflecting on Refuge” is now open. Co-sponsored by VINE Sanctuary and Wesleyan Animal Studies, this ground-breaking event will bring scholars who think and write about sanctuaries together with people who do hands-on work at farmed animal sanctuaries for what we hope will be mutually productive conversations. In addition to bringing scholars and sanctuary staff into conversation, this conference will allow sanctuary folks to talk together, apart from other animal advocates, about the unique challenges and difficult decisions we face.
If you have worked with a sanctuary, in either a paid or volunteer capacity, or if you are a student or professor interested in the sanctuary side of animal studies, you may want to attend this conference. If you know someone who might want to attend, please do forward this message to them! Act now, because the venue for this conference is small and we are already nearing the maximum number of participants we can accommodate. If you have questions about the conference, you can write to [email protected], but please do read the conference web page carefully first.
Sadly, some of the sanctuaries that were operating when we began back in 2000 have since shut down, and many more have opened and closed in the intervening years. Oftentimes, the problem is money, but burnout and other difficulties in coping with the emotional and ethical paradoxes of sanctuary work also are to blame. 

We often encounter people who say that they would like to start a sanctuary some day. And so, we have given a lot of thought to the questions people should consider when thinking about founding a sanctuary. This blog post summarizes some of the most important points to consider when deciding whether to start a sanctuary of your own rather than lending your support to an existing sanctuary.
One of the most difficult aspects of running a sanctuary is dealing with death. Everybody dies, eventually, and the more willing you are to welcome elders or those whose bodies have been ravaged by trauma into your sanctuary, the more frequently you will be called upon to continue caring for others while grieving someone you loved. The animal care team here at VINE was hit by a double whammy this past month, saying goodbye to two beloved sanctuaries elders, Truffles the pig and Blake the cow. We are so grateful to members of our extended community who reached out with condolences and other gestures of support as we mourned. 
As a way of lending our support to others who have been, are now, or someday probably will be in the situation of grieving someone while having to extend care to others, we have published a list of “ 7 Tips for Dealing with Death.” We hope you will find it helpful now or in the future.
We're Nominated!



And now for some good news: 
This year, VINE Sanctuary is nominated for a Veggie Award! Please do cast your vote for us here .
Upcoming Events
Three Sisters Potluck
Sunday, September 17th from 4 to 6 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church, Springfield VT
This year, the them of our Autumnal Equinox vegan potluck will be the “three sisters” of indigenous agriculture: Corn, beans, and squash. Join us as we honor the true traditional agriculture of our region by feasting on dishes featuring one or more of those three ingredients. We’ll give out prizes for the best savory dish and best dessert for each of the ingredients as well as a grand prize for the dish that most creatively incorporates all three. If you want to eat but can’t cook or buy something to bring, that’s OK — come anyway! Thanks to the generosity of VINE staff and volunteers, we always have more than enough to share.

Save the Date!
Saturday, September 9, 11 am to 3 pm
VINE Sanctuary, 201 Massey Road, Springfield VT
We’ve not yet set the theme for our next public volunteer day, but we want to go ahead and announce the date so that you can mark it on your calendar. As always, the event will include some team work on sanctuary projects followed by a sanctuary tour, vegan snacks with sanctuary staff, and an “afterparty” hike to the back pasture for those feeling energetic enough to meet the hardy herd of cows who spend their time in our most remote reaches.

Sanctuary: Reflecting on Refuge
September 28-29
Wesleyan University, Middletown CT
Visit the conference website to register now to reserve a seat at this ground-breaking event. Address any questions about the event to [email protected] after reading the website carefully.

Pasture Pals, part two
TBA
Our Pasture Pals children's program this summer was so successful that we will be repeating it on some Saturdays this fall, after schools are back in session. We’ll be sure to send out another newsletter once we know the dates that the educator who leads the sessions is available, but you might also want to keep an eye on our Facebook page if you have young ones in your family or friendship circle.
If you prefer to donate by mail, you can send a check to the address below.
VINE Sanctuary, 158 Massey Road, Springfield, VT 05156
VINE (Veganism Is the Next Evolution, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation (EIN 52-2248977)
P.S.Speaking of Facebook, have you liked our page? Have you invited your own friends to do so? Helping the sanctuary grow our social networks is an easy way to make a real difference. Just go to our page , click “ Invite friends to like this page ” and choose the friends you want to invite. Thank you!!