‘ThanksVegan’ Pleas, PETA’s Tofurky Free-for-All to Hit Winston-Salem

For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2021

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Because North Carolina is the country’s second top turkey-producing state, PETA is placing a sky-high message in Winston-Salem asking that everyone “see the individual” behind each turkey dinner and go vegan. To help kick off a bird-friendly “ThanksVegan,” the group will also hand out free Tofurky feasts to shoppers on Wednesday.

When:    Wednesday, November 17, 12 noon

Where:    301 W. Fourth St., Winston-Salem

“When people realize that turkeys love their families, feel pain and fear, and value their lives, they’re eager to put a Tofurky on the table,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA offers recipes, shopping tips, and more so that everyone can enjoy a delicious ThanksVegan meal that leaves gentle birds in peace.”

Turkeys can live up to 10 years, but those raised for food are usually slaughtered when they’re between 12 and 26 weeks old—and millions are killed each year for Thanksgiving alone. The young birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles and dragged through an electrified bath, and they’re often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into scalding-hot defeathering tanks. Instead, shoppers can find ready-to-roast vegan turkeys at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Sprouts, and Whole Foods, and restaurants from coast to coast will highlight their #ThanksVegan menus.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s billboard is located at the NC 8 southbound entrance ramp near Akron Drive and Leo Street.