Harvest Home Sanctuary Annual Toast to the Turkeys Celebration

“Saving lives, celebrating compassion.“

This weekend was the annual “Toast to the Turkeys” celebration at Harvest Home Sanctuary, an animal rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary in Stockton, California. I attended with my friend Jessica, owner of One Hot Mama’s Salsa!

We joined volunteers and over 60 attendees at this year’s “Toast to the Turkeys”. This is a yearly event hosted by Harvest Home on their property with self-guided tours of the sanctuary, catered lunch, silent auction, and a ceremonial feast of veggies for the rescued turkeys at the sanctuary. We met the friendliest goats, including Lily, who has one eye, and Donovan, who has one ear (and no sense of personal space). The volunteers had cut carrots for us to feed the animals, and as long as Donovan didn’t hog it all, every animal seemed to enjoy the treat. I met pigs named Hayden and Tommy Pickles, as well as a large white goose named Fletcher, who tried to preen my jacket! There are so many animal friends who are free to wander the property and live their lives to the fullest. Every animal has their own unique personality, set of friends, and coupling. It is truly special to see them get the chance to thrive with minimal human intervention.

Our lunch was catered by our friends at V.E.A.T.S, with vegan pan dulce for dessert from Salida’s La Espiga de Oro bakery. Our plates were early Thanksgiving feasts, including sliced ‘Vurkey’ roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, seasoned green beans, and my favorite- their Triple Double Mak n Cheeze! (Want to try this same plate? Pre-order your Thanksgiving dishes for pick-up or delivery at veats4you.com) Our lunch was followed by a silent auction where I competitively bid and won a vegan holiday hot chocolate basket filled with No Whey! Hot Cocoa Bombs, Lindt Oatmilk Truffles, Harvest Home mugs, and so much more! All proceeds went to the sanctuary, so I don’t feel as bad for sniping the competition.

The day ended with a sparkling cider toast to the sanctuary and its animals, followed by a ceremonial feast for the turkeys. The volunteers filled various squash with treats for the birds, and we all got to hand-deliver them. I offered my squash to Luca, a rescued Turkey who had to be separated at the party due to his spicier behavior, and donated in advance to sponsor a turkey’s feast for the event. THIS is how you have a turkey for dinner.

Harvest Home was founded in 2004 by Karen Courtemanche and Annemarie Engelhardt, and became an official nonprofit in 2005. The sanctuary is home to over 12 animal species, including turkeys, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, and more! Harvest Home’s mission is to provide lifelong care to the animals at the sanctuary, find forever homes for some, and educate the public on caring for animals and issues in the animal agriculture industry. Harvest Home even offers educational presentations that can be customized for your classroom or event, such as a chicken lifecycle presentation that can replace common “chick-hatching” projects, which often end in homeless chickens. If you would like to volunteer, donate, or attend future events at Harvest Home Sanctuary, follow them on social media and visit their website at harvesthomesanctuary.org