The pain of losing them is the price we pay for the privilege of knowing them and sharing their lives . . .

We thank those people who have contributed to our work with recent donations In Loving Memory and in Honor and Appreciation of the following beloved family members and friends, both those who have passed away and those who are with us.

Ezra the Rooster Saved from Sacrifice

In honor of Ezra, who was left to die in a cemetery in Chicago in December as a ritual sacrifice. With his legs bound tightly together and covered with ribbons, a doll, and a piece of raw meat, Ezra was first seen on Christmas Eve by a person who called the police. Returning to the cemetery a week later, on New Year’s Eve, the person found him still there, tied up at the headstone in the freezing cold. Suffering from severe frostbite, Ezra underwent surgery in January to remove his feet and part of a leg afflicted with gangrene. Miraculously, Ezra is alive, eating and communicating with the loving people who are doing everything they can to comfort him and help him recover from the sadistic cruelty he endured. – Robert Grillo, Free from Harm

My donation is in honor of my parents, Manjula and Fakirchand Dalal to be used for full and clear vegan promotion and not to be used for any “welfare” type activities. – Saurabh Dalal

In loving memory, to Ellen Ericksen & family of their mother, Toncia Schweitzer. – Ronnie & Steve Steinau

In memory of Elease Carrington, who died on October 21, 2013. – Judith M. Nolan

This donation is in memory of Tina. She was a tiny hen with a big purr. – Jennifer Raymond

Three of my beloved chickens passed away this year (2013) and my donation, on behalf of Annabel’s Lil’ Rescue Hen Vegan Bakery, is to remember them in your Freddaflower Memorial & Appreciation Fund. Genevieve, my oldest hen, died of cancer at age 4 in November. I raised her from a chick, she opened my eyes, and turned me vegan. She was one of the only batch of chicks I’ve ever raised. I only rescue now. Hope died suddenly in October after being rescued by Animal Place from a battery-cage facility in Turlock, CA. Casandra – “Cassy” – died at the end of August. I carried her around on a pillow wherever I went as she grew weak from ovarian cancer. I adored her and she me. She won a photo contest this year for Chicken Run Rescue’s calendar for December 2014. I miss her. My heart aches for her. – Anne Kenney

For my special chicken, Kaola Gold, and all the wonderful chickens at UPC. – Victoria A. Figurelli

In honor and memory of Rynn Berry, age 68, who died on January 9, 2014 after collapsing during a run in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York on New Year’s Eve. Rynn, who was historical advisor to the North American Vegetarian Society and on the Advisory Board of Earth Save, was a scholar, writer, lecturer and activist for animal rights and ethical veganism. His influential books include Food for the Gods: Vegetarianism and the World’s Religions, Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes, The New Vegetarians, and the Vegan Guide to New York City. In Hitler: Neither Vegetarian nor Animal Lover, Rynn shows once and for all that Adolf Hitler and his cronies were not vegetarians or kind to animals as some have claimed.

Rynn Berry was a longtime friend and supporter of UPC whom I always looked forward to seeing each year at the Vegetarian Summerfest in Pittsburgh, PA and the Veggie Pride Parade in New York City. He was a pioneer of the worldwide vegan movement. Martin Rowe, founder & publisher of Lantern Books, wrote upon learning of Rynn’s death: “Rynn’s impact was literally incalculable, given how many met him, bought his books, or talked with him at the Union Square green market over the many years. He was the epitome of the kind of unheralded grassroots activist without which any movement for change cannot grow, and he was a witty and erudite figure: the Dr. Johnson of the vegetarian movement. He will be missed greatly, even by those who never met him, but his work will live on.” – Karen Davis, United Poultry Concerns

In memory of Bhante, Stella, and Sage. – Sandra Herman

In honor of Nero, Fredericka, Julie, Nathaniel, Leonard, and Bertha, remembered forever and sadly missed. – Paul Deane

My gift is in honor of All God’s Creatures. – Brien Comerford