Mayim Bialik and Jane Lynch Among Stars Pledging to Go Turkey-Free This Thanksgiving
A host of celebrities have pledged to swap out turkey for an alternative for this year's holiday
This year’s turkey day is going to look a little bit different for many famous faces.
Celebrities including Mayim Bialik, Jane Lynch and Alicia Silverstone have pledged to go turkey-free for Thanksgiving this year as they’ve partnered with animal welfare organization Farm Sancutary to bring awareness to the widespread cruelty faced by the animals as a result of the annual holiday.
The organization hosts an annual Adopt a Turkey Project to raise awareness of the cruelty and help change mindsets around the holiday, during which an estimated 46 million turkeys will be killed.
Alan Cumming, Madelaine Petsch, Nikki Glaser and Corey Feldman are among the other stars who have made the same pledge to celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey-free table.
The nonprofit’s annual project has long been supported by A-listers, with previous pledges made by Alec Baldwin, Kristen Bell, Kaley Cuoco, Ellen DeGeneres, Billie Eilish and Demi Lovato.
Natasha Lyonne, Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Sarah Silverman and Rainn Wilson have also made pledges in recent years to go turkey-free.
The pledge to “leave turkey off [the] holiday plate” is available for anyone to sign on Farm Sanctuary's website. The rescue asks that those signing agree to “object to the exploitation of turkeys in our industrial food system, where they are treated as products and endure systematic abuse” and “support a fair and sustainable food system” for “animals, workers, communities, and our planet.”
Related: Alicia Silverstone Kisses Turkey in Thanksgiving Instagram Post with Son Bear Blu
Feldman, 52, shared his passion for the nonprofit’s work as he revealed in an Instagram video that he first got involved and adopted a turkey to save its life 16 years ago.
“Sixteen years ago I was so moved by the fact that the turkeys that I found on the farm were so affectionate and sweet and had personalities like a dog or a cat,” the Goonies actor said. “They came up and let me pet them. It was an actual communication with a bird that I didn’t know could happen.
Petsch, 29, shared a similar video, encouraging viewers and followers to have a “more compassionate holiday” through the Adopt a Turkey program.
The Riverdale actress also revealed that her dad had been adopting a turkey on her behalf around the holiday for the last decade, so the advocacy is not new to her either.
Related: Billie Eilish Asks Followers to Reconsider Eating Turkey on Thanksgiving: 'Just Keep It in Mind'
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With a one-time donation of $35 to Farm Sanctuary's Adopt a Turkey Project, a supporter can symbolically adopt one of the organization's rescue turkeys. The project's funds support the turkey's daily care and assist Farm Sanctuary's education and advocacy work. Adopters receive an adoption certificate featuring a photo of their new turkey friend.
The organization is the country's first farm animal sanctuary and advocacy organization and has two rescue locations — one in New York and the other in California — where caretakers look after farm animals saved from abuse and the agriculture industry. The sanctuaries' residents include cows, goats, horses, sheep and chickens, as well as turkeys.
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