6 Reasons to Donate to an Animal Organization this #GivingTuesday–Even if You’re Not Vegan Yet

People go vegan for many reasons, from saving animals, to protecting their health, to safeguarding the environment. While Compassion Over Killing works to protect farmed animals and empower vegan eating, we realize that our work intersects with all kinds of other issues. And we believe that choosing a more compassionate lifestyle can have positive effects in many ways!

So even if you’re not vegan (yet!), contributing to an animal organization like Compassion Over Killing this #GivingTuesday will affect change in many ways. We’ve put together six examples of how your dollar can be spent to make a difference.

In honor of Giving Tuesday (November 27) and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, in November your contribution will go twice as far as we celebrate a Month of Compassion and Gratitude. Check out our Meet our team and see how we’re giving back to our communities with your help!

Animal welfare

It’s no secret that animals are treated terribly on factory farms and in slaughterhouses, though animal agribusiness tries to keep this vast suffering hidden behind closed doors. Often times using undercover investigations as the most vital tool we have to expose the truth, animal organizations are on the front lines of the fight for animal welfare.

Currently, Compassion Over Killing is fighting some big fights on behalf of farmed animals: dangerous high-speed slaughter in the pig and chicken industries, as well as the cruel practice of “nose-boning” on chicken farms (first exposed on hidden camera by a COK investigator and now nearly wiped out industry-wide). Your donation helps us fight for more fair treatment and less cruelty.

Corporate accountability

In the animal agriculture industry, corporate scheming runs rampant. Just this year, multiple industries have been accused of conspiring to raise prices. This summer, pork and chicken giants were targeted by lawsuits, and even more recently StarKist executives pleaded guilty to antitrust violations in collusion with other big seafood industry players. Food corporations have enormous lobbying power, so watchdogs must remain vigilant–and that includes whistleblowers and animal rights organizations like COK.

In doing our part to hold these giant corporations accountable, COK’s legal research led to a class-action settlement of a whopping $52 million paid to cheated consumers after the dairy industry was accused of conspiring to fix prices–a scheme that resulted in the killing of over 500,000 young cows to reduce the supply of milk and raise prices

By researching and reporting on these enormous violations of consumer trust, we can show the industry that white-collar crime won’t be tolerated.

Making healthy foods more accessible

There are a lot of perks to going vegan, and one of them includes a healthier diet. Here at COK, along with advocating plant-based eating to help animals, we also empower other to make these kinder choices, helping to ensure access to vegan recipes and education, as well as access to nutritious foods.

Our innovative Corporate Campaigns department works to get more vegan options into affordable and accessible restaurants nationwide, as well as to encourage common grocery brands to carry vegan products.

Some of our victories have included persuading Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks to offer almond milk options and Subway trialing vegan sandwich options. COK campaigns have also had success (with your help!) in pushing vegetarian brands like Morningstar Farms, Lightlife and Quorn to reduce or eliminate their use of eggs and dairy. In fact, following our campaign, Lightlife has gone 100% vegan!

Currently, we’re campaigning for Kraft Heinz’s BOCA, an affordable and well-known meatless brand, to ditch dairy completely.

We work locally, too! Check out how COK’s TryVeg.com is bringing fresh produce to DC families, in an ongoing partnership with Joyful Food Markets.

Compassion at Work: Did you know? For every dollar you donate to COK, 91% goes directly toward our life-saving work for farm animals.. See where your support is going & many ways to give  at COK.net.

Looking out for workers

The meatpacking and slaughter industries are some of the most dangerous workplaces in the United States. In these industries, chronic health problems and injuries are common, and even extreme cases like amputations are alarmingly frequent occurrences. And things are going from bad to worse as the pig and chicken industries continue to speed up slaughter lines, and workers are forced to keep pace.

What’s more is that many of the workers in these plants are undocumented immigrants. In the largest raid in a decade, ICE detained 146 meatpacking workers this June at an Ohio Fresh Mark plant. Without protections, employees are often offered little recourse in the workplace, while working long hours for low pay and in dangerous conditions.

Though this treatment points to a larger issue of workers’ and immigrants’ rights, we can help to mitigate cruel and inhumane conditions by fighting dangerous policies like high-speed slaughter and voting with our dollar by choosing vegan foods, and by refusing to support the large corporations that exploit animals and humans alike.

Battling climate change

Factory farming causes vast suffering for billions of animals, and takes a severe toll on surrounding communities and the environment as a whole. For example, in September, a COK investigation revealed the devastation caused by industrial farms — for both animals and surrounding waterways — in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

The clock is ticking on climate change, and we’re starting to run out of time. The good news?  Studies show that choosing a plant-based diet is the most effective way to lessen our contribution to climate change.

By advocating for more plant-based options in stores and helping people make more vegan choices, we can take a step towards lessening everyone’s impact.

Here for you

Are you pre-vegan? At COK’s TryVeg.com we provide all kinds of resources for those who are interested in exploring plant-based eating. Whether you have questions about getting enough to eat as an athlete, understanding the why’s and how’s of going vegan, or just finding some easy-to-make and delicious recipes, we’ve got you covered.

If any of these reasons speak to you, you can double your impact by contributing today!