Article by Sydney Herkner
Photos by Kristin Davis
Bearcast Gives Back is a brand new initiative this year. Bearcast plans to work with 2-3 organizations each semester in order to spotlight their work. In addition to volunteering for a day, we will also be creating content that best showcases the work of these organizations in multiple different formats. Our goal is to shine a light on the incredible work happening in and around our community to better the world, as well as putting time of our own into helping accomplish their mission. The morning of October 1st, a team of 16 Bearcast Media members attended our very first event of this initiative, spending several hours volunteering at Foreverland Farm in Amelia, Ohio.
Foreverland Farm is a non-profit animal sanctuary dedicated to giving permanent homes to animals who were abused, abandoned, neglected and in need of rescue. They take in a whole host of animals, however what makes them stand out is their dedication to rescuing farm animals. Currently 90 rescued animals including goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, roosters, turkeys, horses, and ducks are enjoying life at Foreverland. Co-founder Brittney Kane started Foreverland Farm in 2018 with the hopes of relieving the suffering of animals and providing them a safe place to spend the remainder of their natural lives, which I can say she has successfully done.
Saturday, October 1st I had the opportunity to go with Bearcast and volunteer at Foreverland Farm. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first signed up, other than knowing there were going to be a lot of animals. I was a little scared I’ll admit, but when I got there all the animals were so friendly and calm. One of my favorite animals was Biscuit. Biscuit is a donkey who was rescued and found to have serious issues with his feet. When I was helping strip some of the barn, he came up to me and stood next to me. Apparently he can be wary of new humans, but with me he was so sociable, and I definitely gave him the attention he wanted! Although I didn’t interact with him as much, I really liked one of their potbelly pigs, Milton. When we all first arrived there, Milton was one of the first animals to come and greet everyone! That’s when I learned that pigs sway their tails similar to dogs to show emotions, and they also make lots of noise. When dogs and pigs swing their tails, it means they’re happy. Milton was swinging his tail most of the day and would come up to everyone to say hi! Throughout the time Bearcast and I were there the workers at Foreverland Farm were so caring and would help us out in any way we needed. At the end of the day, I learned how hard it was to take care of and run a farm.
I admire Brittney Kane and everyone who volunteers at Foreverland Farm and all of the hard work they put into this sanctuary. If you want to learn more about the sanctuary and all of the awesome work they do, you can visit their website or check out their social media. You can also donate to help them prepare for winter, or even to help them move to a larger property so they can continue to save animals!
Foreverland Farm’s Website: https://www.foreverlandfarm.org
Foreverland Farm’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foreverlandfarm/
Donate to Foreverland Farm: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_donations&business=foreverlandfarm@gmail.com&item_name=Foreverland%20Farm¤cy_code=USD
