Ingesting non-food items can cause your residents serious harmThe infliction of mental, emotional, and/or physical pain, suffering, or loss. Harm can occur intentionally or unintentionally and directly or indirectly. Someone can intentionally cause direct harm (e.g., punitively cutting a sheep’s skin while shearing them) or unintentionally cause direct harm (e.g., your hand slips while shearing a sheep, causing an accidental wound on their skin). Likewise, someone can intentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident’s wool and encouraging folks who purchase them to buy more products made from the wool of farmed sheep) or unintentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident’s wool, which inadvertently perpetuates the idea that it is ok to commodify sheep for their wool).!
![Farm Sanctuary was co-founded by Gene Baur and Lorri Houston in 1986 when they rescued Hilda, their first sheep. Farm Sanctuary was the first sanctuary of its kind, focusing wholly on rescuing and advocating for animals farmed for food.
As of 2021, Farm Sanctuary’s website states that its mission is “[To] pursue bold solutions to end animal agriculture and foster just and compassionate vegan living.” Today, they have sanctuaries in New York and California and at any given time are caring for almost 1,000 animals.
The sanctuaries attract thousands of visitors, interns, and volunteers each year. The New York shelter boasts 275 acres of rolling pastures, forests, an education centre, and accommodation for guests, and the Southern California shelter has 26 acres. Educational events about animals are held at each sanctuary throughout the year. Learn more at https://www.farmsanctuary.org.](https://opensanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/WAM10379-pngdxd6rcujhykv4kme8baqjtbze81vov04fs3zli4.jpg "A rescued goat at Farm Sanctuary.")
