It was unbearable—ammonia and waste. The air was so thick with dust, I could barely breathe. I remember thinking: How could any living being actually live here?

As our rescue team moved between endless rows of cages, I couldn't look away from the hens. They were shells of themselves. Their spirits were broken; their curious personalities corroded by months on end of fear and confinement. I desperately wanted to spare each one from suffering—but for the hens we had to leave behind, suffering was all they’d ever know.

Out of thousands of animals, we were there to rescue 12. We found a home for them with a small flock. The day they stood on grass for the first time, I watched one hen trying to unfurl her foot, which had been bent around wire flooring for nearly her entire life. Despite a life of deprivation, her innate curiosity for the world hadn’t been beaten out of her.

At first, the simplest things—like developing friendships and exploring—were so foreign to them. But soon, they learned to enjoy dust bathing and sunbathing and foraging; all the small joys natural to their lives.

As a changemaker, I know you care deeply about animals. I’m sharing this story with you because I know that animals on factory farms feel so far away. They’re hard to imagine—and even harder to advocate for.

These animals are hidden away, out of sight and out of mind, for one reason: to protect industry profits. After all, no one wants to see cruelty happening right in front of them. Thank you for having the courage to face this cruelty—and fight back.

I’ve been fighting for animals for over 20 years. Looking back, those 12 hens sparked my lifelong commitment to dismantle battery cages on a massive scale. A global scale. Because no living being deserves a life of pain and fear. And that’s why I came to work at The Humane League—to fight this cruelty at the source.

Before I worked at The Humane League, I was a monthly donor. Like you, I wanted to give where it would matter most. And today, I can vouch for the fact that every one of your dollars will go as far as possible to end the worst suffering on factory farms today.

To change animals’ lives, we need to go straight to the source—pressuring companies to end cages in their supply chains. And one of the most effective ways you can do that is by becoming a monthly donor. Right now, all monthly gifts are being matched by a generous contributor, through the end of the year. But there’s only one week left.

Tackling such a massive system means taking on some of the biggest companies in the world, for animals. And to do that, we need 51 more monthly donors by February 28th. Will you be one of them?

The industry wants to make us feel powerless. They’re determined to silence our voices and stop us from exposing their cruelty. Because they know exactly how powerful we can be.

For those 12 hens, and millions more—

P.S. As one of our most committed changemakers, you’ve already helped so many animals. And you have the power to help so many more—by fighting the industry that profits from their suffering. Will you join our monthly giving community before this week is up?