Reminder: Oakland Walk for Farmed Animals *this* Saturday! Come a s your favorite farmed animal!!

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

Just a reminder that the Oakland Walk for Farmed Animals is happening *this*

Saturday, September 7th. Under the direction of the extraordinary Colleen

Patrick, we will be meeting at 10 am at beautiful Frank Ogawa Plaza (Broadway &

14th Street - adjacent to the 14th Street BART station). A

fun-filled, invigorating 2.5 mile walk through the streets of downtown Oakland

will be followed by inspiring talks by Bruce Friedrich, Director of Vegan

Outreach at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - check out:

http://www.goveg.com) and Virginia Handley, California Coordinator for

the Fund for Animals. Both speakers have been indefatigable leaders in the fight

for better treatment of animals. Bruce led the charge in PETA's successful

campaigns to get fast food and supermarket chains to increase animal welfare

standards for farmed animals, while Virginia has been a one-woman

powerhouse as a lobbyist for animals in Sacramento. Both are extremely

entertaining speakers, phenomenally well-informed, and fabulously articulate.

Colleen has just returned from a week at Farm Sanctuary so I'm sure she'll have

all sorts of wonderful & moving stories of the animals at the farm.

 

We'll have delicious refreshments at the post-walk ra-ra-rally, but for those

with hearty appetites can join the group that will be heading over to Golden

Lotus (13th & Franklin, 2 blocks away) for a post-rally lunch. Golden Lotus is a

sister-restaurant (the original!) to Golden Era in San

Francisco. The space isn't quite so regal, but the food is just as delish (the

menus are very similar - fresh Vietnamese Vegetarian).

 

Feel free to come as you are, or come dressed as your favorite farmed animal. I

will be wearing the wonderful cow outfit that Donna Marie kindly donated to the

cause (the outfit now has celebrity udders as Julia Butterfly fondled the rubber

mammaries at an Earth Day event some years ago). We have

other costumes as well. If memory serves, there's a chicken and a pig and

possibly another cow. These other outfits are truly grand and beautiful outfits

on loan from PETA. They attract attention like nothing else (okay - maybe if

people wore nothing that might attract more attention, but the

walkathon is for Farm Sanctuary and not for PETA!). We're looking for volunteers

(2, perhaps 3) to wear these outfits at Saturday's walkathon.

 

Thanks so much. Looking forward to seeing y'all on Saturday!!

 

Cheers,

Alka

 

P.S. -- If you haven't contacted Colleen yet or are concerned that you won't

have time to collect pledges, no worries! You can still come to the walk, pay

the registration fee of $10 (all money goes to Farm Sanctuary), and join in the

fun!

 

 

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JOIN US AT FRANK OGAWA PLAZA IN FRONT OF OAKLAND CITY HALL (AT BROADWAY & 14TH

STREET) ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7 AT 10 A.M. TO WALK ON BEHALF OF FARM ANIMALS AND

TO RAISE MONEY FOR FARM SANCTUARY (www.farmsanctuary.org)!

 

After our 2.5-mile walk, we will have speakers -- Bruce Friedrich Director of

Vegan Campaigns for PETA (http://www.peta.org) and Virginia Handley, California

Coordinator for the Fund for Animals (http://www.fund.org) and delicious

refreshments.

 

To register and begin collecting pledges, please contact Colleen A. Patrick at

oaklandwalk2002 or (510) 594-8321. Registration fee is $10, all

walkers receive T-Shirts, and prizes are awarded to those who raise the most

pledges!

 

WHO IS FARM SANCTUARY? Farm Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization dedicated to

ending the exploitation of animals used for food production. Since Farm

Sanctuary began in 1986, they have devoted their resources and time to exposing

and stopping the cruel practices of the " food animal " industry.

 

They established the first shelters in the USA for victims of " food animal "

production. Their unique New York and California farm shelters rescue,

rehabilitate, and provide life-long care for hundreds of animals rescued from

factory farms, stockyards, and slaughterhouses.