This December 1st, we celebrate our first year and two months of animal rights activism.
Just one year and two months ago, Project Animal Freedom was merely an idea after a failed attempt to fall back asleep. But the idea of PAF kept gnawing away at me; I ripped off the covers, admitting defeat to the forces of insomnia which now powered me. Enlivened by this idea, I got to work, creating no fewer than 33 events to serve as the roadmap for our next 15-month’s worth of activities.
Ever since that deeply empowering night, we have gone on to make a meaningful difference for animals in more ways than I can count, becoming not only the single most active animal rights group in all St. Louis, but also positioning ourselves to effect an animal rights revolution across the entire Midwest in just three years. Relying on social media to convey our message of compassion for all, here are just a few statistics that reflect the social media firestorm we have generated over our first 12 months alone:
103,000+ Facebook post views
34,000+ organic video views
9,000+ post engagements
Since our summer fundraising campaign began on August 8th, we have also accomplished the following:
Co-hosted a vegan picnic in the park with the St. Louis Vegetarian Society, attracting 25 community members, the largest attendance in several years
Attended the Rally for Trans Workers to strengthen protections for LGBTQIA+ and especially trans workers who a large portion of our society continues to discriminate against at alarming rates
Held our first official Events Committee meeting, inspiring three new leaders to step up and begin serving our community by organizing dozens of high-impact events over the next few months alone
Co-hosted our first annual “Vegan BBQ Bash,” attracting just over 40 people, to help raise funds for a vegan health and wellness center along S. Jefferson that caters to domestic abuse victims, cancer survivors, and those still battling cancer
Organized a vegan meetup at Utah Station, the hottest new vegan-friendly restaurant in all St. Louis, attracting just over 30 community members
Organized our first-ever vegan rummage sale, recruiting hundreds of dollars worth of donations from nearly a dozen community members
Hosted our second-ever vegan marathon party as part of our summer fundraising campaign, generating over $1,400, our most successful fundraising campaign yet
Attended St. Louis’ first annual climate strike to raise awareness not only about our ongoing climate crisis, but also urge environmentalists and environmental organizations to finally address the environmental devastation caused by animal agriculture headon
Co-hosted our first vegan picnic in the park with the St. Louis Vegetarian Society, attracting just over a dozen community members
Attended the world premiere screening of The Game Changers, a revolutionary new documentary about meat, protein, and strength, that we promoted at all six theaters in and around St. Louis that screened this groundbreaking film
Hosted our first-ever vegan marathon party as part of our summer fundraising campaign, attracting nearly a dozen community members
Distributed just over 1,800 leaflets as part of our 9/11 memorial at SLU with a goal of distributing at least one leaflet for each American who died during the 9/11 attacks, saving several thousand animals from a lifetime of suffering in the process
Hosted our third-ever vegan house party at which we unveiled our revised committee structure, attracting nearly a dozen community members interested in joining our Events Committee, alongside a few other core committees
Co-hosted our first-ever What The Health screening with Love N’ Light Wellness by Leah, attracting just over 20 community members for a fast-paced, fact-filled evening of education, empowerment, and entertainment
Hosted our second-ever vegan house party at which we discussed who we are, what we do, and why we do it, attracting just under 10 community members
Co-hosted a Cowspiracy screening with Love N’ Light Wellness by Leah during the height of the Amazon rainforest fires this August, attracting just over a dozen community members for an evening of food, education, and empowerment
Hosted our first-ever vegan house party, attracting roughly half a dozen community members, kickstarting a lovely tradition we intend to carry on over the coming months, years, and decades
Co-hosted our second vegan meetup at Utah Station, the latest vegan restaurant to hit St. Louis, that specializes in vegan comfort food, from vegan toasted raviolis to Chris Bertke’s epic take on the McDonald’s Big Mac
Co-hosted our first vegan meetup at CC’s Icee’s Galore in Alton, IL as part of their grand opening celebration, attracting well over a dozen community members who otherwise might not have attended
WHAT DO WE NEED?
Right now, we have significant need for general funding to continue hosting events, running campaigns, purchasing equipment, and covering other organizational expenses. Some of our most significant funding needs are described below, along with an estimated budget to fulfill our current need:
$155 to cover our database operating expenses for the next month or two
$80 to renew our Meetup subscriptions and continue recruiting more supporters
$70 for more leaflets to distribute at local colleges, from SLU to WashU
Having assisted several animal rights organizations over the past few years, I can now affirm the following: Project Animal Freedom is growing faster than any other group I have ever served, and our success has only just begun. We strive to not only become the leading voice for animal rights in St. Louis, but, from there, to spread our influence across the entire Midwest in just three years, beginning in cities like St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago, then spreading ever outward until we unite the entire Midwest into one unstoppable force for nonhuman and human animal liberation the world round.
None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. We are deeply grateful you seized onto our mission of saving lives, reducing suffering, and transforming the Midwest early on. But now we must ask you to redouble your commitment to building the just, equitable world we all deserve, no matter our species.
Cows, chickens, pigs, rabbits, and animals of innumerable other species are counting on you to free them from utter misery. Will you heed their cries? Their screams? Their howls? This fall season, please consider becoming a benefactor of Project Animal Freedom and all the incredible work we already perform. Here is your opportunity to help us revolutionize the entire Midwest until every animal lives safe, happy, and free from the genuine tyranny of factory farms, slaughterhouses, and other animal-abusing facilities.
The animals are counting on you, and they can bear to suffer no longer. What are you waiting for?
FUND A NEED:
Want to make a larger contribution to help us meet our most pressing fundraising needs? Donate in any of the amounts below, and we will make sure to keep you updated about exactly where your money is going and all the good it is enabling us to perform in our community and beyond!
🐔 $150 for a logo and website overhaul to improve our brand strength, efficacy, and impact
⛺ $200 for a high-quality, branded tent to use at over a dozen outreach events each year
🧶 $300 for a high-quality, branded tablecloth to use at all of our upcoming events
🥽 $400 for two high-quality Oculus Go virtual reality headsets to use at our outreach events
👨🎓 $500 for our college outreach program to build animal rights organizations at local universities
