Rational Animal is an organization close to our hearts. It is a nonprofit that uses media to increase public awareness about NYC’s at-risk animals. Their newest campaign, “Mother’s Comfort Project,” is one of the most heartwarming undertakings for animal advocacy that I’ve heard of recently.
http://www.rational-animal.org/
With this innovative project, the people at Rational Animal work with volunteers to create comfortable homemade beds for dogs and cats at NYC shelters — animals housed in small cages, whose bedding usually consists of towels. They also make catnip toys for the feline variety. The kind people at Rational Animal then deliver the goods (as well as lots of love) to Animal Care & Control. According to their website, “To date, over 2000 beds and 1500 toys have been delivered to New York City shelters, providing comfort for thousands of animals.”
One of the coolest things about this project is that the volunteers who are pitching in to help gather together to do their stitching, providing a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends who share a compassionate outlook. If you’re in NYC and interested in helping, they are having a sewing event this Sunday, March 27, in Park Slope, Brooklyn (info is available on their website). And if you’re not in NYC, howzabout creating a similar hands-on program in your community? You can even team up your own sewing event with some vegan snacks (or make it a potluck), speaking out for all animals in one fell swoop (or, as Mariann likes to say, “one swell foop”).
Check out this moving video that details Rational Animal’s “Mother Comfort Project.” Oh, and two vegan brownie points to them for creating this video in the first place… it’s such a perfect homage to the work they do. Oh, the power of video…