Guest guest Posted November 25, 2002 Report Share Posted November 25, 2002 Has anyone heard of the Heifer project? I received some information in the mail today and was really impressed with the concept. They donate animals to starving communities (They have carefully hand picked.) and educate them how to properly care for and provide for the animal so that it can become a valuable source for their family. For example they teach them to properly care for the cows for a milk source, chickens for eggs, sheep for wool, bees for a honey source, etc. They have pretty impressive list of credentials and backing. I think this is wonderful (Sort of why keep catching someone's fish rather then teaching them to fish..) but can't seem to find any information as to if any of the animals are used for meat. Does anyone know this or how I can get more information? If they do, does anyone know of a similar project with these ethics but would not slaughter the animal? Thanks in advance for help. With kindness, Beth Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2002 Report Share Posted November 25, 2002 Beth Skeen <boomothergoose> wrote wrt " The Heifer Project " : > I think this is wonderful (Sort of why keep catching someone's fish rather then teaching them to > fish..) but can't seem to find any information as to if any of the animals are used for meat. Does > anyone know this or how I can get more information? http://www.cob-net.org/hpi.htm is their website. It doesn't say if the animals are butchered for meat or not. You should be able to get that information from them directly, though. Contact Information: Heifer Project International <http://www.heifer.org/> P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203 Phone: 800-422-0474 E-mail: info HTH.. -- Sherri Entropy requires no maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2002 Report Share Posted November 26, 2002 On Mon, 25 Nov 2002 15:14:07 -0800 (PST), you wrote: > >Has anyone heard of the Heifer project? I received some information in the mail today and was really impressed with the concept. They donate animals to starving communities (They have carefully hand picked.) and educate them how to properly care for and provide for the animal so that it can become a valuable source for their family. >For example they teach them to properly care for the cows for a milk source, chickens for eggs, sheep for wool, bees for a honey source, etc. They have pretty impressive list of credentials and backing. I think this is wonderful (Sort of why keep catching someone's fish rather then teaching them to fish..) but can't seem to find any information as to if any of the animals are used for meat. Does anyone know this or how I can get more information? If they do, does anyone know of a similar project with these ethics but would not slaughter the animal? Yes, the animals are used for meat as appropriate - you don't kill your laying hens until they're too old to lay well. You don't kill your milk cow or milk goat until they're too old to give a useful amount of milk, etc. OTOH, rabbits have only one purpose on a farm/small-holding. It is nevertheless (IMHO) an excellent project that's done a lot of good in the world. Heifer Project animals will get to live decent lives, in accordance with the nature of farm animals, and then eventually be killed and eaten. To me, worrying about killing an animal on a smallholding in the Third World (after its useful life is over) is like worrying about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it sinks - compared to the exceeding cruelty of our mechanized, big-business-owned, factory farming. This is the *real* evil, in my eyes. You can read about the Heifer Project at: http://www.heifer.org If I were a vegan though, I wouldn't donate to them. Another excellent outfit is the American Friends Service Committee, AFSC. 100% of your donations there go to their intended recipients. You can read about the AFSC at: http://www.afsc.org which says, in part, " The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. " Pat -- Pat Meadows Books, books! Low prices. Music CDs too! http://www.wellsborocomputing.com/sales.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2002 Report Share Posted November 26, 2002 Had to put in my 2 cents: Although I adopted a turkey at Thanksgiving to avoid having it eaten, I do not have a problem with the Heifer project--but I'm kind of an anomaly as vegetarians go. Though I can certainly understand veggie/vegan opposition to the killing of animals, I'm sure we can all agree that the larger issue at hand is the widespread devastation caused by factory farming and the mass production of meat. Namely: grains that could go towards feeding hungry people instead being fed to animals, fecal and bacteria contamination in the meat, water pollution, eventual deforestation of the rainforests for beef production, air pollution, and inhumane practices in both the killing and raising of livestock. It seems to make more sense to me that if you are going to eat meat, you should be able to kill it yourself. It seems more " natural " to me to have a hunter or farmer killing his own meat than it is for Joe Schmoe to go get a burger at a fast food chain, where one is removed from the whole dirty process of meat production by a paper burger wrapper embossed with a slick corporate logo. The hunter or farmer has a far better idea of what is involved getting meat on the table than the person who picks it up at the supermarket. I myself, could not kill an animal. I'm a wuss and I love animals far too much--so I don't eat them. I don't need to convince everyone to adopt my eating habits, but it would be nice to raise awareness as to the detriments of factory farming and for people to reduce their consumption a bit. In my idea of a " perfect world " you would have to kill the animal you wanted to eat--if you can do that, then hey, you deserve to eat it. I DON'T deserve (or want) to eat it because as I said, I'm a wussy animal lover who thinks cows are cute. Anyway, the end point of my rambling is this: some people may not approve of you donating to the Heifer project for very well justified reasons. On the other hand, the people who would eventually eat the animal would be doing the butchering themselves, and would only be feeding themselves. They would not be contributing towards pollution, deforestation, and the spread of potentially deadly bacteria. So if the cow is going to help them out, raise their standard of living, and for the most part keep the cow from being kept in a small pen and fed a diet of chicken manure, then it seems that everyone benefits. Pat Meadows [pat] Tuesday, November 26, 2002 7:08 AM Re: The Heifer Project On Mon, 25 Nov 2002 15:14:07 -0800 (PST), you wrote: > >Has anyone heard of the Heifer project? I received some information in >the mail today and was really impressed with the concept. They donate animals to starving communities (They have carefully hand picked.) and educate them how to properly care for and provide for the animal so that it can become a valuable source for their family. >For example they teach them to properly care for the cows for a milk source, chickens for eggs, sheep for wool, bees for a honey source, etc. They have pretty impressive list of credentials and backing. I think this is wonderful (Sort of why keep catching someone's fish rather then teaching them to fish..) but can't seem to find any information as to if any of the animals are used for meat. Does anyone know this or how I can get more information? If they do, does anyone know of a similar project with these ethics but would not slaughter the animal? Yes, the animals are used for meat as appropriate - you don't kill your laying hens until they're too old to lay well. You don't kill your milk cow or milk goat until they're too old to give a useful amount of milk, etc. OTOH, rabbits have only one purpose on a farm/small-holding. It is nevertheless (IMHO) an excellent project that's done a lot of good in the world. Heifer Project animals will get to live decent lives, in accordance with the nature of farm animals, and then eventually be killed and eaten. To me, worrying about killing an animal on a smallholding in the Third World (after its useful life is over) is like worrying about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it sinks - compared to the exceeding cruelty of our mechanized, big-business-owned, factory farming. This is the *real* evil, in my eyes. You can read about the Heifer Project at: http://www.heifer.org If I were a vegan though, I wouldn't donate to them. Another excellent outfit is the American Friends Service Committee, AFSC. 100% of your donations there go to their intended recipients. You can read about the AFSC at: http://www.afsc.org which says, in part, " The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. " Pat -- Pat Meadows Books, books! Low prices. Music CDs too! http://www.wellsborocomputing.com/sales.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2002 Report Share Posted November 26, 2002 I have not heard about afsc. Sounds interesting- I will have to go on their web site after work and look into that. Thanks for the info. With kindness, Beth Pat Meadows <pat wrote:On Mon, 25 Nov 2002 15:14:07 -0800 (PST), you wrote: > >Has anyone heard of the Heifer project? I received some information in the mail today and was really impressed with the concept. They donate animals to starving communities (They have carefully hand picked.) and educate them how to properly care for and provide for the animal so that it can become a valuable source for their family. >For example they teach them to properly care for the cows for a milk source, chickens for eggs, sheep for wool, bees for a honey source, etc. They have pretty impressive list of credentials and backing. I think this is wonderful (Sort of why keep catching someone's fish rather then teaching them to fish..) but can't seem to find any information as to if any of the animals are used for meat. Does anyone know this or how I can get more information? If they do, does anyone know of a similar project with these ethics but would not slaughter the animal? Yes, the animals are used for meat as appropriate - you don't kill your laying hens until they're too old to lay well. You don't kill your milk cow or milk goat until they're too old to give a useful amount of milk, etc. OTOH, rabbits have only one purpose on a farm/small-holding. It is nevertheless (IMHO) an excellent project that's done a lot of good in the world. Heifer Project animals will get to live decent lives, in accordance with the nature of farm animals, and then eventually be killed and eaten. To me, worrying about killing an animal on a smallholding in the Third World (after its useful life is over) is like worrying about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it sinks - compared to the exceeding cruelty of our mechanized, big-business-owned, factory farming. This is the *real* evil, in my eyes. You can read about the Heifer Project at: http://www.heifer.org If I were a vegan though, I wouldn't donate to them. Another excellent outfit is the American Friends Service Committee, AFSC. 100% of your donations there go to their intended recipients. You can read about the AFSC at: http://www.afsc.org which says, in part, " The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. " Pat -- Pat Meadows Books, books! Low prices. Music CDs too! http://www.wellsborocomputing.com/sales.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2002 Report Share Posted November 26, 2002 I agree and as Pat pointed out, we are talking third world countries that are starving. What is the justification and compassion in allowing that to happen. A co-worker and I got into a discussion about this earlier this morning (She is not a veggie) and she argued that why, as a vegetarian, would i condone it and did I not think this was " a bit two-faced? Why would you not encourage teaching about crops, gardening, etc. " BUt according to someone I wrote at The Heifer project, many of the places that they work through are environments not fit to grow any type of crops. (Baron waste lands.) I though that was interesting. With kindness, Beth Maija.Ray wrote: Had to put in my 2 cents: Although I adopted a turkey at Thanksgiving to avoid having it eaten, I do not have a problem with the Heifer project--but I'm kind of an anomaly as vegetarians go. Though I can certainly understand veggie/vegan opposition to the killing of animals, I'm sure we can all agree that the larger issue at hand is the widespread devastation caused by factory farming and the mass production of meat. Namely: grains that could go towards feeding hungry people instead being fed to animals, fecal and bacteria contamination in the meat, water pollution, eventual deforestation of the rainforests for beef production, air pollution, and inhumane practices in both the killing and raising of livestock. It seems to make more sense to me that if you are going to eat meat, you should be able to kill it yourself. It seems more " natural " to me to have a hunter or farmer killing his own meat than it is for Joe Schmoe to go get a burger at a fast food chain, where one is removed from the whole dirty process of meat production by a paper burger wrapper embossed with a slick corporate logo. The hunter or farmer has a far better idea of what is involved getting meat on the table than the person who picks it up at the supermarket. I myself, could not kill an animal. I'm a wuss and I love animals far too much--so I don't eat them. I don't need to convince everyone to adopt my eating habits, but it would be nice to raise awareness as to the detriments of factory farming and for people to reduce their consumption a bit. In my idea of a " perfect world " you would have to kill the animal you wanted to eat--if you can do that, then hey, you deserve to eat it. I DON'T deserve (or want) to eat it because as I said, I'm a wussy animal lover who thinks cows are cute. Anyway, the end point of my rambling is this: some people may not approve of you donating to the Heifer project for very well justified reasons. On the other hand, the people who would eventually eat the animal would be doing the butchering themselves, and would only be feeding themselves. They would not be contributing towards pollution, deforestation, and the spread of potentially deadly bacteria. So if the cow is going to help them out, raise their standard of living, and for the most part keep the cow from being kept in a small pen and fed a diet of chicken manure, then it seems that everyone benefits. Pat Meadows [pat] Tuesday, November 26, 2002 7:08 AM Re: The Heifer Project On Mon, 25 Nov 2002 15:14:07 -0800 (PST), you wrote: > >Has anyone heard of the Heifer project? I received some information in >the mail today and was really impressed with the concept. They donate animals to starving communities (They have carefully hand picked.) and educate them how to properly care for and provide for the animal so that it can become a valuable source for their family. >For example they teach them to properly care for the cows for a milk source, chickens for eggs, sheep for wool, bees for a honey source, etc. They have pretty impressive list of credentials and backing. I think this is wonderful (Sort of why keep catching someone's fish rather then teaching them to fish..) but can't seem to find any information as to if any of the animals are used for meat. Does anyone know this or how I can get more information? If they do, does anyone know of a similar project with these ethics but would not slaughter the animal? Yes, the animals are used for meat as appropriate - you don't kill your laying hens until they're too old to lay well. You don't kill your milk cow or milk goat until they're too old to give a useful amount of milk, etc. OTOH, rabbits have only one purpose on a farm/small-holding. It is nevertheless (IMHO) an excellent project that's done a lot of good in the world. Heifer Project animals will get to live decent lives, in accordance with the nature of farm animals, and then eventually be killed and eaten. To me, worrying about killing an animal on a smallholding in the Third World (after its useful life is over) is like worrying about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it sinks - compared to the exceeding cruelty of our mechanized, big-business-owned, factory farming. This is the *real* evil, in my eyes. You can read about the Heifer Project at: http://www.heifer.org If I were a vegan though, I wouldn't donate to them. Another excellent outfit is the American Friends Service Committee, AFSC. 100% of your donations there go to their intended recipients. You can read about the AFSC at: http://www.afsc.org which says, in part, " The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. " Pat -- Pat Meadows Books, books! Low prices. Music CDs too! http://www.wellsborocomputing.com/sales.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2002 Report Share Posted November 26, 2002 On Tue, 26 Nov 2002 07:39:18 -0700, you wrote: >Had to put in my 2 cents: > >Although I adopted a turkey at Thanksgiving to avoid having it eaten, I do >not have a problem with the Heifer project--but I'm kind of an anomaly as >vegetarians go. Though I can certainly understand veggie/vegan opposition >to the killing of animals, I'm sure we can all agree that the larger issue >at hand is the widespread devastation caused by factory farming and the mass >production of meat. Namely: grains that could go towards feeding hungry >people instead being fed to animals, fecal and bacteria contamination in the >meat, water pollution, eventual deforestation of the rainforests for beef >production, air pollution, and inhumane practices in both the killing and >raising of livestock. You got that right! >It seems to make more sense to me that if you are going to eat meat, you >should be able to kill it yourself. It seems more " natural " to me to have a >hunter or farmer killing his own meat than it is for Joe Schmoe to go get a >burger at a fast food chain, where one is removed from the whole dirty >process of meat production by a paper burger wrapper embossed with a slick >corporate logo. The hunter or farmer has a far better idea of what is >involved getting meat on the table than the person who picks it up at the >supermarket. > I couldn't agree more. The deer the hunter shoots has AT LEAST led a happy deer life until then, as opposed to the poor tortured victims of factory farming. Pat -- Pat Meadows Books, books! Low prices. Music CDs too! http://www.wellsborocomputing.com/sales.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.