United Poultry Concerns Annual Report for 2007

Federal ID: 52-1705678

A Financial Statement is available upon written request to: Officer of Consumer Affairs, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218.

United Poultry Concerns is certified by Independent Charities of America to receive donations through the Combined Federal Campaign. Our CFC Agency Code is #11656.

Officers & Directors
Karen Davis, PhD, President-Director
George Allan Cate, PhD, Vice President-Director
Joan Meanor Holtgraver, MA – Secretary Treasurer-Director

Staff
Karen Davis, President
Joan Meanor Holtgraver, Bookkeeper
Ronnie Steinau, Office Assistant
Gary Kaplan, Website Administrator & Graphic Designer
Holly Wills, Sanctuary Assistant

United Poultry Concerns holds that the treatment of chickens, turkeys, ducks and other domestic fowl in the areas of food production, science, education, entertainment, and human companionship situations has a significant effect upon human, animal, and environmental welfare. We seek to make the public aware of the ways in which poultry are used, and to promote the compassionate and respectful treatment of these birds and the benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle. UPC conducts full-time educational programs and campaigns through our quarterly magazine Poultry Press, our Website at www.UPC-online.org, and our chicken sanctuary in Machipongo, Virginia. On April 20, 2007, Ira Glass, celebrity host of NPR’s popular show, This American Life, told David Letterman and millions of viewers on Late Night with David Letterman that visiting our sanctuary inspired him to stop eating meat and become a vegetarian.

United Poultry Concerns maintains a permanent full-time office, sanctuary and education center at our headquarters at 12325 Seaside Road, Machipongo, Virginia 23405. We respond daily to Internet and telephone requests for help with bird-care problems, student projects, alternatives to classroom chick-hatching programs, and numerous other communications on the care, treatment and abuse of domestic fowl. We are grateful to all of our members and supporters for enabling us to fulfil our mission in 2007. From all of us at United Poultry Concerns, thank you for your support!

Highlights of Our Activities and Accomplishments in 2007

Sanctuary Adoptions – 25 birds in 2007

• Mr. Frizzle, a dear little “frizzle” rooster found wandering in Maryland
• Christine, a baby “broiler” hen who fell off a truck in Maryland
• “Thumbelinas” - 5 tiny black hens adopted in Virginia
• Oliver & Dorothea, handsome chickens adopted from Maryland animal shelter
• The Sentinel Sisters - 12 lively white leghorn hens adopted in Virginia
• Aubrey & Amelia – two beloved turkeys adopted in Virginia
• Francine & Iris – two sweet brown hens adopted in Virginia

Actions * Investigations * Campaigns - 2007

• Supported successful Virginia legislation to increase penalties for cockfighting.
• Launched a successful campaign to stop chicken abuse at Kansas State University basketball games. Got Sports Illustrated to remove its website instructions urging college students to conduct this cruel “prank.”
• Urged Amazon.com to stop selling subscriptions to cockfighting magazines – a violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act prohibiting interstate shipment of birds for fighting purposes. (Amazon is still doing it – protest!)
• Issued a national press release on the need to replace classroom chick hatching projects with humane education, May 18.
• Launched a campaign to eliminate the use of chickens in kapparot rituals. Published brochure, “A Wing & A Prayer: The Kapparot Chicken-Swinging Ritual. Flooded the Rabbinical Council of America with letters urging the Council to advocate the use of money instead of chickens in kapparot ceremonies. UPC’s letter to the Rabbinical Council (08/16/07) is posted at www.upc-online.org/kaparos/81607letter.html.
• Protested successfully against CBS for slaughtering chickens on “Kid Nation.”
• Urged Sara Lee to cover trucks taking turkeys to slaughter in freezing weather, following an investigation by Animals’ Angels, in Storm Lake, Iowa.
• Endorsed California Ballot Initiative (Proposition 2) designed to reduce the suffering of egg-laying hens and other farmed animals in California.
• Participated in a successful campaign to get Morningstar Farms to add more egg-free, vegan foods to their product line.
• Protested the government’s destruction with fire-fighting foam of avian influenza-infected turkeys on an industrial farm in West Virginia in April.
• Leafleted for turkeys - “Too Neat to Eat!” - at the White House, November 15.

New Website/Print Documents - 2007

• Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) – What You Need to Know (Booklet)
  www.upc-online.org/poultry_diseases/21207flureport.html.
  www.upc-online.org/poultry_diseases/birdflu.pdf.
• A Wing & A Prayer: The Kapparot Chicken-Swinging Ritual (Brochure)
  www.upc-online.org/kaparos/upckapparot.pdf.
• Jane - One Tiny Chicken Foot . . . (Chickens Transport Story)
  www.upc-online.org//winter0607/jane.html.
• Debeaking Birds Has Got to Stop (Article)
  www.upc-online.org/winter07/debeaking.html.

United Poultry Concerns Annual Conference - 2007

• UPC’s 7th Annual Conference, “Inadmissible Comparisons,” New York University Law School, March 24-25

International Respect for Chickens Day – May 4, 2007

• Produced & distributed two new “International Respect for Chickens Day” posters
• Provided posters to 16 branches of the Baltimore County Public Libraries in Maryland for display
• Held IRCD Events at the White House and in Takoma Park, MD, May 4-5
• Provided IRCD activists in the U.S. and Canada with advocacy literature

Teachers Conferences - 2007

• Minnesota Teachers Conference, October 13
• Virginia Association of Science Teachers, November 8-10

Agribusiness Conference Participation - 2007

• National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, USDA, Washington DC, June 13
• Future Trends in Animal Agriculture, USDA, Washington DC, September 20

Keynote Speaking Engagements & Exhibitor Tables - 2007

• Thinking About Animals in Canada, Brock University, Ontario, March 15-16
• Food Festival, Portland, April 21
• New York Bird Club, May 19
• Animal Rights National Conference, Washington DC, July 20-23
• North American Vegetarian Society Summerfest, Johnston, PA, July 26-28
• Taking Action for Animals Conference, Washington DC, July 28-30
• Women & Spirituality Conference, Minnesota State U, Mankato, October 13-14
• “The Life of a McNugget,” Lecture/Book Signing, Macalester College, MN, Oct 14
• Animal Rights Foundation of Florida UPC Fundraiser Dinner, December 8

Additional Community Outreach – Exhibitor Tables - 2007

• Sanctuary Open House Picnic for PETA volunteers , June 2
• Richmond Vegetarian Festival, Richmond, VA, June 23
• Charlottesville (VA) Vegetarian Festival, September 29
• Eastern Shore Birding Festival, Cape Charles, VA, October 5-7
• Green Festival, Washington DC, October 6-7
• Vegetarian Society of Washington, DC, Thanksgiving Celebration, November 22
• United Poultry Concerns Thanksgiving Open House, November 24

UPC in the News:

PRINT MEDIA (Including Internet Publications) - 2007

• Chase Calendar of Events 2007(International Respect for Chickens Day)
• Feedstuffs, January 8, Bird flu (UPC letter)
• The Independent (Ireland), January 22, Compassionate diet (UPC letter)
• Minnesota Monthly, February 24, Shipping live chicks as airmail (UPC letter)
• The Courier, Houston TX, April 12, Cockfighting (UPC quoted)
• Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, KY, International Respect for Chickens Day (UPC quoted)
• Eagle Newspaper, Butler, PA, May 3, International Respect for Chickens Day (UPC quoted)
• Vegetarian Voice Magazine, Summer, Chickens’ lives (UPC article)
• Philadelphia City Paper, May 30, Classroom chick hatching (UPC quoted)
• Philadelphia City Paper, June 6, Classroom chicken hatching (UPC letter)
• Legislative Gazette: Weekly Newspaper of the New York State Government, June 4, live bird markets (UPC quoted)
• Legislative Gazette, June 8, Live bird markets (UPC letter)
• USA Today-Associated Press, June 9, Fire-fighting foam (UPC quoted)
• PhillyBurbs.com-AP, June 9, Fire-fighting foam (UPC quoted)
• Herald-Dispatch-AP, Huntington, WV, June 9, Fire-fighting foam (UPC quoted)
• MSNBC-AP, June 10, Fire-fighting foam (UPC quoted)
• Abolitionist Online-A Voice for Animal Rights, June (UPC Interview)
• The Buffalo News, July 17, Chicken intelligence (UPC guest column)
• The Yeshiva World, August 8, Kapparot (UPC letter)
• Forward.com, August 29, Kapparot (UPC letter)
• PR Newswire, September 11, Kapparot (UPC press release)
• European Vegetarian and Animal News Agency, September 11, Kapparot (UPC press release)
• The Poultry Site Latest News, September 12, Kapparot (UPC press release)
• The Animals Voice Magazine, Fall, Debeaking (UPC article)
• Northern Virginia Daily, October 8, Cockfighting (UPC quoted)
• Des Moines Register, November 21, Sara Lee Turkey Transport (UPC quoted)
• Des Moines Register, November 30, Sara Lee Turkey Transport (UPC letter)
• Scripps Howard, November 21, Turkey article (UPC quoted)
• In City Times, Worchester, MA, November 9-22, (UPC article)
• Palo Alto Daily News, November 22, “The Turkey in America” (UPC guest column)
• ISTHMUS-The Daily Page, Madison, WI, November 23, Turkey article (UPC quoted)
• San Jose Mercury News, November 22 – The Turkey in America (UPC guest column)
• Boulder Daily Camera, November 21, The Turkey in America (UPC guest column)
• Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Turkey in America, November 23 (UPC guest column)
• InsideBayArea.com, November 22, The Turkey in America (UPC guest column)

BROADCAST MEDIA

• WRFG 89.3 FM Atlanta, GA, March 7, Kentucky State University chicken abuse
• Animal Talk with Suzanne Dragan, WCTC, Central Jersey, March 18, “Easter chicks”
• State Department’s Foreign Press Center-Chilevision TV, Interview for Chilean television documentary on live bird markets & bird flu, New York City, March 24
• Vegan Radio with Derek Goodwin, April 26
• Animal Talk with Suzanne Dragan, WCTC Central Jersey, April 30, (IRCD)
• Animal Matters with Karen Meicht, KZFR, Chico, CA, May 3 (IRCD)
• Late Night with David Letterman, June 20 (Ira Glass on UPC’s chicken sanctuary)
• Animal Talk with Suzanne Dragan, WCTC, Central Jersey, November 18 (plight of turkeys)
• “For the Love of Chickens,” Supreme Master Television, November 9 (This beautiful tribute to United Poultry Concerns, broadcast on November 9, 2007, can be watched on your computer at www.upc-online.org/thinking/111207tv.html)

United Poultry Concerns gratefully acknowledges the kind assistance of these foundations and trusts in 2007:

The Marino Foundation
The Nancy O’Brien Trust
Harold B. Larson Charitable Trust
Estate of Dietrich Von Haugwitz
The New York Community Trust
Philip T. Kislak Philanthropic Fund
The Summerlee Foundation

Thank You for Your Support!