Ginnifer Goodwin has a soft spot for farm animals, and this holiday season she’s encouraging everyone to adopt a turkey, rather than eat one. As Farm Sanctuary’s 2009 Adopt-A-Turkey Project spokesperson, the star of HBO’s “Big Love” recently visited our California Shelter, where she hung out with us and our rescued turkeys and filmed some special Thanksgiving video PSAs to raise awareness and spread compassion.
“After spending time with the rescued turkeys at Farm Sanctuary’s shelter and seeing how similar they are to my furry companion animals at home,” says Goodwin, “I knew I needed to do everything in my power to protect these friendly and curious birds from the daily pain and suffering they endure on factory farms.”
Watch Ginnifer’s PSAs below and select the “Q&A” link to read our special interview with her on being the Adopt-A-Turkey spokesperson, celebrating a compassionate Thanksgiving, her recent visit to Farm Sanctuary, vegan living, and much more!
Ginnifer recently visited our California Shelter, where she met some of our friendly rescued turkeys and other farm animal residents. Read our special Q&A with Ginnifer below!
Ginnifer on Adopt-A-Turkey
Farm Sanctuary: Why is the Adopt-A-Turkey Project important to you?
Ginnifer: Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is still a time of saturated suffering for our fellow earthlings when really it should be a celebration of peace, togetherness and life. Adopting a turkey is such a perfect way to bring a little more love to the season.
Farm Sanctuary: Are you sponsoring a turkey? If so, whom?
Ginnifer on Celebrating a Compassionate Thanksgiving
Farm Sanctuary: Besides serving as the fabulous spokeswoman for our Adopt-A-Turkey Project, how will you be celebrating this Thanksgiving?
Ginnifer: I’ll be cooking. And there will be Tofurkey.
Farm Sanctuary: What are your favorite vegan Thanksgiving foods?
Ginnifer: I love all things sweet potato.
Farm Sanctuary: For what will you be giving thanks this year?
Ginnifer: I will be giving thanks for my loving and healthy family, for the days in which I get to be creative, and for the opportunity to speak up for animals.
Farm Sanctuary: How did you become involved with Farm Sanctuary?
Ginnifer: Just last year I read an article about Gene Baur in the New York Times archives (titled “Bringing Moos and Oinks to the Food Debate,” 2007), and he immediately earned my respect. I promptly signed up for the activist alerts and joined the sponsorship program (I adopted Maya the pig who resides in California). It was at the 2009 TAFA Conference in Washington, D.C. that I met Gene, and I’d like to think we’ve been friends ever since.
Farm Sanctuary: You recently visited the California Shelter ... What did you do there? Did the staff there put you to work?
Ginnifer: I wish I had been put to work! Can I be posted in a barn next time?! I can be put to good use in a barn.
Farm Sanctuary: Did you make any farm animal friends?
Ginnifer: I grew fairly attached to a turkey named Magnolia. And there’s a badass goat who likes to play good-natured butting-heads games with humans. I dug her.
Farm Sanctuary: How has this experience informed you as an advocate?
Ginnifer: Visiting the brilliant, playful individuals on the farm (and I mean the four-legged animals, though the Farm Sanctuary staff is lovely) certainly strengthened my resolve.
Farm Sanctuary: Have you gotten the hay out of your clothes yet?
Ginnifer: I’ve chosen not to wash my boots. I like souvenirs.
Ginnifer on Being Vegan
Farm Sanctuary: When did you become vegan? What inspired that decision?
Ginnifer: I became a vegan in the summer of 2008. I was in a hotel room in northern California, (I thought absently) pouring milk into my coffee when it suddenly hit me over the head that I was consuming the breast milk of a cow and there was a chance in the grand scheme of earthly things it was not intended for me. I wondered if this milk was something I needed (does it really do a body good?), and I wondered how it had made its way from this sentient being to my hotel room pitcher. And I decided that it may taste wonderful and it may be a great American tradition, but those are not good enough reasons for me to do anything “absently.”
Farm Sanctuary: What would you like others to know about veganism?
Ginnifer: It’s easy.
Farm Sanctuary: Earlier this year, you mentioned on a talk show that, since going vegan, you feel like there’s “a party in [your] body.” How’s the party?
Ginnifer: If it was tea party back then, it’s a rager now. Everything is working appropriately. I don’t know that I’ve had a single zit. I sleep better, my energy is higher, my taste buds have woken up, and I’m hardly ever blue.
Ginnifer on Everything Else
Farm Sanctuary: City girl or country girl?
Ginnifer: Country Mouse.
Farm Sanctuary: Did you spend time with farm animals when you were growing up?
Ginnifer: Yes, my grandparents lived on a farm in Tennessee where the animals were treated like pets, not products. My rooster Henry was allowed to hang out on my shoulder in the kitchen. And one of the small horses could visit in the sunroom.
Farm Sanctuary: Do you care for any companion animals?
Ginnifer: Merlin and Pearl have graced my life with their friendship. I thank them all the time for coming to live with me. I found Merlin, a black cat, at the SPCA in Pasadena two years ago. He is such a good buddy … and a cuddle bug … and he purrs like a motor boat … and he fetches. Pearl, a white little girl kitty, joined our family just this summer. We met through a wonderful foster program outside of Los Angeles when I went looking for the perfect BFF for Merlin. P.S. – They both just crawled into my lap, curled up, and fell asleep: perfect timing!
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Ginnifer recently visited our California Shelter, where she met some of our friendly rescued turkeys and other farm animal residents. Read our special Q&A with Ginnifer below! 
Farm Sanctuary: How did you become involved with Farm Sanctuary?
Ginnifer on Being Vegan
Farm Sanctuary: City girl or country girl?
