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Join Now: Friends of Hilda Club

Hilda Club Join Us

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Join Now: Friends of Hilda Club

Four decades since Hilda’s rescue, lead the way in creating a kinder future in her honor. Join our dedicated giving circle, the Friends of Hilda Club, and become one of 40 new leading members in our 40th year.

Keep Hilda's Legacy Alive

Keep Hilda's Legacy Alive: Join the Friends of Hilda Club
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Transcript

Hello, everybody. This is Gene Bauer. I'm here at a very special part of Farm Sanctuary. I'm at Hilda's grave. Hilda was the first animal rescued by Farm Sanctuary, and we found her on a pile of dead animals behind Lancaster Stockyards. We thought she'd have to be euthanized, but happily, she recovered and lived with us for more than 10 years. And her gravestone says Hilda, rescued from stockyard August 3, 1986. Died of old age September 25, 1997. Forever changing hearts and minds.


This is Hilda's 40th rescue anniversary, August 3, 2026, and we hope you'll join us as a member of the Friends of Hilda Club. Your support makes a huge difference and I want to draw your attention to something else here. This is an old cobblestone from Lancaster Stockyards, where we found Hilda. Lancaster Stockyards is now closed. Hilda's legacy and Farm Sanctuary work continues, and Friends of Hilda Club members are a key part of this. We hope you'll consider joining or rejoining the Friends of Hilda Club for her 40th anniversary and allow us to keep doing this work to protect animals from horrendous factory farming cruelty. Thank you from all of us here at Farm Sanctuary.

Forty years ago, one sheep named Hilda sparked a movement. In honor of her rescue anniversary and 40 years of Farm Sanctuary, become a leader for change, just like Hilda, by joining our leadership giving circle, the Friends of Hilda Club.

In 1986, as our co-founders investigated a stockyard, they discovered six-month-old Hilda discarded in a “dead pile.” Among those who had fallen victim to a heartless industry, Hilda bravely lifted her head for help, becoming Farm Sanctuary’s first rescue.

Hilda lived 11 happy years at our New York sanctuary. Her moving story prompted federal and state laws protecting farm animals from cruelty—and still compels countless people to see farm animals in a new light, as individuals worthy of kindness and care.

Hilda lives on through Farm Sanctuary’s mission, centered on rescue, education, and advocacy, and through a gift of $1000 or more, our Friends of Hilda Club supporters play a key role in providing the resources this lifesaving work depends on.

Please help us meet our goal of welcoming 40 new members to our Friends of Hilda Club in our 40th year. Join by August 9, and you will receive a limited-edition Hilda charm bracelet. Featuring Hilda and the ear tag she once wore, this beautiful bracelet symbolizes how this inspiring sheep went from being a number on a tag to being Hilda!

Hilda Bracelet

Thank you in advance for leading the way to a kinder future for animals like Hilda.

Friends of Hilda Club Benefits & Levels

Benefits

As a Hilda Club member, you will receive invitations to Hilda Club events, special pre-registration opportunities for on-site lodging and select events, a Hilda Club magnet, a Farm Sanctuary calendar featuring beautiful photos of our residents, a 20% discount to our gift shops and eStore, and regular emails from your Farm Sanctuary liaison with the latest on our campaigns and rescue efforts.

Levels

  • Friend $1,000-$4,999* — Your gift could help provide feed for our entire chicken flock, a dental exam for an aging resident, or shearing for our entire sheep herd.
  • Sponsor $5,000-$9,999* — Your support could help provide two months of hay for the sheep and goats, hoof trimming for the cows, or permanent enrichment installations. Your gift could also help us build coalitions and keep a strong presence on Capitol Hill.
  • Patron $10,000-$24,999* — Your support could help cover lifesaving emergency healthcare costs for our residents. Your gift could also bolster our humane education programming through curriculum development, technology, and outreach.
  • Champion $25,000+* — Your high-level gift could help provide urgent rescue, transport, and placement of animals in desperate need. This gift could also power food system change through groundbreaking policy initiatives and litigation.

*Now through August 9, all who give Friends of Hilda Club gifts of $1K or more will receive a limited-edition Hilda charm bracelet.

Have Questions?

Kate Frangos

Senior Manager, Hilda Club & Development Programs

607-684-5321