When I was growing up we didn’t have anything like Thanksgiving – it wasn’t known in my English or Irish culture. I remember when I was 11 years old, we moved to Canada, and this was when I first sat down for a Thanksgiving dinner at a neighbor’s house. I could not comprehend why people were putting jam on the same plates as their mashed potatoes. Then I learned it was called cranberry sauce. I also learned later it was likely that the native Canadians were not thankful to be displaced from their land. I also learned turkeys didn’t have a lot to be thankful for at Thanksgiving either. I can hazard a guess turkeys are quite thankful for vegans! While we are on the subject, here’s my thankful list. This is a good exercise any time of the year.
These are some of the people I am thankful for this year:
1. The wonderful South Florida people who support the local vegan restaurants like MOOD in Tequesta, Fruits & Roots in Stuart, PLANTA in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Plant Based Mafia and Christopher’s Kitchen in Palm Beach Gardens, Darbster in Lake Worth, Dina’s Vegan Deli in Riviera Beach, and last but not least Inika Foods in Wilton Manors.
2. The thoughtful people who adopt companion animals from the shelter and do not go to breeders. Thank you for opening your home to add another family member. While I am on this subject, I am also thankful for those who do not call their four-legged family members “it.” Unless it is “Cousin Itt” from the Addams Family.
3. It is impossible for me to write a “who I am thankful for” list without mentioning the kind, genuine volunteers and supporters of the mission of educating and empowering all to be heroes to ALL species at BeAnAnimalHero.org.
You know who you are! The Veganza Animal Heroes characters who dress up as the heroes from the Veganza book series Korin Sutton, Sky Bison, and of course, Free Bison – the vegan rapper who helped skyrocket the Veganza rap song, Choice – the artist who illustrated “Veganza Animal Heroes Guide to Save Animals and the Earth,” Sean Russell, Erin Fontes, Alexi Wyatt, Disti Premal Sanghvi, Patti Roth, Kim Mellman, Jane Velez Mitchell, Chas Chiodo, Brittany Selditch, Scott Fuerst to name just a few! Thank you to all of those who are consistently compassionate towards all beings, both two-legged or four, finned, furred or feathered.