2024 Check us out!
Greeting from Saoirse Pastures!
We’re excited to bring you a mid-year update and share what’s been keeping us busy at Saoirse Pastures. We stayed very busy this winter applying for many different grants. Some of them were successful and some were not. We would like to thank the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, The Joseph Robert Foundation, Microsancutary Resource Center, and Maguire Foundation. We have a few more we will be applying to this fall and hope for a positive outcome. With fundraising we have a few main goals: to cover the cost of our daily operations, which is feed, hay and straw, bedding, and cleaning supplies; veterinary funds; and ideally funds left to cover the cost of yearly infrastructure projects.
Our 2024 infrastructure goals involved tackling two fencing projects.The first was to enclose a multi-acre pasture for our large pigs. Thanks to the Triad Foundation, last fall we secured their sleeping shed. This was immensely helpful last winter, especially with Mabel battling cancer. Our hope early this year was to come up with the funds to get the fencing in place to move everyone to their new home. We had a few Caribbean trip vouchers gifted for fundraising strategy and had two trips bid on. Those funds combined with the fast response from the Microsancatury Resource Center grant, meant we were able to have the fencing complete by late April this year. This was just in time, as we were helping our friends at Chicago Pigland Rescue with three Guinea Hog piglets who were in need of permanent placement. We were a perfect fit for these three because Pebbles and Bam-Bam are also Guinea Hogs. The introduction between the five pigs was easy and they all settled into their new pasture beautifully.
Unfortunately, our second infrastructure project will not happen this year due to lack of funding. We had hoped to fence in a new pasture space for our Zebu herd and move them into the barn with our sheep herd. Their move would give them more space, give our horses and donkeys more space and also open up more winter pasture for our cows when wintering in the barn. We decided not to go through with this project because we did not secure all the grants we had applied for and we need to make sure we can get through winter. Hay prices, feed prices, shavings, etc. have all gone up and we would rather go into the winter knowing we have our hay costs secured. We have also seen major inflation with our vet care. Our vaccine bill this spring almost tripled from last year. We never know what medical issues will arise with our residents and we need to be prepared. However, we are extremely fortunate and grateful to have completed one major project for 2024!
In June, we kicked off our in-person, tabling fundraisers for the year with the Ithaca Festival! This was our third Ithaca Festival and we were overwhelmed by the support from our community. We met new friends, gained volunteers, and raised funds to support the sanctuary. The festival was a huge success and we appreciate everyone who said hi, supported us and is out there wearing a sweatshirt. We also offered a raffle this year, which was a huge success. Very special thank you to Angelhearts Diner, Northstar House and Gimme Coffee for donating gift cards and goodies for our raffle. These funds helped us secure 400 feet of UV-freeze resistant, chemical free hose that runs from our well to the cows’ pasture troughs. This was a huge help to our caregivers because last year we were filling five gallon buckets and transporting them back and forth. A huge thank you to Goodland for giving us a wonderful discount on the hoses. To our new friends, thank you for signing up to learnr about our happenings and WELCOME!
We are really looking forward to our fall fundraiser, which is our biggest event of the year. We will hold our 3rd annual Flea Market on Sunday, September 22, 2024 during Porchfest in Ithaca. The flea market takes place on the front porch of Northstar House (restaurant, 202 E. Falls Street). We are still looking for gently loved donated items (clothes, homewares, art, furniture) to sell at our market. We will also have our famous vegan bake sale! If you would like to help we are looking for donations, bakers and shoppers! Please email: saoirsepastures@gmail.com to get involved.
All our residents are doing well, despite a very hot summer! Thank you so much to those who donated on our Facebook and Instagram fan fundraiser. Our most challenging obstacle has been figuring out the right feeding formula for Orin and Linda, our horse residents. Linda is in her senior years and Orin middle aged. Combined with years of malnutrition, this has made the task of creating the perfect diet a challenge. Over the winter we learned Linda has HEAVES, which is chronic bronchitis. We shifted from free feeding round bales to three hay feedings a day of soaked hay. We are also using grazing muzzles for pasture grazing and restricting their grazing times from 7am to 10am when the sugar in the grasses are at their lowest.
Andi Lamb turned one year old in May and has quite the personality. She says good morning and good night each and every day with an adorable baaaaa. She is definitely keeping her three senior aunties on their hooves. The potbelly pig herd spent their first winter in their new barn and did extremely well. The success of their space is a testament to how important the infrastructure projects are to the animals. We said goodbye to Mabel In January as she lost her battle with cancer. I am terribly heartbroken that she did not make it to the new pasture, but I know she spent her last few months enjoying her old pasture and being close to the friends she had made at the sanctuary. She left a profound impression on everyone who met her and we miss her dearly. I can take solace in knowing she knew compassion, respect and love before she died.
As mentioned above, we welcomed three new piglets in April. Clarence, Zuzu and Jorge, who are the snuggliest of snuggle pigs. They love Pebbles and Bam-Bam and their giant pasture. They adore visitors and often come running when they hear voices because that equals belly rubs. We also welcomed Aspen and Chleo, two Jersey cows, mother and daughter in early summer. Both middle aged gals who have only known each other’s company, they have thoroughly enjoyed their new herd family. If you’ve been on a sanctuary tour with me, you might remember me gushing about the love that is cows. They only know love! When they see another cow they don’t care who the cow is, only that they need to be together and that was no exception with Aspen and Chleo. Now the herd of nine have been grazing away in their pastures and cooling off amongst the trees.
Thank you to our amazing, dedicated volunteers for their ongoing contribution to the care of these amazing animals. We could not do it without you and we appreciate you beyond measure! Each one of our volunteers becomes a part of the Saoirse Pastures family. Some have been with us for years and some for short periods of time. In June, we said goodbye to Jaehwan, who was with us for a year before graduating from his PhD program at Cornell. Thank you Jaehwan for your dedication, handiwork and friendship. We celebrated our volunteers and Jaehwan's departure in April with our first volunteer appreciation party.
Among our amazing volunteers are the LACS middle and high schoolers who come every week in all types of weather to muck poop, etc. We will be heading into year three with our partnership with LACS in September. A few of our students who started year one are now going to be juniors and seniors. We cherish our relationship with LACS and these kids. I am also happy to report that the GIAC peewees (four-year-olds) are coming back for year two starting this fall. Linda and Orin love the peewees and so do we!
We will be closing in on August by the time you read this! We wish you all a joyous rest of your summer. We have upgraded our donation platform to accept recurring monthly, or weekly donations. Many of you have asked so that is up and running: https://www.saoirsepastures.com/. We also plan to have a sponsor an animal resident platform up by the end of the year. If you would like to book a tour or need to reach us about Porchfest donations please email: saoirsepastures@gmail.com
Till next time, from the pasture,
Shannon
Saoirse Pastures End-of-Year Newsletter 2024
We have new residents!
We have three new goats and one new sheep!
Please help us welcome Chance, Constance and Lady. These three senior boar goats have been with us since mid summer. They had been cared for by a family who was moving out of the country and were looking for sanctuary for these ladies to live out their senior years. Their family has been generous enough to financially support the goats while residing at Saoirse Pastures. Each with their own personality, of course, they move around their pasture as a trio and bicker like three sisters who have lived next door to each other their whole lives. We have really enjoyed having them here.
Volunteer News
Thank you to Embark for spending their employee volunteer day at Saoirse Pastures! We mucked out the entire potbelly pig barn full of last winter's straw. We greatly appreciated the extra hands on such a large project and such good sports as this was a very dirty job. Thank you all so much!
We have had some great volunteer involvement by multiple Cornell students this fall. They have a lot to balance and we are so grateful for their time and energy.
We have also had the pleasure of connecting with the Cornell Animal Advocacy Club. Some of the members have come out and volunteered with us.
Annual 2024 Flea Market
We had a huge, successful Porchfest Flea Market in September! I would like to give a round of applause to the amazing weather. This was our third annual flea market and the only one without rain. We had so many amazing donations and a great turnout. This continues to be our biggest fundraiser of the year. Our dedicated volunteers were there all day long from unloading moving truck loads of goods to setting everything up, pricing, working the event and then tearing it all down at the end of the day! Thank you to Angelhearts Diner for setting up a doughnut booth and donating their proceeds to the sanctuary. What an amazing community we live in!
Preparing for Winter
We have been very busy this fall prepping our residents for winter. We insulated the goats’ shed. These ladies are 14 years old and need the extra warmth and draft-free sleeping quarters. We also added an awning to the front of the goats and large pig sheds. This helps to keep wind, rain and snow away from their doorways. We would love to add some weather stripping doorway protectors to keep the weather out of open doorways, but give the animals access to the outside. This is particularly important to us in case of a barn fire. We are looking for more funding to be able to finish these projects. If you would like to help I will add how to donate at the bottom of this newsletter.
TLAER Training
Speaking of fires! Nancy Cusumano (one of our board members) and myself attended a two-day training at SUNY Morrisville through Cornell Cooperative Extension. We had two emergency situations last winter with two of our cows and while both were rare and extremely random we want to make sure we are prepared to assist these animals in an emergency. The training covered a lot of areas, but the biggest takeaway for us was how to assist a down or stuck animal and fire safety. We now have quite the list of needed items to assist an animal as well as needs to take our barns to the next level of fire safety. As I stated above we are in need of extra funding to obtain these materials. See below on how to donate!
Welcome, IC Friends
Eleanor Henderson has joined our Saoirse Pastures Board. We have had the honor of getting to know her through her weekly volunteer shifts at the sanctuary. Eleanor is an invaluable part of our team and we are so happy to welcome her!
Eleanor has also taken the lead on setting SP up with a writing intern through Ithaca College, where Eleanor teaches. Eleanor and I have been working with the incredibly dedicated and talented Sasha Roter this fall semester. Sasha (shown in photo), a junior Writing major and Education minor, has been creating marketing, fundraiser material, educational material, and social media posts, as well as researching booking platforms for our website and potential grants. We’ll miss Sasha as she studies abroad in Prague next semester! This has been a wonderful experience and I look forward to continuing this partnership.
Community Support—Thank You!
A huge thank you to the Triad Foundation for their continued generous support. Thank you to Greenstar for their ongoing produce donations and of course the great pumpkin donation. We would also like to thank Wegmans for their recent weekly produce donations and pumpkin haul. Thank you to Ovid Pumpkin Patch, Indian Creek, and Canopy Hotel for offering their season’s end pumpkins as well.
We were recently featured in the November 27 Ithaca Times publication! You can access the writeup here. Thank you Kinsey Burr for the beautiful coverage of all of these wonderful organizations in our community.
We are ending 2024 with a huge honor. The students of Cornell University’s Philanthropic Leadership Course awarded us with a grant at their Philanthropic Leadership Giving Ceremony. I had the pleasure of meeting a few of the students during a tour of the sanctuary and it was because of their request to honor animal welfare organizations that this grant was possible. Thank you to Vera, Jerry, Chloe and the other students who see what we are doing as valuable.
Holiday Market Fundraiser at Pressbay
Our last fundraiser of the year will be held on Saturday, December 7 at the Pressbay Alley Holiday Market. We will have merch (cozy sweatshirts) to sell and beautiful donated work from local gems like Gary Rith. Come adopt a cute holiday plush for a special someone, or donate to Saoirse Pastures in honor of someone else this holiday season. Your continued support is the heartbeat of this organization and we see and appreciate each and every one of you.
May Your New Year Be Bright!
As the community around us grows we can only become a stronger, more resilient organization. We are rooted in ethical choices and compassion for all. We are here for you and feel that you are here for us!
To our volunteers, your dedication is saving lives and making an impact on so many others. You are my heroes and Saoirse Pastures family—we love you!
End of year recap 2023
Rescue, sanctuary infrastructure, climate change, sustainability efforts, education and outreach
A year goes by so fast, so fleeting. To sit down and try to encapsulate it all for you seems - it seems like a lot to share. Mother Earth’s weather extremes have left us dealing with some issues to untangle. Given these challenges, we have carried on with our sustainability efforts. Infrastructure became the word of the year. This will continue as the needs of the animals shift and our growth continues. We answered calls of those in need and welcomed new sanctuary residents. All the while the day to day work of running a non-profit continues with applying for grants and holding our annual fundraisers. Fundraising events brought us many new volunteers, which drove us to further our community outreach and education.
The winter of 2022-2023 was a rainy one - at times days of torrential downpours. We experienced flooding on and off for several weeks. The barn our large cattle herd resided in experienced the worst of this unprecedented weather. We were fortunate to be able to move them down to our main barn to spend the rest of the winter there. After collaborating with drainage specialists, we decided the cows would not return to their original home. They would now spend the spring, summer, and fall in their pastures and the winter in our main barn. This left us with a space we weren’t sure what to do with for fear of future flooding. The main barn had been a space for our potbelly pig herd, who make up the largest population at the sanctuary. We devised a plan to move the pigs from our main barn to the flooded space with the idea for a floating floor - think indoor deck or raised platform. After receiving several quotes for the work, we settled on a contractor. The project cost came to $8,900. We were fortunate to receive $5,000 from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County in their 2023 spring grant cycle, and were able to cover the rest with individual donations from community members like you.
By the time this project was in its final stages, air quality alerts were being issued, and we spent weeks with masks on while outdoors. Sometimes double masks were necessary because the smoke from Canadian wildfires was so thick. I spent a lot of time worrying about the animals and commiserating with those out west who experience this far more often than we do. The animals were kept well supplied with fresh water. Their breathing was monitored as well as daily checks for any nasal discharge. I am happy to report they fared far better than those caring for them. This was an extremely scary time for us, and one I was not expecting. Now we can add dealing with wildfire smoke to our operating procedures at the sanctuary.
Sustainability has always been at the forefront of this organization. We try to offset our carbon footprint by giving back to nature and nurturing our home. We implemented our first silvopasture practice this year by planting 22 Mulberry saplings (from a local nursery) around the sanctuary grounds. These trees will bear countless berries that the both sanctuary residents and local wildlife can all eat and benefit from. These trees will offer shade, help stop ground erosion, and help when we experience the next wildfire smoke episode. We recently spent some time with our Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) student-volunteers, walking the grounds to check on all of our trees. We will do the same this spring and hopefully we will have a high survival rate. If anyone has any suggestions or can offer expertise in this area please reach out to us at saoirsepastures@gmail.com.
I would love to share with you our infrastructure goals and outcomes for the past year. We start off each year with goals for fencing, housing, enrichment, non-mechanical equipment (hay wagons, squeeze chutes for vet care), etc. When climate situations arise we have to pivot, as we did with the floating floor in the pig barn. Once the floor was installed, it was necessary to add a ramp for the pigs to access the space, and rubber flooring for insulation. We received a grant from Visions Federal Credit Union that covered the cost of the rubber mats. Once this was finished, we moved into fall and were able to complete a smaller project. We had discussed moving our large pig herd (Pebbles, Bam-Bam and Mabel) to their own pasture by our pond, which would be ideal for them. Thanks to The Triad Foundation, we were able to cover the cost for an 8’x12’ shed for these pigs. We also expect to end the year with enough funds to cover the cost of fencing for their pasture. The shed has arrived and the pigs are using it and loving it. The local shed contractor we use puts the sheds on skids so we were able to put the shed in its current location and will be able to move it to their new pastures once it is finished. We are continuously grateful for the grants we receive and the contributions from our community. Each and every dime is going to the care and needs of the animals.
Some of our volunteers have stated that fundraisers are fun! I couldn’t agree more. Not only are we able to raise funds, but we continue to connect with our community. Taking part in our second year at Ithaca Festival in June resulted in a handful of new volunteers and dozens of new visitors. Our fall flea market fundraiser was a huge success. We doubled our intake from the previous year, made new connections and had a blast hanging out for the day. I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who donated goods. If anyone is looking to part with gently loved items over the next year, please consider donating (saoirsepastures@gmail.com). We will wrap up our 2023 fundraising on December 16th at the Pressbay Alley Holiday Market. This will be our third holiday market. It is a lovely way to spend a Saturday supporting local vendors, artists, and non-profits. We will have our Saoirse Pastures merchandise, handmade items such as candles, and donated artwork and pottery by local artisans. Hopefully we will see you there!
This past year was our first full year running our educational programs and taking on student volunteers. Our partnership with Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS), and Greater Ithaca Activity Center (GIAC) has been wonderful! We are currently part of the Lehman Alternative Community School Community Service Program and have students coming weekly to our sanctuary throughout the school year. We have had successful programs with two different GIAC after-school teachers where students had bi-monthly enrichment visits. This allows students to interact with and learn from the animals. We are looking forward to working with GIAC's Pee-Wee group this year. We had the pleasure of meeting these nine 4-year-olds a few weeks ago, and plan to have them back early in December. We hope to continue to expand outreach and community visits, as several local teachers and program directors have expressed interest in Saoirse Pastures as a visiting destination for humane educational purposes. In 2022-2023, we began to reach out to senior centers and senior housing facilities to offer programs and visits to senior citizens. We have an active group of senior volunteers who report that their time with our animals is one of the best parts of their weeks.
Volunteers! We have volunteers who are young people, seniors, moms, students, veterans, retired people, college students, and more. To say I am humbled by the people who have come into my life as well as the lives of the animals is an understatement. Whether it’s a short- or long-term commitment, they have all left an immense impression on this organization. I could not do what I do without them. We are 100% volunteer based. I have moms coming with babies in tow, seniors who are months away from knee replacement surgeries, some who balance jobs, graduate or pHD programs, etc. Their flexibility, commitment, knowledge, and compassion fuels the energy behind the organization and I am forever grateful.
Last, but certainly not least, let me tell you about our new sanctuary residents. I am often asked about space and when we know if we are at capacity. Great question! My reply is it depends. It depends on species, time of year, infrastructure needs, current quarantine space, where the animals are located, and financial support. We have had the same 3 species since the beginning: equine (our donkeys), bovine (our small and large cattle herds), and swine (large breed and potbelly pigs). I do not take adding a new species to the sanctuary lightly. There are lots of factors to consider, but it all comes down to the needs of the animals. We are working toward keeping our animals in species-specific areas and we have very close to that goal. When we add a new species, we have to have space, which adds a need to our infrastructure list.
Last winter, we were asked by the owner to take in 3 loved elder sheep, as the owner could no longer care for them. I deliberated with other rescue partners about their sheep herds and what was the best way to introduce these ladies. The sheep were safe where they were for the moment and we agreed upon an early summer transition for them. Before that happened, I received a call about a lamb who was rejected by her mother and needing care and placement for survival. All four of these sheep were located in Tompkins County. We decided to use our quarantine space as a temporary home for these sheep until we could decide where their permanent home in the sanctuary would be located. Andi Lamb, Bex, Dream and Peaches have all been with us since summer and are now an integrated herd. They have brought such joy to those who have met them. They enjoy grazing, chewing cud and scratching themselves against anything they can find (2024 infrastructure goals = scratching posts).
Our next case was a rescue and abandonment case which is still ongoing. We are working with animal control in Schuyler County on this. Currently, the sanctuary has become home to three piglets (Brick, Twig and Wee-wee). These pigs had been abandoned and ended up loose and at large. All three piglets have been neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, and are now enjoying winter eating pumpkins and other goodies while they grow big and strong. The largest part of this case were the two horses left abandoned in a field with no water or shelter. Both of them were in decent condition when we picked them up. They have been quarantined, vetted and had farrier and dental care. We have rescued over a dozen horses and donkeys over the last 5 years, and I try to leave the horses to horse experts, but horses are getting more and more difficult to place. When it was becoming apparent to me that these two had no place to go I decided to go against the no horse policy and offer them sanctuary. Linda and Orin have been with us since October and are doing well. They live with our donkeys and enjoy their pastures and hay bags. They LOVE our peewee kids from GIAC and the peewees loved them right back.
Lastly, our heavyweight potbelly pig DJ Gigaton. Once someone’s beloved pet, I was asked to help him. I was told he had a temper, which might seem like a deterrent, but I already have a curmudgeon who needed a companion. Pherbs has been with us for 4 years and we have not been able to find him a suitable nest mate. Gigs was transported to us by some lovely community members and after a few days to decompress and quarantine we introduced him to Pherbs. When I say this was an introduction for the history books, I mean an instant love connection! Pigs are highly intelligent and that includes emotionally. Introductions can be a process, but within a few days they were sharing a nest and spending most of the day out in their pasture together. Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. Now, they don’t love when we are in their space, but I don’t blame them. These new lives have brought such joy, enriched our education programs, and forever left their personal stamp on the sanctuary. I would invite anyone who would like to meet them come for a tour. Please email us (saoirsepastures@gmail.com) to setup a time to do so.
As we wrap up 2023 I can happily say we had a successful year. We were able to get through the hard times and turn them into successful outcomes with the help of our grant communities and individual donors. We will continue to stay mindful of climate change and try to be prepared as best we can. We will be starting to plan for 2024 early in the new year. Some goals so fare are scratching posts for everyone, new pasture spaces, safety chutes for some of our residents for safe vet care, and more. The support we receive from all of you makes these projects possible. It gives our residents the best possible life, but also supports our ongoing rescues efforts. We are eternally grateful for all of our supporters. We will continue to care for the animals you all love so much.
We wish you and yours well this holiday season. Please reach out if you’d like to schedule a visit to the Saoirse Pastures animals.
With heartfelt gratitude,
/s/ Shannon Hamilton
Executive Director
Rescue, sanctuary infrastructure, climate change, sustainability efforts, education and outreach
A year goes by so fast, so fleeting. To sit down and try to encapsulate it all for you seems - it seems like a lot to share. Mother Earth’s weather extremes have left us dealing with some issues to untangle. Given these challenges, we have carried on with our sustainability efforts. Infrastructure became the word of the year. This will continue as the needs of the animals shift and our growth continues. We answered calls of those in need and welcomed new sanctuary residents. All the while the day to day work of running a non-profit continues with applying for grants and holding our annual fundraisers. Fundraising events brought us many new volunteers, which drove us to further our community outreach and education.
The winter of 2022-2023 was a rainy one - at times days of torrential downpours. We experienced flooding on and off for several weeks. The barn our large cattle herd resided in experienced the worst of this unprecedented weather. We were fortunate to be able to move them down to our main barn to spend the rest of the winter there. After collaborating with drainage specialists, we decided the cows would not return to their original home. They would now spend the spring, summer, and fall in their pastures and the winter in our main barn. This left us with a space we weren’t sure what to do with for fear of future flooding. The main barn had been a space for our potbelly pig herd, who make up the largest population at the sanctuary. We devised a plan to move the pigs from our main barn to the flooded space with the idea for a floating floor - think indoor deck or raised platform. After receiving several quotes for the work, we settled on a contractor. The project cost came to $8,900. We were fortunate to receive $5,000 from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County in their 2023 spring grant cycle, and were able to cover the rest with individual donations from community members like you.
By the time this project was in its final stages, air quality alerts were being issued, and we spent weeks with masks on while outdoors. Sometimes double masks were necessary because the smoke from Canadian wildfires was so thick. I spent a lot of time worrying about the animals and commiserating with those out west who experience this far more often than we do. The animals were kept well supplied with fresh water. Their breathing was monitored as well as daily checks for any nasal discharge. I am happy to report they fared far better than those caring for them. This was an extremely scary time for us, and one I was not expecting. Now we can add dealing with wildfire smoke to our operating procedures at the sanctuary.
Sustainability has always been at the forefront of this organization. We try to offset our carbon footprint by giving back to nature and nurturing our home. We implemented our first silvopasture practice this year by planting 22 Mulberry saplings (from a local nursery) around the sanctuary grounds. These trees will bear countless berries that the both sanctuary residents and local wildlife can all eat and benefit from. These trees will offer shade, help stop ground erosion, and help when we experience the next wildfire smoke episode. We recently spent some time with our Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) student-volunteers, walking the grounds to check on all of our trees. We will do the same this spring and hopefully we will have a high survival rate. If anyone has any suggestions or can offer expertise in this area please reach out to us at saoirsepastures@gmail.com.
I would love to share with you our infrastructure goals and outcomes for the past year. We start off each year with goals for fencing, housing, enrichment, non-mechanical equipment (hay wagons, squeeze chutes for vet care), etc. When climate situations arise we have to pivot, as we did with the floating floor in the pig barn. Once the floor was installed, it was necessary to add a ramp for the pigs to access the space, and rubber flooring for insulation. We received a grant from Visions Federal Credit Union that covered the cost of the rubber mats. Once this was finished, we moved into fall and were able to complete a smaller project. We had discussed moving our large pig herd (Pebbles, Bam-Bam and Mabel) to their own pasture by our pond, which would be ideal for them. Thanks to The Triad Foundation, we were able to cover the cost for an 8’x12’ shed for these pigs. We also expect to end the year with enough funds to cover the cost of fencing for their pasture. The shed has arrived and the pigs are using it and loving it. The local shed contractor we use puts the sheds on skids so we were able to put the shed in its current location and will be able to move it to their new pastures once it is finished. We are continuously grateful for the grants we receive and the contributions from our community. Each and every dime is going to the care and needs of the animals.
Some of our volunteers have stated that fundraisers are fun! I couldn’t agree more. Not only are we able to raise funds, but we continue to connect with our community. Taking part in our second year at Ithaca Festival in June resulted in a handful of new volunteers and dozens of new visitors. Our fall flea market fundraiser was a huge success. We doubled our intake from the previous year, made new connections and had a blast hanging out for the day. I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who donated goods. If anyone is looking to part with gently loved items over the next year, please consider donating (saoirsepastures@gmail.com). We will wrap up our 2023 fundraising on December 16th at the Pressbay Alley Holiday Market. This will be our third holiday market. It is a lovely way to spend a Saturday supporting local vendors, artists, and non-profits. We will have our Saoirse Pastures merchandise, handmade items such as candles, and donated artwork and pottery by local artisans. Hopefully we will see you there!
This past year was our first full year running our educational programs and taking on student volunteers. Our partnership with Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS), and Greater Ithaca Activity Center (GIAC) has been wonderful! We are currently part of the Lehman Alternative Community School Community Service Program and have students coming weekly to our sanctuary throughout the school year. We have had successful programs with two different GIAC after-school teachers where students had bi-monthly enrichment visits. This allows students to interact with and learn from the animals. We are looking forward to working with GIAC's Pee-Wee group this year. We had the pleasure of meeting these nine 4-year-olds a few weeks ago, and plan to have them back early in December. We hope to continue to expand outreach and community visits, as several local teachers and program directors have expressed interest in Saoirse Pastures as a visiting destination for humane educational purposes. In 2022-2023, we began to reach out to senior centers and senior housing facilities to offer programs and visits to senior citizens. We have an active group of senior volunteers who report that their time with our animals is one of the best parts of their weeks.
Volunteers! We have volunteers who are young people, seniors, moms, students, veterans, retired people, college students, and more. To say I am humbled by the people who have come into my life as well as the lives of the animals is an understatement. Whether it’s a short- or long-term commitment, they have all left an immense impression on this organization. I could not do what I do without them. We are 100% volunteer based. I have moms coming with babies in tow, seniors who are months away from knee replacement surgeries, some who balance jobs, graduate or pHD programs, etc. Their flexibility, commitment, knowledge, and compassion fuels the energy behind the organization and I am forever grateful.
Last, but certainly not least, let me tell you about our new sanctuary residents. I am often asked about space and when we know if we are at capacity. Great question! My reply is it depends. It depends on species, time of year, infrastructure needs, current quarantine space, where the animals are located, and financial support. We have had the same 3 species since the beginning: equine (our donkeys), bovine (our small and large cattle herds), and swine (large breed and potbelly pigs). I do not take adding a new species to the sanctuary lightly. There are lots of factors to consider, but it all comes down to the needs of the animals. We are working toward keeping our animals in species-specific areas and we have very close to that goal. When we add a new species, we have to have space, which adds a need to our infrastructure list.
Last winter, we were asked by the owner to take in 3 loved elder sheep, as the owner could no longer care for them. I deliberated with other rescue partners about their sheep herds and what was the best way to introduce these ladies. The sheep were safe where they were for the moment and we agreed upon an early summer transition for them. Before that happened, I received a call about a lamb who was rejected by her mother and needing care and placement for survival. All four of these sheep were located in Tompkins County. We decided to use our quarantine space as a temporary home for these sheep until we could decide where their permanent home in the sanctuary would be located. Andi Lamb, Bex, Dream and Peaches have all been with us since summer and are now an integrated herd. They have brought such joy to those who have met them. They enjoy grazing, chewing cud and scratching themselves against anything they can find (2024 infrastructure goals = scratching posts).
Our next case was a rescue and abandonment case which is still ongoing. We are working with animal control in Schuyler County on this. Currently, the sanctuary has become home to three piglets (Brick, Twig and Wee-wee). These pigs had been abandoned and ended up loose and at large. All three piglets have been neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, and are now enjoying winter eating pumpkins and other goodies while they grow big and strong. The largest part of this case were the two horses left abandoned in a field with no water or shelter. Both of them were in decent condition when we picked them up. They have been quarantined, vetted and had farrier and dental care. We have rescued over a dozen horses and donkeys over the last 5 years, and I try to leave the horses to horse experts, but horses are getting more and more difficult to place. When it was becoming apparent to me that these two had no place to go I decided to go against the no horse policy and offer them sanctuary. Linda and Orin have been with us since October and are doing well. They live with our donkeys and enjoy their pastures and hay bags. They LOVE our peewee kids from GIAC and the peewees loved them right back.
Lastly, our heavyweight potbelly pig DJ Gigaton. Once someone’s beloved pet, I was asked to help him. I was told he had a temper, which might seem like a deterrent, but I already have a curmudgeon who needed a companion. Pherbs has been with us for 4 years and we have not been able to find him a suitable nest mate. Gigs was transported to us by some lovely community members and after a few days to decompress and quarantine we introduced him to Pherbs. When I say this was an introduction for the history books, I mean an instant love connection! Pigs are highly intelligent and that includes emotionally. Introductions can be a process, but within a few days they were sharing a nest and spending most of the day out in their pasture together. Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. Now, they don’t love when we are in their space, but I don’t blame them. These new lives have brought such joy, enriched our education programs, and forever left their personal stamp on the sanctuary. I would invite anyone who would like to meet them come for a tour. Please email us (saoirsepastures@gmail.com) to setup a time to do so.
As we wrap up 2023 I can happily say we had a successful year. We were able to get through the hard times and turn them into successful outcomes with the help of our grant communities and individual donors. We will continue to stay mindful of climate change and try to be prepared as best we can. We will be starting to plan for 2024 early in the new year. Some goals so fare are scratching posts for everyone, new pasture spaces, safety chutes for some of our residents for safe vet care, and more. The support we receive from all of you makes these projects possible. It gives our residents the best possible life, but also supports our ongoing rescues efforts. We are eternally grateful for all of our supporters. We will continue to care for the animals you all love so much.
We wish you and yours well this holiday season. Please reach out if you’d like to schedule a visit to the Saoirse Pastures animals.
With heartfelt gratitude,
/s/ Shannon Hamilton
Executive Director
2022 Year in review
Rescue, Outreach, Education and Sanctuary Safety
A Reflection on Our First Full Year as a Non-Profit
This has been the busiest, most rewarding year of my life. I am humbled by the community’s generosity and by the warm welcome we have received. We spent the first six months of 2022 still dealing with COVID. We were able to get through those first six months thanks to a very generous grant from the Tompkins County Community Foundation. We are forever grateful to the Community Foundation for recognizing the gap in services we are filling and taking a chance on our new, fledgling organization at he end of 2021 when we were less than 6 months old! In June, we presented ourselves to Ithaca and other area communities by participating in the Ithaca Festival. Our education program has blossomed. We currently have two weekly partnership programs with Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) and Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC). We focused a lot of our energy on sanctuary bio-security and safety to ensure our facilities are prepared for any incoming disease, and doing this gave us the opportunity to rescue more animals, some who are settling into their first year here at the sanctuary.
Our fundraising and outreach efforts have been a huge success. We gained volunteers, donors, and general support from many who heard about us and learned about what we do. Last year we closed out 2021 by attending the Apple Harvest Festival in Brooktondale, NY, followed by the Holiday Craft Market in Pressbay Alley (downtown Ithaca). In June of 2022 we setup shop in Dewitt Park for the 3 days of Ithaca Festival. We had wonderful corporate sponsorship support from CFCU Community Credit Union and Staples to offset costs for participating in the Festival. While this helped us financially, it also strengthened ties to our community. We held our first annual Flea Market and Bake Sale in September at Northstar Pub in Ithaca’s Fall Creek neighborhood during PorchFest. The sale was accomplished using all volunteer staff and community donations, resulting in a very successful fundraising event. The last few months of 2022 have been filled with crafting as we prepare to participate in the Pressbay Holiday Craft market on December 17, 2022.
Our newly developed educational programs are flourishing, and so humbling. A lot of our initial volunteers were teens looking for an opportunity to be around animals. I know I would have loved an opportunity to be around animals living as naturally as possible when I was growing up. I truly believe we all come into this world loving animals and the natural world, but all too often our culture diminishes this natural empathy and awe. I want to make sure young people in our community have this opportunity that I missed, for them to learn how weak animal welfare laws and protections are; to understand just how large and under-regulated our food system is… that we can do better for the animals and for each other. It's about compassion. We were able to join LACS Community Outreach Program as a part of their volunteer program. The first quarter with our first 7 participants is coming to an end and another will start shortly. These young adults range in age from 6th to 10th grades, and they are inspiring. Students are here at the sanctuary for two hours each week and assist with barn chores, snuggle the animal residents and work together as a team. We have had a blast! We also have an amazing partnership with two different classes from GIAC. One class comes out every Tuesday for an hour of compassionate animal caretaking. They have brought us hay, pumpkins, and so much love! I am in awe of these kids. Their enthusiasm each week is infectious. I know this is special for them, but it is just as special for me and all our residents. By far the highlight of our year.
Bio-Safety! Between COVID and Avian Influenza we decided to increase our already stringent quarantine protocol. With the help of a small grant from Visions Federal Credit Union, we were able to set up a new, permanent quarantine enclosure and pasture for new residents or those staying with us for a short-term. This allows us time to have the animals properly vetted and vaccinated, and to treat any diseases they may arrive with before integrating them into our other herds. We had two local stray/owner surrender potbelly pig intakes this summer. Both were intact males. An intact male in close proximity to our resident herds can cause a lot of drama so having this facility farther away allows us to keep everyone calm and safe. I also participated in an online forum regarding African Swine Flu. This was presented by multiple international veterinary organizations and our collective rescue partners were all in attendance. While this horrible disease is not yet in the United States we believe in being prepared. I also participated in an online fire safety forum. I have checked with our local municipalities to make sure I know which first responders would be coming in the event of a fire. I’ll be working with them to make sure we have our fire safety in order.
As we close out our first year we have actively taken part in helping 72 animals including pigs, cows, rabbits, pigeons, chickens, goats, and alpacas. We work with an amazing group of rescue partners. Without this rescue community, our ability to help all the animals in need would be much more difficult. I am proud of this community and honored to be part of it. As we close the chapter on 2022 I would like to thank you all for your support and for believing in our mission. A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers who come out rain or shine, warm or freezing, bringing their wonderful energy and love to the animals.
We wish you and yours well this holiday season. Please reach out if you’d like to schedule a visit to the Saoirse Pastures animals.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Shannon Hamilton
Rescue, Outreach, Education and Sanctuary Safety
A Reflection on Our First Full Year as a Non-Profit
This has been the busiest, most rewarding year of my life. I am humbled by the community’s generosity and by the warm welcome we have received. We spent the first six months of 2022 still dealing with COVID. We were able to get through those first six months thanks to a very generous grant from the Tompkins County Community Foundation. We are forever grateful to the Community Foundation for recognizing the gap in services we are filling and taking a chance on our new, fledgling organization at he end of 2021 when we were less than 6 months old! In June, we presented ourselves to Ithaca and other area communities by participating in the Ithaca Festival. Our education program has blossomed. We currently have two weekly partnership programs with Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) and Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC). We focused a lot of our energy on sanctuary bio-security and safety to ensure our facilities are prepared for any incoming disease, and doing this gave us the opportunity to rescue more animals, some who are settling into their first year here at the sanctuary.
Our fundraising and outreach efforts have been a huge success. We gained volunteers, donors, and general support from many who heard about us and learned about what we do. Last year we closed out 2021 by attending the Apple Harvest Festival in Brooktondale, NY, followed by the Holiday Craft Market in Pressbay Alley (downtown Ithaca). In June of 2022 we setup shop in Dewitt Park for the 3 days of Ithaca Festival. We had wonderful corporate sponsorship support from CFCU Community Credit Union and Staples to offset costs for participating in the Festival. While this helped us financially, it also strengthened ties to our community. We held our first annual Flea Market and Bake Sale in September at Northstar Pub in Ithaca’s Fall Creek neighborhood during PorchFest. The sale was accomplished using all volunteer staff and community donations, resulting in a very successful fundraising event. The last few months of 2022 have been filled with crafting as we prepare to participate in the Pressbay Holiday Craft market on December 17, 2022.
Our newly developed educational programs are flourishing, and so humbling. A lot of our initial volunteers were teens looking for an opportunity to be around animals. I know I would have loved an opportunity to be around animals living as naturally as possible when I was growing up. I truly believe we all come into this world loving animals and the natural world, but all too often our culture diminishes this natural empathy and awe. I want to make sure young people in our community have this opportunity that I missed, for them to learn how weak animal welfare laws and protections are; to understand just how large and under-regulated our food system is… that we can do better for the animals and for each other. It's about compassion. We were able to join LACS Community Outreach Program as a part of their volunteer program. The first quarter with our first 7 participants is coming to an end and another will start shortly. These young adults range in age from 6th to 10th grades, and they are inspiring. Students are here at the sanctuary for two hours each week and assist with barn chores, snuggle the animal residents and work together as a team. We have had a blast! We also have an amazing partnership with two different classes from GIAC. One class comes out every Tuesday for an hour of compassionate animal caretaking. They have brought us hay, pumpkins, and so much love! I am in awe of these kids. Their enthusiasm each week is infectious. I know this is special for them, but it is just as special for me and all our residents. By far the highlight of our year.
Bio-Safety! Between COVID and Avian Influenza we decided to increase our already stringent quarantine protocol. With the help of a small grant from Visions Federal Credit Union, we were able to set up a new, permanent quarantine enclosure and pasture for new residents or those staying with us for a short-term. This allows us time to have the animals properly vetted and vaccinated, and to treat any diseases they may arrive with before integrating them into our other herds. We had two local stray/owner surrender potbelly pig intakes this summer. Both were intact males. An intact male in close proximity to our resident herds can cause a lot of drama so having this facility farther away allows us to keep everyone calm and safe. I also participated in an online forum regarding African Swine Flu. This was presented by multiple international veterinary organizations and our collective rescue partners were all in attendance. While this horrible disease is not yet in the United States we believe in being prepared. I also participated in an online fire safety forum. I have checked with our local municipalities to make sure I know which first responders would be coming in the event of a fire. I’ll be working with them to make sure we have our fire safety in order.
As we close out our first year we have actively taken part in helping 72 animals including pigs, cows, rabbits, pigeons, chickens, goats, and alpacas. We work with an amazing group of rescue partners. Without this rescue community, our ability to help all the animals in need would be much more difficult. I am proud of this community and honored to be part of it. As we close the chapter on 2022 I would like to thank you all for your support and for believing in our mission. A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers who come out rain or shine, warm or freezing, bringing their wonderful energy and love to the animals.
We wish you and yours well this holiday season. Please reach out if you’d like to schedule a visit to the Saoirse Pastures animals.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Shannon Hamilton