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Outstanding Activist!
When
Alyson Powers first moved from the Pacific Northwest to Iowa, she wondered
what it would be like to advocate for vegetarianism and speak out against
factory farming in America's Heartland. Being the dedicated activist that
she is, she didn't wait long to find out. First, she reached out to her
fellow students at the University of Iowa. She started talking to them
about the inherent cruelty of factory farming — and quickly realized
that her peers at the University of Iowa had plenty to say about modern-day,
industrialized farms.
Many of the students she originally spoke to, it turns out, had first-hand experience with factory farms, or, as they are labeled by the industry, "Confined Animal Feeding Operations". Students had witnessed these massive corporate farms moving into their small towns, bringing economic and environmental devastation with them. Some even saw their own families' farms taken over. They remembered their parents and grandparents using more humane farming practices and they were appalled to learn how animals are treated in factory farms today.
Hoping to build off of the students' responses to information about factory farming, Alyson formed a campus group called the Farm Animal Welfare Network, or FAWN. Since its inception, the group has been a tremendous success, once attracting nearly 300 new members in a single semester! Through this organization and on her own, Alyson has gone above and beyond the call of duty to raise awareness about farm animal issues on her campus.
Alyson has reached out to her campus community in many ways. She has spread the word about farm animal abuse and veg living through print media by sponsoring "Go Veg!" and pending farm animal legislation ads in her campus paper, arranging for dorms to put free veg lit in lobby brochure racks, and hosting factory farming information tables at the student union building. She has also given presentations to student groups on campus, such as Greek house chapter communities and environmental clubs, and is currently working with the University of Iowa campus theater to host a screening of Peaceable Kingdom.
Always thinking up proactive, creative new ways to help animals, she has also designed and submitted a quilt square with a picture of a pig in a gestation crate for a campus-wide justice quilt project. And, ever looking to help her fellow animal-loving, health-conscious students, Alyson is currently arranging a meeting between vegan students and dining hall managers to ensure that plenty of vegan food options are available to those who choose not to eat animal products.
As you might expect, Alyson has not limited her compassionate outreach activities to the University of Iowa campus. She has also dedicated much of her time to reaching out to the community beyond her school. She has set up free veg literature stands on street corners in downtown Iowa City and at pet supply stores. She has sponsored "Go Veg!" ads on city buses and set up displays in local public libraries. Reaching out to restaurant owners and to local children, she has collected signatures for Farm Sanctuary's Restaurant Veg Pledge Project and has worked with a group of local 6th-graders to teach them how to express their concerns about farm animal abuse in letters to legislators, newspapers, and the F.D.A. Successfully using the media to expose farm animal issues, Alyson coordinated a well-publicized Walk for Farm Animals and has regularly aired factory farming documentaries on public access channels in her area.
In addition
to the numerous activities detailed above, Alyson has also been involved
in her own regular letter-writing on behalf of animals and weekly leafleting
on farm animal issues at health fairs, concerts, environmental events,
and relevant movie openings. She also continues to coordinate general
factory farming and veg outreach activities on appropriate holidays, such
as Earth Day and Thanksgiving and sponsors several chickens living at
Farm Sanctuary. As you can see, Alyson has gone to extraordinary lengths
to educate her community about factory farming and the benefits of a plant-based
diet. All of us at Farm Sanctuary, and especially the rescued critters
who live here, are tremendously grateful for her compassionate, life-saving
work. Thank you, Alyson!!!
Together, we ARE making a difference. If you would like to find out more about volunteering your time to educate others about factory farming and vegetarianism, please contact us at activist@farmsanctuary.org, or call 607-583-2225 ext. 229. Click here to find out what YOU can do to help!