$5 Friday Pick: Uplands PEAK Sanctuary

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.

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 Uplands PEAK 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 $9,920 donated to help animals!
That’s amazing!
Let’s keep it going!
Join us as we blast through the $10,000 milestone this week!

farm animals
Best friends Lucy and Tulip, transport truck survivors, now safe at Uplands PEAK Sanctuary

$5 Friday Pick #15
Uplands PEAK Sanctuary
Salem, Indiana

Here are five reasons to donate $5 to Uplands PEAK Sanctuary:

1. Uplands PEAK Sanctuary opened in 2014. We should marvel at what they’ve been able to accomplish in such a short time. An impressive 160 elementary school students visited their sanctuary last year where they learned about the similarity between their companion animals and the farm animals they eat. The founders delivered presentations at universities, hosted spring break students, and attended a wide range of events with a specific focus on reaching audiences with little to no previous exposure to farm animals.

2. Uplands PEAK Sanctuary operates in the heart of the animal agriculture industry. This terrain is as difficult as it gets when it comes to convincing people to stop eating animals. It’s ingrained in the culture. There is a factory farm at the end of their street! A Tyson transport truck passes their sanctuary every day. Since the concept of showing compassion for farm animals by not eating them is so foreign to most people in the area, the sanctuary serves as a powerful and inspiring reminder that there is a more humane, healthy, and eco-friendly way to eat.

3. The founders, a husband and wife ethical vegan team, are volunteers and do not draw a salary from donations. Anyone who comes on the property, even a maintenance person to fix a fence, is only allowed to eat plant-based food in keeping with their mission. They own the property on which the sanctuary is housed. They want to expand by purchasing the adjacent 18 acre property to bring in more calves. They are in the process of building a chicken shelter to rescue more chickens.

4. Check out the story of Lucy and Tulip on Animals of America.

5. I interviewed several volunteers to learn more about the sanctuary. Excerpts from interviews with three of them provide plenty of evidence that Uplands PEAK is a safe haven for animals.

“I am amazed every time I go to the sanctuary at the way the animals are cared for. It is obvious that the animal’s needs are top priority to Mark and Michelle. Each animal is treated like the individual that he or she is and they truly are part of the family at PEAK. All of their nutritional, medical and emotional needs are met. It seems daunting to me that anyone can handle that responsibility, but Mark and Michelle manage to do it everyday and with joy. They are both amazing people.” – Volunteer #1

“Mark and Michele are inspirational to those of us trying to help create a more compassionate world, particularly here in the suburban-rural Midwest. I appreciate their blend of organizational savvy, inclusiveness, and genuine passion for raising awareness about the plight of farmed animals. Plus, the volunteer events have amazing food!” – Volunteer #2

“The owners, Mark and Michelle, have an incredible connection with each one of their animal residents. They are heartfelt about the life they have taken on to provide for these animals. I truly admire their commitment. As a volunteer who works with them often, I’ve enjoyed learning many aspects of what it takes to make a farm sanctuary successful.  All of the animal residents at Uplands PEAK are living happy, free lives. They are loved unconditionally. Their health is taken very seriously, getting medical attention when necessary. The animals get hands on interaction, love, and snuggles daily from Mark and Michelle and many of the volunteers and visitors. I have seen some of the residents come to the farm from desperate situations and watched them thrive over time in their care.” – Volunteer #3

Let’s show the Uplands PEAK 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 Uplands PEAK. Thank you for participating in $5 Friday.

Please list your donation amount in the comments section below or on my personal Facebook page so we can track our total. Thank you!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO $5 FRIDAY SUPPORTERS
As we pass $10,000 in donations today, I want to thank everyone who has supported this initiative. Our $5 Friday donations have helped organizations care for the animals they rescue and the animals they prevent from ever enduring the unthinkable life of a victim of animal agriculture through humane education. You’ve proven that if a small group of people get together, they can make an extraordinary difference. Your generosity has meant so much to these organization leaders. They work so hard, they care so much, and they need our help so desperately. I look forward to many more $5 Fridays. Thank you! See you at $25,000!

74 thoughts on “$5 Friday Pick: Uplands PEAK Sanctuary”

    1. Thank you, Andrew! It is such an honor to be selected! We are so grateful to have the opportunity for people to learn about our residents and work today. Thank you ❤

      Co-Founder, Uplands PEAK Sanctuary

      Reply

  3. I donated $5.00 today to Uplands Sanctuary.
    So much thanks and love to all of you at the sanctuary, and to you, Andrew, for all of your hard work and dedication to making the world a compassion and peaceful one for all beings.
    ☮❤️🌹

    Reply

    1. That’s music to the animals’ ears Valerie! Thank you for your generosity! I put you down for $5. We only ask for amounts so we can track our weekly total. Thank you for being so thoughtful!

      Reply

  11. I donated $10!! Uplands PEAK Sanctuary is a shining example of the power of compassion and loving kindness. Thank you for showing us the way!

    Reply

  14. Hi Everyone! Mark and I, Co-Founders of Uplands PEAK want to let you know how inspiring and energizing it is to feel support from all over the globe today – Canada, Australia, Colorado, Florida, Texas, & California! It is truly amazing for a small + new sanctuary in rural Indiana! The animals all need us — and we all need each other ❤
    A few of our IMMEDIATE projects that these funds will help with are:
    1) Bringing home our latest rescue and first calf, Vegan ! He is currently at the Purdue Large Animal Hospital being treated for a broken leg.
    2) Fencing around our Chicken Shelter.
    3) Educational Signage for visitors at the Sanctuary.

    Thank you from everyone here at PEAK! We appreciate you standing with us in kinship!

    Reply

  20. Donated $20. Great place, great people, love and compassion for every being. I am so happy to be able to volunteer and donate to this great organization.

    Reply

  23. Mark & Michelle: My daughter and son-in-law’s sanctuary, Blackberry Creek, was the featured $5 Friday sanctuary last Friday and Andrew’s philosophy of “a little helps a lot” rang so true for them. I’ve donated $5 in hopes that my little bit , added up with others who are inspired by your story, will help a lot! Thank you for the amazing work you are doing at Uplands PEAK.

    Reply

    2. Kim, Thank YOU! Yes, it does! I LOVE that Andrew is encouraging people to give $5. So often, we talk ourselves out of doing SOMETHING because we don’t think it matters, isn’t enough, etc. THIS community is powerful! $5 feeds our goats for 2 days (right now 🙂 ) THAT is huge.
      Happy to learn about Blackberry Creek — best wishes to everyone there.

      Reply

  26. Between this thread and my Facebook page, we donated $910 to Uplands PEAK Sanctuary, a huge victory for animals. Thank you all very much for joining us!

    Our new $5 Friday total is $10,830. That’s incredible. We hope to see you next Friday!

    Reply
  27. Pingback: $5 Friday Surprise! – Kirschner's Korner

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