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Outstanding Activist!
When an animal rights publication arrived on Shon and Mike Chaffee's doorstep about 20 years ago, they had not yet heard about industrialized farms or witnessed the suffering endured by the majority of the nation's “food animals.” Having grown up in rural New York, Mike was used to seeing dairy cows roaming picturesque pastures and had little experience with cattle or other farm animals outside of these seemingly idyllic settings. So when Mike and Shon opened the publication and read about the plight of a downed dairy cow cruelly left to linger in a stockyard parking lot in Kentucky, they were shocked and horrified by the neglect and abuse she was forced to endure.
Haunted by the image of the suffering cow, the Chaffees set out to familiarize themselves with modern agricultural practices. They quickly learned the truth about the exploitative and often brutal ways in which the nation's “food animals” were being raised, marketed and slaughtered for human consumption, and realized that incidences of farm animal cruelty were not isolated, but rather commonplace. The couple vowed from that point on to take action for the industry's countless victims and even signed up for a seminar on effective advocacy to hone their skills. Afterwards, Shon became a vegetarian and Mike followed suit six weeks later. Armed with a new diet and code of ethics, the Chaffees joined with their local animal rights community to educate the public about and demonstrate against various forms of cruelty and never turned back.
Fortunately for Farm Sanctuary, Mike and Shon caught wind of our Adopt-A-Turkey Project back in 1988 and traveled to our New York Shelter for a visit the same year. Thereafter, the Chaffees generously and consistently donated their time and talents to our annual Walk for Farm Animals, a critical fund- and awareness-raising event held in cities throughout the nation. The Chaffees first devoted time as walkers, then later as committed volunteer coordinators. Ensuring that the Walk remained a Cincinnati tradition for the past decade, these two have never missed a beat—not even when Shon, scheduled to deliver triplets the day before a Walk held nine years ago, realized she couldn't miss out on her beloved event and decided to wait two more days before welcoming her and Mike's son and daughters into the world! Now if that isn't the ultimate act of compassion, we don't know what is!
Thank you, Mike and Shon, for your devotion to farm animals. You inspire all of us to make a difference!
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!