So it turns out that Sunday, April 10th is National Farm Animals Day. Even though it might technically be a U.S. holiday, I thought I could still mark it by profiling my favorite farm sanctuary, HEEFS.
HEEFS, a.k.a. Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary, was started in 2014 by Steve Jenkins and his life partner Derek Walter. The idea for the sanctuary sprang from the social media success of their then two-year-old pet pig, Esther.
Nowadays, they spread Esther’s message via “The Esther Effect”, and the sanctuary is home to the following animals:
- 2 Cats
Wilma
- 3 Rabbits
Cooper
- 7 Sheep
Gladys
- Donkey
Derek and BJ the Donkey
- Horse
BJ the donkey and Escalade the horse
- 5 Goats
Angelo the goat
- Cow
- Ox
Pouty and Denver
- 30 Pigs
Pigs Hercules and Dan
- 16 Chickens
Terry the rabbit with chickens Mary, Sunnie, and Nancy
- Turkey
The handsome Cornelius
- 3 Peafowl
- 3 Muscovy Ducks
Donna the Duck
Together, the staff at HEEFS, together with the administrative volunteer team and the Board of Directors, keep the sanctuary running and ready to help animals in need!
How You Can Help?
There are lots of ways the people can help HEEFS!! You can:
- Buy merchandise from their store- proceeds go back to support the sanctuary!
- You can join their birthday club and get a special gift on your birthday!
- You can host a Facebook or Instagram fundraiser that benefits HEEFS!
- ·You can sign up for a Volunteer Event Day!
- You can sign up for a tour of the sanctuary!
*Remember to always check the HEEFS website for important details.
A Final Note- Esther Shares
Finally, if you run a sanctuary yourself, you can team up with HEEFS and Esther through the Esther Shared Medical Fund! The Fund was set up to provide financial assistance to sanctuaries in Canada and the US that might suddenly find themselves with unforeseen medical expenses. For more information, you can visit the following link: https://www.happilyeveresther.ca/how-it-works
