Published Letters and Op-Eds from
COK’s Writers Group

Put Compassion at Center of Your Holiday Meals

Thank you for Hannah Maria Hayes’ thoughtful article “Toast the Turkeys” (Nov. 11). Thanksgiving tradition is about celebrating life, and for millions of Americans that means leaving turkeys—and other animals—off our plates. As a long-time vegetarian, I’ve enjoyed dozens of meatless holidays feasts that have pleased the palates of both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Eating meat-free meals doesn’t mean skimping on flavor. Rather, it simply means choosing the cruelty-free versions of our favorite foods.

Each year in the U.S., more than 250 million turkeys are killed for food—more than 65 million of whom are killed during the winter holiday season alone. The vast majority of these intelligent birds spend their entire lives intensively confined inside massive sheds and will never set foot outside.

Next time, why not make compassion the centerpiece of your holiday feast by carving into a vegetarian Tofurky instead of a dead bird?

Erica Meier
Executive Director, Compassion Over Killing
Washington, D.C.