Welcome to Sunny Meadow!
Sunny Meadow Sanctuary is a haven for rescued farm animals and wildlife. Thank you for stopping by!
Who We Are
Helen and Steve started Sunny Meadow Sanctuary in 2007. Steve is a tenured professor in the Massachusetts community college system, and Helen is a retired environmental scientist/scientific writer and editor. Her employers included Carnegie-Mellon University and Fisher Scientific Company. They are the animals' daily caretakers and love them dearly.
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What We Do
It had long been our dream to rescue and give sanctuary to farm animals, along with the other work we do to help animals. Happily, that dream became a reality! In 2007, Sunny Meadow rescued its first two farm animals: two young female goats whom we named Hannah and Ivy. We soon rescued ducks and chickens, and Sunny Meadow Sanctuary was born. Since then, the sanctuary has rescued hundreds of animals, including cows, equines, pigs, sheep, goats, turtles, dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, and wildlife.
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Each and every farm animal at Sunny Meadow was spared from going to a slaughterhouse or being abused and is now living a peaceful, happy life here at the sanctuary. Unlike some sanctuaries, the farm animals at Sunny Meadow are not bought. The only exception to that rule would be if we rescue a lone animal and cannot find a rescue animal for him or her to live with after searching extensively. Farm animals need companions—it is vital to their health and well-being, and they cannot live alone. But if animals are bought, saving them is really “feeding the industry” and causes more suffering down the line.
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Being vegans ourselves, there is no way that we would ever let anyone eat or use the animals for any purpose. Unlike a shelter, our sanctuary does not automatically seek to place animals with individuals or groups. Instead, we pledge to care for each animal until his or her natural death. However, we do adopt animals to good homes at times—mainly rabbits, chickens, cats, and dogs.
Where We Are
Sunny Meadow is located in rural Central Massachusetts. The animals’ safety and well-being are the sanctuary’s utmost and only goal. The heart of the sanctuary is two large multi-acre meadow/pastures filled with grass, wildflowers, butterflies, and all the other great critters and plants that thrive in meadows and grasslands. Besides providing for our own animals’ enjoyment and grazing, it also sustains a host of wildlife—deer, mice, rabbits, groundhogs, wild turkeys, foxes, mink, birds, and more. We even get occasional visits from moose! Bluebirds and swallows nest in our meadow bird boxes, and they have raised babies there for years. The meadows are a paradise for birds in general. Awash in sun and fresh air, our meadows/pastures are not just the sanctuary’s namesake; they are also vital to hundreds of wild animals’ wellbeing.
Join the Cause
Sunny Meadow acts as a sanctuary for animal lovers as well to feel safe, meet like-minded folks, help animals, bring their friends and families to visit and volunteer. Volunteers come every weekend to help take care of the animals. Please contact us using the form at the bottom of the page if you're interested in volunteering or have any questions.
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Sunny Meadow is a 501c3 nonprofit. If you can make a donation to the sanctuary, that will really help the animals, and we will send you a receipt for your taxes. No one is paid a salary by the sanctuary so every penny donated goes directly to animal care and rescue.
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You can also send a check to:
Sunny Meadow Sanctuary
260 Chapman Road, Barre, MA 01005
