Jesus People for Animals Donates to Shrine After Cash Box Theft

PETA’s Christian Outreach Division Hopes to Help Offset Loss and Promote Kindness to All of God’s Creation

For Immediate Release:
February 15, 2017

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

The recent burglary from the donation box at the Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains, a Yarnell landmark, has prompted Jesus People for Animals—PETA’s Christian outreach division—to send the shrine and the adjacent House of Joseph Retreat Center a small donation to help recoup the loss, along with a care package of shelf-stable vegan food for the shrine’s kitchens and vegan cookbooks for the library.

In a letter sent to the shrine’s caretaker this afternoon, PETA says that the gift will help the retreat center spread a message of peace and compassion in the community. The group—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that plant-based meals spare animals immense suffering and provide a sustainable, easy way to foster a world “on Earth as it is in heaven.”

“Jesus urged us to love our neighbors, and we believe that applies to a religious landmark that’s in need as well as to animals who are raised and killed for food,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “We hope PETA’s small donation and vegan care package will help the Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains spread a message of compassion for all of God’s creation.”

PETA’s letter to the shrine is available upon request. For more information, please visit JesusPeopleForAnimals.com.