Squash, pumpkin pie and cranberries: these turkeys enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at this sanctuary

When most Americans think of turkeys, what likely comes to mind this time of year is a holiday centerpiece—a garnished bird on a platter, surrounded by all the trimmings.

When most Americans think of turkeys, what likely comes to mind this time of year is a holiday centerpiece — a garnished bird on a platter, surrounded by all the trimmings. But at Farm Sanctuary, an organization that rescues animals from the food system, co-founder Gene Baur gives his birds a seat at the Thanksgiving table, instead of on it. Each year, at both of his two sprawling farms in upstate New York and Los Angeles County, California, Baur’s turkeys gather round a meal that replicates a typical Thanksgiving feast replete with pumpkin pie, squash, cranberries and kale salad. The celebration is part of his Adopt a Turkey initiative, which he started at Farm Sanctuary in 1986. “The turkeys are the guests of honor,” Baur said. In addition to the meal, the Adopt a Turkey program places rescued turkeys in homes as companions or offers people the chance to sponsor a turkey’s care at the sanctuaries. Baur says he has saved more than a thousand turkeys over the last nearly 40 years, giving them a chance to live eight to 10 years – far beyond the typical six months when farmed to be processed for food. But Baur’s birds are the lucky ones. Commercial turkeys can often live in severe crowding and confinement, he said, and are genetically modified for larger breast meat. The rescued industry turkeys at his sanctuaries often struggle to walk, Baur said.