Farm Sanctuary Marks 40 Years With Vegan Feast

The animal rescue organization celebrated its anniversary by serving a plant-based Thanksgiving meal to turkeys on the farm.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Organic Food

Weathered wooden feeding trough in a sunlit pasture holding pumpkins and squash, with kale leaves on the grass and a stone wall at the field edge. — Farm Sanctuary, which rescues farm animals rather than raising them for food, marked its 40th anniversary by serving a vegan Thanksgiving feast to turkeys and pigs at its Watkins Glen, N.Y. sanctuary. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Farm Sanctuary, an organization whose sanctuaries rescue animals and do not raise them for food, celebrated its 40th anniversary with a vegan feast. The celebration included feeding turkeys a vegan Thanksgiving meal of pumpkin pie, squash, and kale.

Why it matters

The event highlights the organization's four decades of work rescuing farm animals and promoting plant-based alternatives during the holiday season. It also gives New York readers an example of how a local sanctuary marks a milestone with animals rather than through traditional holiday food.

Farm Sanctuary has operated for 40 years, and its sanctuaries rescue animals rather than raising them for food. The feast featured pumpkin pie, squash, and kale for the turkeys, while pigs on the farm ate pumpkins during the event.

The players

Farm Sanctuary

An animal protection organization that operates sanctuaries to rescue farm animals and advocates against animal agriculture.

The details

The celebration was held with the animals at the Watkins Glen, N.Y. sanctuary. Pigs ate pumpkins as people watched, and the turkeys received a meal designed as a vegan Thanksgiving dish.

Article about the 40th anniversary vegan feast was published on November 7, 2026.

Culture Shift

The feast reflects Farm Sanctuary's sanctuary model, which has operated since its founding by keeping rescued farm animals out of food production while using plant-based meals to mark holidays. Its 40-year run places the event within a longer shift toward vegan holiday observances that organizations like Farm Sanctuary have promoted since the 1980s.

New York residents who want to visit or support the sanctuary can see how animals are cared for without food production. Those planning plant-based holiday meals can use the pumpkin, squash, and kale combination featured at the event as a practical starting point.

The takeaway

Farm Sanctuary's 40-year history shows how sanctuary work and public celebrations can reinforce each other. Readers interested in plant-based holiday cooking can adapt the pumpkin and kale dishes served at the event for their own tables.