Charlie's Acres

Sonoma nonprofit Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary will hold their first ever travel auction to offer their supporters an opportunity to Travel for a Good Cause. Bidders have a chance to win Trips of a Lifetime while making a philanthropic contribution to support an impactful charity. This exciting online auction will begin on Saturday, Apr 29, 2023 at 12:00 AM PST and will run through May 06, 2023 08:30 PM PST. There are eight amazing trips to bid on. From the tropics of Costa Rica to Vineyards in Tuscany and the Northern Lights in Iceland, there is a trip for you. These trips may be taken anytime in the next three years—a very generous travel window. Each trip is for two people and includes airfare and other accommodations (see website for details). There are no blackout dates, and an AmFund Travel Specialist will help you schedule everything. By taking the trip of your dreams, you get to see the world while helping those in need, as a portion of all proceeds will go to support the care of Charlie’s Acres’ 150 rescued animal residents and their educational programs. “In addition to providing the highest quality of care to our rescued animals, these funds will support our educational programs focused on caring for animals, human impacts on the environment, and resources for plant-based eating,” says Tracy Vogt, President & Founder of Charlie’s Acres. “We are proud to be teaching the principles of compassion, consideration, and non-violence toward all beings, through our animal ambassadors. That is why we are excited to partner with The American Fundraising Foundation (https://www.amfund.org/) to host this auction. Donations from this event will help support our popular Virtual Class Pet program, youth camps, classroom field trips, and more!” The pinnacle of this fundraising campaign is the Fancy (Farm)raiser dinner hosted at Charlie’s Acres. This dinner will feature delicious plant-based versions of farmhouse classics, featuring ingredients from event sponsors meati™, Blackbird Foods, VFC®, TiNDLE Foods, Climax Foods, Kube, and more! Those who cannot make the sanctuary’s May 6th fundraiser dinner can still fully participate in this exciting online auction. To register for the Travel Auction visit: https://lnkd.in/g8NDcgWf or for more information on their work visit www.charliesacres.org.

Say Hello to Bella, one of our Pot Belly Pig residents at Charlie's Acres. Bella started out her life as a pet. As is very common with pet pigs, her owners did not know how to care for her properly and fed her foods like cat and dog food, cake, and candy. When her caretakers finally realized they could no longer provide the home she needed, Bella arrived at Charlie’s Acres so overweight that she was unable to walk on her own, and unable to see because of the folds of skin that covered her eyes. By feeding her a proper diet of fresh produce and encouraging her to walk a little further each day, Bella has lost over 100lbs and now is able to explore this big pasture without help. Not only that but she is now the leader of her group despite being blind from all her previous health problems.

Help us wish our two boys Adrian and Julian a happy 5 year adoptiversary. Adrian and Julian were both raised by a high schooler in a 4H program. After showing her sheep for 4H, this student did not want to see her beloved sheep go to slaughter, so her teacher purchased the sheep to save their lives. When the 4H committee learned that these sheep would not be sent to slaughter but instead kept as pets, they were very upset and sent the local Sheriff’s department to seize them. The sheep had been legally purchased, and the teacher was able to keep them for several months but felt that it was best they go to a new home due to the controversy raised so they joined our group at Charlie’s Acres. Adrian and Julian are very sweet and friendly and have helped make the other sheep in this group feel secure. Unfortunately, Adrian and Julian’s story is a common one. In certain aspects of programs like 4-H and FFA, kids learn to raise and care for animals, but the ultimate fate for these animals is to be auctioned for slaughter, and many students are heartbroken when they realize this. Thankfully, alternatives to animal-centered 4H and FFA programs are becoming more widespread as children and teens seek a more compassionate world. Alternatives such as LEAP for Animals and 4H club by The Sweet Farm. Thank you, and we hope you wish Adrian and Julian a happy adoptiversary.

This is the story of Gretel, who made waves here in Sonoma in the summer of 2021 after being found abandoned on the streets in town while pregnant. Despite all odds, she survived and made her way to Charlie's Acres, where she gave birth to her eight piglets: Tamara, Charlotte, Ruthie, Ola, Parker, Calvin, Rocco, and Grover. Although tragedy struck soon after when we lost Ola to a congenital condition, Gretel and her seven remaining children survived all of their ups and downs and now have a safe, peaceful, loving home at Charlie's Acres to spend the rest of their days together. It has been such a joy to watch these little buggers grow up from being small enough to hold in two hands to being too big to fit on our laps. (But they'll still try!) Each has such a unique, vibrant personality, but they all have in common that they LOVE making new friends and receiving belly rubs and will never know cruelty from humans.

Join us on April 13th at SF Brewfest n' Vegan Eats Invitational! It'll be a great time and supports our animals at Charlie's Acres!

Say hello to Simon, one of our steer residents here at Charlie's Acres. Like many boys born into dairy, they are, for the most part, considered waste products. They might sell them for cheap beef or veal, or they might throw them away. In Simon's case, he was sold to a petting zoo where he became sick and malnourished and still was made to interact with people. But a miracle happened for Simon. He was rescued by wonderful humans, and they found him a home with us. Now Simon lives in peace and happiness here at our sanctuary with his 5 other cow friends. All of which will live out their natural lives. #sanctuary #sonoma #rescue #cows

We're so grateful for our sponsor at MeliBio for helping us create this beautiful pollinator-supporting garden. #nativepollinators #nativebees