What is $5 Friday?
I started “$5 Fridays” to inspire people to support animal advocacy organizations. Every Friday, I select an organization and kindly ask everyone to donate $5 to it. If we all donate $5, it will add up and make a big difference for animals.
How can you help?
1) Donate $5 directly to the $5 Friday pick via their website (or any animal charity you choose!).
2) Post the organization’s name and your donation amount in the comments section below so we can keep a running total of donations (i.e. “I donated $5 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary”). I confirm our total with the organization the following day.
That’s it. It’s that simple!
How do I select the organizations?
I interview organization leaders, speak with volunteers, read websites and Google reviews, check social media activity, review the organization’s financials, and think critically about every decision. I focus on organizations that can quantify the effectiveness of their work and make the biggest impact for animals.
Why should we donate?
Animal rescue and advocacy organizations rely on our generosity to propel their work. Whether it’s providing humane education to students, designing and printing veg starter kits, launching online pro-animal advertisements, employing undercover investigators, organizing boycotts or protests, advocating for pro-animal legislation, or providing medical care, food, and shelter to rescued animals, it costs money to run these organizations. Our donations directly help them save more animals’ lives.
Our new $5 Friday total is $7,115 donated to help animals!
That’s amazing!
Let’s keep it going!
$5 Friday Pick #14: Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary, Colfax, CA
Here are five reasons to donate $5 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary:
1. Rita, a mother pig who narrowly escaped slaughter by leaping off of a speeding truck, miraculously survived. Taken in by Animal Services, she gave birth to fourteen tiny piglets only hours later. Nine of those piglets survived the leap and are now safe. All of them will get to enjoy a life of love in sanctuary, and two are joining Blackberry Creek to spend their lifetimes being admired ambassadors for pigs in the animal agriculture system. One of Rita’s adorable piglets heading to Blackberry Creek is pictured above. In addition to getting to support him by donating $5 for his care, Blackberry Creek is offering the special opportunity to $5 Friday supporters to pick a name for him! They will select and announce his name from among your list of suggestions!
2. The founders are full-time middle school teachers and operate the all-volunteer five acre sanctuary on an annual budget of only $10,000. Imagine handling the demands of the teaching profession while managing a farm animal sanctuary! That’s dedication and compassion!
3. In addition to providing food, love, and medical care for their rescued animals, the Blackberry Creek team delivered school presentations on farm animals and hosted more than 2,000 lucky people in 2015. The field trips to Blackberry Creek are uniquely tailored for different visitors. For example, when the sanctuary hosts children that have suffered from abuse, they help the children understand how animals also suffer from abuse so they can empathize. Visitors connect the animals’ experience of learning to trust again, feeling uncomfortable in a home, and being scared to their own life experiences. Additional funding will help Blackberry Creek grow their tremendously powerful, strategic, and successful humane education programs.
4. Meet the animals. Trigger Warning: If adorable animal names make your heart melt, don’t click the link!
5. As if it wasn’t enough that they rescue farm animals, this team of heroes adopted a three-legged dog from Taiwan! They bring him to a local children’s hospital with amputees to show them that they can be as happy as their dog even though they’re missing a leg. Now that’s inspirational!
Let’s show the Blackberry Creek team how much we appreciate everything they do to make the world a more humane place for animals by empowering them to do even more.
Click here to donate $5 directly to Blackberry Creek. Thank you for participating in $5 Friday.
Please list your donation amount in the comments section below so we can track our total. Thank you!
Kirschner's Korner 
I proudly donated $5 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Name suggestion: Lucky
Thank you for all you do!
Thank you for your donation, Andrew, and for inspiring so many to follow!
25.00
Thank you Sandra! The furry rescues at Blackberry Creek appreciate your support!
Thank you for your generous donation, Sandy!
I donated $25 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary
Name Suggestion: Wheeler
Thank you for all you do for these beautiful animals.
Fantastic news Marilyn! Thank you! I just matched your donation and a few others and donated $60. Thank you for giving!
Thank you so much for your donation and name suggestion, Marilyn!
$50 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary
Thank you, Andrew, Danielle, and Josh for the wonderful work you are doing!
Suggested name for the newcomer: Legacy
That’s amazing Kelly! Thank you so much for taking the time to support this amazing sanctuary. Josh, Danielle, their volunteers, and rescued animals will be so grateful!
Kelly, thank you for your generous donation and for volunteering at the sanctuary. You are amazing!
I did $30 today to Blackberry Creek. Love this!
Cecilia! That’s fantastic news! Thank you for taking the time to support Blackberry Creek! It will mean so much to them. You’re wonderful!
Wonderful! Thank you for your generosity, Cecilia!
Donated $10 to Blackberry Creek 🙂
That’s awesome news Jill. Thank you for stepping up to the plate for the rescued animals at Blackberry Creek!
Jill, we appreciate your family’s constant support! Can’t wait to thank Scott in person when he comes to help Josh this weekend with the pig home!
I donated $25 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Name Suggestions: Wilbur, Humble
Aw, Wilbur is such a cute name!
Thank you for your generous donation Jane! That is so kind of you!
Thank you so much for your generous donation and the sweet name suggestions. Love them!
$10 to Blackberry Creek!
That’s very kind of you Linda! Thank you for support Blackberry Creek!
Thank you, Linda!!!
Thank you, thank you, Linda!!!
Thank you all SO much for your generosity so far today! You are making a huge difference in the lives of animals and are an incredible encouragement to us! Don’t forget to suggest a name for the precious male piglet in the comments if you donated!
We donated $25 to Blackberry Creek!
Mae likes the names Bear and Grover.
Thank you very much! So kind of you!
Thank you Jim, Cara, and Mae! You guys are all-star donors!!! Love both names! This is going to be tough!
Donated $10, hope it helps!
I donated $10, hope it helps!
Joseph! It’s so great to hear from you! Thank you so much for supporting Blackberry Creek! So kind of you!
It post weird, but donated $20 altogether!
Awesome! Thank you for your generosity and for supporting our animals, Joseph!
$10.00 God Bless
You are so kind Laura! Thank you so much for taking the time to support this incredible sanctuary for rescued animals.
Thank you so much, Laura! We truly appreciate it!
Just donated $100 to the wonderful animals at Blackberry Creek. Blessings to them all!
Wow Doug. That is huge. I can hear Danielle, Josh, their volunteers, and all of their animals cheering all the way from Florida! You rock!
We’re still cheering!
Wow how great is that, Doug ! You are supporting a very loving sanctuary.
Thank you Doug, Bree, and Addie! Can’t wait for you all to come meet the piglets!
We donated $20.
You guys are awesome, keep up the great work!
We like the name Pumbaa 🙂
Thank you to the Hunkins family! Pumbaa is an adorable name! So kind of you to take the time to support this special place!
Thank you so much! Pumbaa is precious!
I donated $5 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary. Have a great year, Josh and Danielle.
Andy, that is so nice of you! Thank you for caring enough to take action to support Blackberry Creek! We appreciate your generosity!
Thank you, Andy! We appreciate it very much! Blessings for a new year for you and your family as well. 🙂
Donated $10.00. Happy New Year 🙂
Just awesome Nicole. Thank you for being such a giving person. Thank goodness for people like you!
Thank you, Nicole! Happy New Year to you too! Your donation means so much to us and the animals!
I donated $20 to BlackBerry Creek Sanctuary. I like the name Arnold after the pig on the show Green Acres.
Thank you, Eleanora!!! Great name! This will be a hard decision!
Eleanor, that’s fabulous! Thank you so much for joining us! So generous!
I just donated $25.
Andrew, I love your $5 Friday write-ups! It’s fun to learn about people doing great work for animals all over the place. Looking forward to next Friday 🙂
Name idea: Andrew K
How wonderful. We LOVE that name, Chelsea! Thank you for your very generous donation!
Haha, you’re too funny Chelsea! Aww, thanks! I’m so grateful that we are growing every week. The outpouring this week has been so inspirational to watch. Thank you for donating to this special sanctuary! Danielle and Josh are so terrific!
“I donated $5 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary”
Perhaps the piggie’s name could be Cameron, after this little boy who also has a brave mom: http://www.lifenews.com/2014/05/12/brave-mom-jumps-from-burning-building-to-save-her-baby/
Thank you for all you do, Andrew 🙂
Wow! What a great name suggestion. Thank you so much for your donation!
That’s awesome Viv! What a story! I’m glad I’m not the one having to pick a name! All these suggestions are so wonderful!
We donated $200.00 to BlackBerry Creek! Keep up the great work. *Tina and Dale
WOW WONDERFUL…. HOW NICE OF YOU !
You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for visiting the sanctuary and for your incredibly generous donation!!
Don’t even know what to say about this one Tina and Dale. Let me catch my breath. Hold on, I’m almost done jumping up and down. Drinking some water. A few high fives. All right, I’m ready: THANK YOU!!!!!!!
I donated another $5.00 for the Piggies…
I like Pigella, Pigsley, Buta ful (buta is Japanese for pig) Pinky, Blackberry, or just Berry.
Very cute names! Thank you, Angela, for your continued support!
Aw, those names Angela! Thank you again!
We donated 50.00 to Blackberry Creek..Love this organization,I’m also a teacher, a vegan and a proud owner of a sweet golden from Taiwan ( SaSa) now Elle..Good luck guys can’t wait to visit !!! xx
Kerry! That is so sweet of you to do! Blackberry is very fortunate to have you as a supporter! Thanks for taking the time to support their work and the rescued animals in their care! Just wonderful!
Wow! We have a lot in common, Kerry! Can’t wait to meet you. Thank you for your generous support! We’d love to do a program in your class or provide you with materials on humane education for your students if you’re interested. What grade do you teach?
What a day my friends! What a day! You are all so generous and thoughtful. The donations continue to pour in here and on my Facebook page. We still have a few hours to go so feel free to join this give fest with a $5 donation if you haven’t already. If you happen to miss it and see this story tomorrow, feel free to donate late. Make it a $6 Saturday! 🙂
A few $5 donations still coming in! Whoo hoo! Thank you to all who made us feel so supported yesterday and are continuing to do so today!
I donated $20
And that makes you spectacular Donna! Thank you!
Thank you so much for your generosity, Donna!!!
$20 from us. Love being part of this group. Thank you Andrew for bringing us together!
Aw, thank you Birgit. You are such a good friend to me and animals. I appreciate you so much. Thank you for being so amazingly generous.
Wow! Thank you, Birgit! Your kindness is inspiriing!
That is…inspiring with one “i!” Though maybe two i’s is appropriate for upping your donation! Yippee!
Our family donated $5.00 for each of us = $25.oo
Love this Sanctuary!!!!!
Too cute Hilary! Love it. Thank you so much!
What a great idea, Hilary! Thank you SO much!
I just sent five dollars to BlackBerry Creek. Love the pictures, stories, and names of the lucky, lucky animals who live there.
Thank you Carolyn. I appreciate your continued support of these sanctuaries and advocacy organizations! It’s so nice of you to take the time to make a donation!
Wonderful! Thank you very much, Carolyn!!!
We donated $20. I’m so inspired by the way Josh and Danielle have followed their passion. My pigglet name suggestion: Sinbad.
Aw, cute name Donna! I think we’re all inspired! Thank you for your generosity!
Thank you so much, Donna! We sure miss seeing you! Hope you can bring the kids up to the sanctuary to visit one day. 🙂
Just donated $5 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary
Where would we be without Olly? 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you, Olly! You rock!
Hi – just donated 5$. I suggest the name “Tonka” for one of the piggies!
janet Kimoff
Thank you so much, Janet! You are a constant supporter, and we couldn’t do what we do without your help!
just donated $10 , Danielle and Josh amazing ! So proud to call them family !
Aw, that’s so nice Tami! I can imagine you must be proud! Thank you for your generous donation!
OK can’t leave the record unbroken when it’s so close, plus i love the piggies… Donated another $25.00. GO PIGGIES GO 🙂 ❤ ❤
You’re so funny Angela. Too cute. I find your donation very inspirational. Thank you!
It’s official: Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary now holds the record for the biggest $5 Friday at $1,805.
Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary has been operating on an annual budget of $10,000. You just donated 18% of their annual budget in a day — an eye popping $1,805 yesterday for $5 Friday.
Thank you for caring so much about rescued farm animals. Thank you for valuing humane education. Thank you for being so generous. Thank you for taking the time to take action to support the cause we care so much about.
Including the late and verified $1,000 donation sent this week to a previous $5 Friday selection, we have now donated $9,920 on $5 Fridays to farm animal rescue and advocacy organizations. We look forward to celebrating with all of you next week when we crack the $10,000 milestone.
I just donated $5.00 to Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary 😀 ❤️
Thank you SO much! We are so grateful!