5 Actions to Make Your ‘ThanksVegan’ the Best Part of 2024
Thanksgiving is almost here, which means it’s time to prepare our homes for fall festivities and our stomachs for multiple servings of delicious vegan food. No matter whether you’re celebrating this year’s “ThanksVegan” in person, at a socially distanced gathering, or virtually, PETA has all the gear necessary for a tofurific holiday. Here are five actions to take this ThanksVegan to enjoy the holiday, no matter how you choose to connect with your loved ones this year:
1. Don’t Stress About Fall Fashion in a PETA ThanksVegan Tee
Looking cute for a holiday centered on sharing tasty vegan recipes with those you’re thankful for is a balancing act between cute, comfortable, and autumnal. Thankfully, PETA has you covered—literally. Our ThanksVegan T-shirts, available in a crop top and standard cut, pair easily with your favorite skirt, slacks, or pajama bottoms!
2. Take Action for Turkeys Suffering on ‘Humane Meat’ Farms
In addition to enjoying a vegan Thanksgiving feast, go the extra mile for turkeys by speaking out against the “humane meat” myth. Companies that sell meat often slap deceitful claims like “enriched environment” and “free-range” on their labels, but in reality, there’s no way to “humanely” exploit and slaughter our fellow animals.
Plainville Farms claims to produce “humanely raised” turkeys in a “stress-free environment”—but a 2021 PETA investigation into the company’s supplying farms revealed workers viciously kicking and stomping on the birds, violently hurling them at each other, and punching them. Employees were caught on camera mock-raping turkeys and leaving battered birds to convulse in agony.
Following this investigation, law enforcement filed 141 cruelty-to-animals charges, Plainville was stripped of its “humane” certification, Whole Foods pulled its turkey products, and Plainville terminated 13 workers—but there’s still more work to do.
Tell Whole Foods to stop promoting any meat as “humane,” and join PETA’s Action Team to organize a protest or leafleting event if you live near a Harris Teeter, Kroger, Publix, or Wegmans store, as these chains all sell Plainville products.
3. Tofurky Trot Your Way Through ‘ThanksVegan’ Morning
Whether you’re a walker or a runner, start your morning strong by signing up for your local Turkey Tofurkey Trot decked out in a vegan-themed shirt. If that’s not your speed, you can support vegan runners on the sidelines with a sign and dress up in a turkey costume to encourage everyone to celebrate a vegan Thanksgiving. And if you need some ideas for your sign, try these out: “Turkeys are Thankful for Vegan Runners” or “Happy ThanksVegan Runners!”
4. Gobble Up Some Info With This Social Distancing Partition or Download and Use the PETA Zoom Background for All Your Virtual Gatherings
If you’re opting for a socially distanced dinner table, introduce animal rights into your discussions by ordering PETA’s ThanksVegan partition. It will help keep everyone safely spread apart while stimulating dialog about the way millions of turkeys are unnecessarily sacrificed each year for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Since many friends and families are once again gathering over Zoom this year, we’re still offering our free ThanksVegan Zoom background. If you want to remind people to be kind to animals this holiday, simply download the image, click the caret next to the video icon on Zoom, and select “Choose a Virtual Background.” Then, just upload the image and you’ll have a wonderful, animal-friendly conversation starter for your virtual gathering.
5. Use the Hashtag #ThanksVegan for All Your Holiday Posts
Snap a picture of your vegan spread and share it online with the hashtag #ThanksVegan so that everyone can see how you celebrate holidays the vegan way!
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Thanksgiving is a time to show gratitude for all the blessings in our lives. The best way to do this is by going vegan, which is better for animals, the planet, and our own health. If you love these ThanksVegan actions and are looking for more animal-friendly tips, order our free ThanksVegan Holiday Guide for delicious holiday recipes, tips, and advice for answering difficult questions at the dinner table!
