Six Ways to Take Action for Animals While Staying Safe at Home

By Hope Bohanec,
Projects Manager for United Poultry Concerns

For many of us, spring is a time of community engagement filled with VegFests, MeetUps, potlucks, leafletings, and other activities to spread the message of animal suffering in our food system and the joys of living vegan. With all spring events cancelled, the world seems to have come to a standstill. Yet the breeding, confining, and killing of sensitive chickens and other farmed animals continues, so our advocacy must continue as well.

As communities move to a virtual reality, so must our message. Here are six suggested actions to take during our time of social distancing. We can’t be together physically, so let’s find creative ways to bring the plight of farmed animals into the minds and hearts of people in their homes. Please stay safe and continue to speak out for chickens and for all animals. They need us now more than ever.

1. Have a Streaming Party and Watch a Vegan Film or Documentary
   There are numerous films and documentaries with pro-animal and vegan messages available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services. You can watch Okja, Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives, and Game Changers on Netflix, while Amazon Prime has Food Choices, The End of Meat, The Invisible Vegan, and Plant Pure Nation among others. Have a watch-party with the people who share your home, or use Netflix Party to stream a movie remotely with friends outside of your household and talk about it after.
2. Get Hip with Social Media
   There has never been a better time to be an effective “armchair activist.” Social media is the way many people, and most young people, are getting their news, watching their entertainment, connecting with friends, and more. Be an influencer and help broadcast the vegan message across any and all platforms. You don’t even have to create your own content; there are lots of memes, videos, recipes, and articles to share. Start with UPC’s Facebook and Twitter pages and share our content on your social media pages.
3. Write a Letter to the Editor or an Online Article
   Do you like to write? Perhaps now you have some extra time to do it. Write a letter to your local paper about any aspect of veganism. A letter in response to a recent article is more likely to be published. Remember to praise journalists or publications for any positive media coverage for animals. Be sure to adhere to the guidelines for length and other factors before sending your letter. There are also online forums for posting articles like Medium and Elephant Journal. Start with a vegan or animal rights topic you are passionate about and write!
4. Support a Vegan Company with Mail-Order
   To minimize your trips to the grocery store, why not order some staples or sweet treats from a small vegan business? Use the VegNews Guide to Vegan Delivery Nationwide to find online vegan stores and place your order. You will find everything from pantry essentials, to vegan cookies and doughnuts, to meal delivery services.


Chicken Run Rescue photo of Bob McGrath and his lady loves by Colleen McGrath.

5. Read a Good Book
   Staying home means that many of us have more time to read. Now might be the best time to curl up with a book and go deeper into your animal liberation and vegan education. A book also makes a perfect gift for someone you are thinking of but can’t be with at this time. Some recommended reads are Voices for Animal Liberation: Inspirational Accounts By Animal Rights Activists and For the Birds: From Exploitation to Liberation by Karen Davis. The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat? by Hope Bohanec is also recommended. Here’s a list of educational and inspirational books that UPC recommends.
6. Donate to United Poultry Concerns
   Even as the world seems to have stopped, chickens, turkeys and other farmed animals continue to suffer, and we will continue to fight tirelessly for them. Your contribution helps us do just that. You can also support us by shopping on the UPC merchandise page.