An open letter to the BC SPCA

October 7th, 2009

My name is Sarah Kramer and I am the author of the internationally best-selling vegan cookbook How It All Vegan. I am also a volunteer at BC SPCA Victoria branch.

I have been a volunteer and member of the Community Council for the last year and have been dazzled by the hard work the Victoria Branch Manager, Penny Stone, her staff and volunteers do on a daily basis. Consider me impressed. In fact I was so impressed that I encouraged the fans of my books to donate to my Paws For A Cause fund-raising page and together we raised over $1000 for the shelter.

I am writing you today because while the work the SPCA does to save animals is commendable, I have become extremely disturbed by the food you serve at your fund-raising events.

I believe serving vegan food at all SPCA events is paramount. I mean … you are the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and animal products are anything but cruelty-free. More importantly, by serving meat/dairy/fish you are sending a conflicting message to the public that one animal deserves protection while another one doesn’t.

I understand that not all your staff, volunteers or contributors are vegan. Being vegan is a personal choice and is a decision to be made between you, yourself, and the dead animal staring back at you on the plate, but I do think that as an organization whose sole purpose is to prevent cruelty to animals that the BC SPCA should not add to that cruelty by serving animal products at its functions.

I am also fully aware that you sustain your organization by depending on donations from individuals and companies. I also understand that it would be difficult to say no to (for example) a dairy company who offers you free products with their sizable donation.

But my question to you is: Would you also take a donation from someone who ran a puppy mill? Because the dairy industry is just like a puppy mill. They are both exploiting animals for profit.

In order for the BC-SPCA to be considered a legitimate and vital part of the animal advocacy community, you MUST draw a line in the sand and not be involved with any companies who exploit animals for profit. This includes the food you serve at your functions.

When I first started volunteering at the SPCA I encouraged the organizers of the Victoria events to take advantage of VEG FUND (vegfund.org) an organization that gives 100% funding for food at any event as long as the food is vegan. I personally got in touch with Veg Fund, and they were very keen to support any fund-raising events the SPCA held.

Today I found out that the Victoria WILD ARC Silent Auction will include dinner. Is the menu animal friendly? No. The menu contains choices from dead cow to dead chicken to dead fish. Do you not see the horrible juxtaposition? Raising $$ to save animals by serving dead animals?

It is possible to make an entire delicious cruelty-free vegan dinner that would satisfy everyone who attended a fund-raising dinner. In fact I will volunteer my consulting time and will donate recipes from my cookbooks for all future events as long as the events are entirely 100% vegan.

Your own mission statement is to protect domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia. Freedom from pain and distress. So why are you serving beef at a fundraiser? What is the difference between the cow or the chicken served at these events and the owl or the puppy that you’re trying to save? There is no difference.

I am writing you today to encourage your organization to step up to the plate (pun intended) and to no longer serve meat/dairy or any other animal products at any of your future BC-SPCA events.

If you do not change your policies regarding serving animal products at your events I will immediately step down from the CC and no longer volunteer at your shelter. I will also encourage my fans and other like-minded people to put their time, energy, and $$ into other animal advocacy organizations.

I believe in the BC SPCA and the work that it does, but I will no longer stand by and watch animals being exploited and eaten in the name of saving animals.

Thank you for your time.
I look forward to hearing back.

SARAH KRAMER