Eastern Shore Sanctuary & Education Center

Back in May of 2000, luck had led Miriam and Pattrice to be caring for four roosters and two hens. In an effort to correct the gender balance, Pattrice got permission to go into the sheds at a local factory farm and rescue any hens who had evaded capture when the "chicken catchers" had come to take them to slaughter earlier that day. Ankle deep in excrement, choking on ammonia fumes and the stench of fear, slipping and sliding on dead birds in various stages of decomposition, Pattrice took more than an hour to capture and carry eight terrified birds to safety that day. By the end of that week, 24 young hens were living with Miriam and Pattrice, who decided to make it official and incorporate a sanctuary.

Then, as now, Miriam and Pattrice struggled for funds to feed the birds. Then, as now, Miriam and Pattrice volunteer their time and pitch in their own (very limited) funds to cover the costs of caring for the chickens. Now, five years later, more than 200 birds — including not only birds who have escaped the local poultry industry but also hens from egg factories, former fighting cocks, birds confiscated from illegal live poultry markets, homeless hens and roosters from far-flung locales, and even a few ducks rescued from a variety of abusive circumstances — call the Eastern Shore Sanctuary home.

Five Ways You Can Help the Sanctuary

We wish it weren't so, but our greatest need is money. We have a lot of plans for projects that will offer our supporters other things to do but, right now, what we need our friends to do is to help us fund the day-to-day work of the sanctuary

1. Organize a fundraising event in your region

Because we are located in a low-income rural region dominated by the poultry industry, we cannot stage successful fundraising events here at the sanctuary. If you have experience organizing events or would like to challenge yourself to try something new, contact us to discuss organizing a major event like a bowl-a-thon or a musical benefit. Or, take it easy and throw a potluck house party at which you talk about chickens and pass the hat.

2. "Adopt" a sanctuary resident

It's easy and affordable to become an active participant in the work of the sanctuary by sponsoring the support of a chicken or duck. For as little as five dollars per month, you can cover the costs of food, shelter, and health care for a bird in need.

Visit our ADOPT-A-BIRD program web page to sign up online or download a pledge form to print and mail in with your sponsorship fee, which you can send annually or monthly:

http://www.bravebirds.org/adopt.html

Or you can download the pledge form directly:

http://www.bravebirds.org/adopt.pdf

3. "Adopt" a sanctuary project

From one-time activities like re-seeding the foraging yards or staging a local educational event to long-term endeavors like promoting local agriculture reform or challenging poultry industry propaganda in public schools, our "to-do" list of projects is always longer than our list of available human and material resources. There are two ways to adopt a sanctuary project: (1) you can agree to cover the costs of a specific project; or (2) you can step in as a volunteer project manager, organizing (with the advice and consent of sanctuary staff) every aspect of the project, including fundraising.


4. Encourage others to support the sanctuary

Forward this newsletter to your friends or to email lists to which you subscribe. If you have a website or a blog, add a link to the Eastern Shore Sanctuary website.

5. Donate by mail or PayPal at

Eastern Shore Sanctuary & Education Center
13981 Reading Ferry
Princess Anne, MD 21853 USA
410-651-4934
http://www.bravebirds.org

PayPal donation link:
http://tinyurl.com/ay7sa


Of course, plain donations and gifts of items on our wish list are always welcome. Donations may be mailed to the address above or transmitted online via the PayPal button on our website. The sanctuary wish list can be accessed at

http://www.bravebirds.org/wish.html