Press Release: Rescued farm animals risk becoming homeless
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Metro Vancouver, B.C. — Kindred Community Farm Sanctuary was served an eviction notice and will have to vacate over 30 rescued farm animals by the end of September from the only home they’ve known.
Kindred Community Farm Sanctuary provides animal-assisted intervention programs to help children, teens and adults heal from trauma. The therapy animals have all been rescued and include horses, cows, a goat, sheep, turkeys, chickens, ducks, rabbits, cats, and guinea pigs. There are a total of 30 therapy animals and hundreds of clients who rely on the animals to assist them in working through their trauma.
It came as a complete shock to Founder and Executive Director Keryn Denroche and Kindred’s volunteers when their landlord gave them notice during the Covid-19 pandemic to vacate the property. Kindred Farm now needs to find a new home by the end of September or face closing their barn door forever.
“Our very existence is at stake,” says Denroche. “It’s been devastating to receive this news. Our gardens are planted, and we were so excited and optimistic about how we’ve pivoted our healing programs for the spring and summer to meet the changing needs of our clients resulting from the pandemic. Now we have to divert the energy we put into caring for our clients and animals and look for property in a challenging real estate market. Our animals and clients are at risk of losing everything.”
The logistics of moving all the animals, supplies, fencing, and shelters is an overwhelming prospect for Denroche and the volunteer staff at Kindred. Their best case scenario is to find a forever home of 10 acres of farmland in the lower mainland, and are appealing to the public for help.
“I am not asking for a handout,” says Denroche. “I am appealing to the community for a helping hand to find a new home by the end of June.
“I am heartbroken we are being treated this way by our landlord during the pandemic. We’ve been really good tenants for six and a half years. We are stewards of the land and are so proud of all our hard work to completely transform a run-down property into a beautiful farm that is an oasis.”
Kindred Farm has been actively looking for a new home and were set to launch a capital campaign. The goal was to raise one million for a down payment to purchase 10 acres of land. They now have an urgent need to raise one million to purchase land or have land donated before the end of June.
“It would be a huge loss to the community if a new home is not found in time,” says Denroche.
For more information and to donate, go to kindredfarm.ca/we-need-a-new-home/
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ABOUT
Kindred Community Farm Sanctuary is a humane and compassionate environment where people, animals and nature come together to improve the emotional and physical well-being of all members of our local community. Our healing programs include a farm sanctuary, which is a forever home for abused and neglected animals, a garden to nourish the body and soul, and a forest/natural habitat to teach us how to slow down, breathe deep and quiet the mind. The combination of these three ingredients has the power to heal trauma.