Perhaps you’ve seen the news that former workers at Plainville Farms, a self-described “humane” turkey supplier, were charged with 141 counts of cruelty to animals—the most charges in any case of cruelty to factory-farmed animals in U.S. history—following a PETA undercover investigation. Exposés such as this are just one of the many reasons people are leaving turkeys off the table this year. Other reasons are health and environmental considerations.

What Is ‘ThanksVegan’?

ThanksVegan is a day when compassionate people feast on meat-free roasts, mashed potatoes made with dairy-free milk and vegan butter, stuffing and green bean casserole made with savory vegan broth, and vegan pumpkin pie topped with 100% plant-based whipped cream. It’s a day to enjoy all the traditional Thanksgiving staples that we know and love—without contributing to the suffering that comes with raising and killing animals for food.

Spread Compassion: Encourage Local Restaurants to Offer ThanksVegan Meals

There’s more than one way to help animals by celebrating ThanksVegan. In addition to cooking your own Thanksgiving feast, you can make a big difference in your community by asking local restaurants to serve a vegan dish—or dishes—this Thanksgiving season. They can even display PETA’s ThanksVegan sign to let diners know that they offer tasty vegan options.

Why Celebrating Compassionately Matters

When given a good life at a sanctuary, turkeys often follow humans around like puppies looking for treats and affection. They’ve also been known to fall asleep in people’s laps while being petted. Turkeys are caring parents and spirited explorers who can live up to 10 years, but those raised for food are normally slaughtered when they’re between 12 and 26 weeks old—and millions are killed each year for Thanksgiving alone. The young birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles and dragged through an electrified bath, and they’re often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into scalding-hot defeathering tanks.

Cows, chickens, and other animals also suffer in order for the meat, egg, and dairy industries to produce butter, broth, and other conventional items that are used during the holidays and beyond. These animals aren’t so different from the cats and dogs with whom we lovingly share our homes and lives. It’s speciesist to act as though only certain animals experience pain and fear.

So this Thanksgiving, take a note from Jamaican poet Benjamin Zephaniah, and be a friend to turkeys:

“Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas
Invite dem indoors fe sum greens
Let dem eat cake an let dem partake
In a plate of organic grown beans,
Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas
An spare dem de cut of de knife,
Join Turkeys United an dey’ll be delighted
An yu will mek new friends ‘FOR LIFE’.”

-Benjamin Zephaniah, “Talking Turkeys”

We’ve got a complete guide packed with delicious ThanksVegan recipes to help you whip up the most delectable holiday dinner you’ll ever make.

And check out these tantalizing vegan recipe videos for more inspiration in the kitchen:

Not only are vegan foods humane and environmentally friendly, they’re also better for you—for instance, they help boost your immune system. So what are you waiting for? 

Now that you’re ready to have the perfect ThanksVegan dinner, be sure to share this page with your family, friends, and social media followers. Encourage them to join you in celebrating every holiday compassionately by leaving animals off their plates.