Animal Advocate Donates Vegan Gift Bags To Long Island Shelters

LONG ISLAND, NY — A Long Island organization focused on animal advocacy is offering vegan-based gift bags to those who adopt homeless pets this January.

Humane Long Island is donating vegan gift bags to every person who adopts a dog, cat, or "other fuzzy, finned, or feathered friend from participating animal shelters across Long Island for the next 30 days to both promote adoption and kindness to all animals in the New Year," John Di Leonardo of Humane Long Island said.

The "Veganuary" gift bags will include vegan food items such as Beyond Jerky, Hippeas, and Vego candy bars from the Cindysnacks vegan market in Huntington — which has just been named Humane Long Island’s 2022 Business of the Year — as well as coupons, literature, stickers, and activity books.

Participating shelters include the Babylon Animal Shelter, Brookhaven Animal Shelter, Cove Animal Rescue in Glen Cove, Kent Animal Shelter in Riverhead, Save-A-Pet Animal Shelter in Port Jefferson Station, Smithtown Animal Shelter, Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, Town of Huntington Cat Shelter Operated by Little Shelter, and Humane Long Island’s Riverhead Aviary.

“Whether you’re looking to adopt a fuzzy, finned, or feathered friend this year, Humane Long Island would like to say thank you by offering healthy, cruelty-free gift bags to everyone who rescues a homeless animal during the month of January," Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and president of Humane Long Island, said. "We hope these delicious vegan samples will encourage adopters to save 200 more animals each year by simply leaving animals off their plate and out of their wardrobe.”

Patricia Deshong, executive director of the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, added: “Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation is proud to save the lives of animals with the goal of finding them their forever homes. Animals are friends, not food. We thank our friend and fellow rescue partner Humane Long Island for taking the lead on promoting a vegan/plant-based lifestyle and fully support this initiative.”

Humane Long Island advocates "tasty and healthful replacements for animal flesh, eggs and dairy." People can buy soy or oat milk in nearly every coffee shop, cheese made from nuts at many marts, and Beyond Meat, which makes realistic plant-based meats out of vegetables like peas and beets, which is widely available at food marts and even major restaurant chains like TGI Fridays., Di Leonardo said.

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