Your support is so crucial to our work on behalf of farmed animals, which is why we’re thrilled to share our 2009 Year in Review video highlighting our efforts this past year—from our successful national campaign announcing that BOCA foods is removing eggs from all of its products by the end of 2009 to the DC VegFest which was celebrated by more than 2,500 people in the nation’s capital.
We hope that after watching this video and reading the additional 2009 features below, you’ll agree that our hard-hitting campaigns demonstrate our passion and determination to bring about positive and meaningful changes for animals.
Please know that your continued support today is vital in our efforts to build a kinder tomorrow. Every dollar you donate this holiday season (through 12/31/09) will be doubled, thanks to an incredibly generous matching pledge of $75,000 from one our dedicated supporters. Plus, with your donation of $100 or more, we’ll send you a free box of decadent dairy-free chocolate, perfect as a treat or a gift.
VICTORY: BOCA Foods Announces It Will Stop Using Eggs by End of 2009! 
BOCA is one of the leading vegetarian food companies in the US, yet many of its products are made with eggs from hens confined inside tiny wire battery cages. So this past February, COK launched BOCAEggFacts.com, a campaign website urging BOCA to stop using eggs. Within two months, the company admirably did the right thing and issued this statement:
"I am pleased to let you know the BOCA brand will be eliminating eggs in all of its products by the end of this year. We anticipate all BOCA products will be egg free in 2010."
COK Launches DunkinCruelty.com & Uncovers Abuse at Dunkin' Donuts' Egg Supplier: 
Since 2007, COK has been successfully working with corporations, including Morningstar Farms, Lightlife Foods, and BOCA, to begin removing eggs from their products and add vegan options. After announcing BOCA's compassionate decision (see above) in March, COK started reaching out to Dunkin Donuts, the world's largest coffee and baked goods chain offering more than 50 varieties of doughnuts, each made with egg products. In July, COK launched a new website, DunkinCruelty.com, urging the company to add vegan options. Thousands of people have called, emailed, and sent letters to Dunkin Donuts, yet the company has not yet taken action.
A COK investigator got a job at Michael Foods, one of the nation's largest egg producers that also supplies eggs to Dunkin Donuts. Our undercover video released in September, shows shocking animal abuse including overcrowding in wire cages, birds immobilized in the wires of their cages and unable to access food or water, and even rotting, mummified corpses left in cages with live hens. Please watch this video and take action today.
COK Airs 30-Second Pro-Vegetarian Commercials on MTV: 
Since 2004, COK's pro-vegetarian commercial campaign has proven to be a strategic and cost-effective way to expose the hidden horrors on factory farms and empower viewers to choose compassion at every meal. By targeting MTV's teen and young adult viewing audience, we're able to get the animals' message directly to those shown by research to be the most receptive to exploring vegetarian eating.
In 2009, two of COK's hard-hitting ads—"Exploring Your Food" & "A Side of Truth"— blanketed the MTV airwaves in hundreds of cities nationwide and were viewed millions of times for an average of a single penny per view. Both ads direct viewers to our website, TryVeg.com where they can learn more and request a free Vegetarian Starter Guide. The response from viewers has been phenomenal, including positive feedback such as this:
"I've always considered myself an animal lover. And I say that cruelty to animals is wrong. Yet I eat meat. After seeing your commercial, I am so ashamed of myself. The images brought tears to my eyes and opened my heart. I've been a part of the reason why millions of animals suffer and die but I don't want to be part if it anymore—I'm now a vegetarian."
COK's "Egg-Free Pledge" During National Egg Month: 
In May, in honor of the industry-declared "National Egg Month," COK hosts a 30-Day Egg-Free Pledge, encouraging participants to leave eggs out of their diets. More than 1,000 people signed up for our 2009 campaign, and after 30 days of egg-free eating, we received tremendously positive feedback, including this note:
"This pledge opened my eyes to the fact that the animals in the egg and dairy industries suffer even more than the animals that are killed for their meat. Once I made the connection I became a vegan and I have never been more at peace."
COK Celebrates Our Fourth Annual National Veggie Hot Dog Month: 
In response to the industry-declared "National Hot Dog Month" in July, COK's celebration features a compassionate twist: National Veggie Hot Dog Day. Now in its fourth year, our 2009 campaign proved to be our biggest yet—dozens of animal advocates from around the country hosted more than 30 events from feed-ins and leafleting on busy street corners to office cook-ins and neighborhood barbecues. All together, these events helped inform thousands of people about the miseries endured by animals raised for food as well as how easy and fun it is to choose a more compassionate diet.
COK Hosts DC VegFest 
On September 12, COK co-hosted the DC VegFest, a vegetarian celebration in the nation's capital. The event attracted more than 2,500 visitors and featured prominent speakers including best-selling author Rory Freedman, Dr. Michael Greger, vegan body builder Kenneth Williams, Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin, and NBC4 anchor Wendy Rieger. This event garnered phenomenal media coverage as well as a letter of recognition from D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty.
COK Launched Takoma Park Veg Week—Senator Goes Vegetarian! 
In April, we launched a new Takoma Park Veg Week campaign in Takoma Park, Md., which received significant media coverage and included a Mayoral Proclamation supporting our efforts as well as a pledge by Maryland's Senator Jamie Raskin to go vegetarian for the week—a pledge that has lasted for more than seven months and counting.
Speaking Out Nationwide: 
COK staff members hosted workshops and gave presentations at various events from coast-to-coast, including Taking Action for Animals in D.C., the National Animal Rights Conference and WorldFest in Los Angeles, Their Lives Our Voices in Minneapolis, Live and Let Live in Portland, and the Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA.
Reaching Out in the DC-Area: 
We've hosted dozens of outreach events throughout the D.C.-area—including feed-ins, free vegetarian dinners and lectures, and workshops at area schools. Altogether, we've served more than 2,000 free samples of animal-friendly food and have reached out to thousands of people with a message of compassion.
Changing Menus & Changing Minds: 
It was a busy year for COK's Restaurant Outreach campaign. After meeting with owners, managers, and chefs as well as providing food samples and menu ideas, six more restaurants are now dishing out delicious animal-friendly meals. Bread & Brew developed an extensive new vegan menu—and celebrated by hosting a Vegan Day celebration in which the entire menu for one day was 100% vegan. Additionally, thanks to COK, Summer Delights added vegan cupcakes and ice cream to its menu, the Fractured Prune is offering vegan donuts as well as other vegan breakfast items, and Duccini's, RedRocks Pizzeria, and Roscoe's are now serving vegan cheese pizza.
Spreading Compassion, One Letter at a Time:
COK's Writers Group had more than forty letters to the editor printed in newspapers across the country, including USA Today and The Washington Post, encouraging readers to stand up for animals every time they sit down to eat.
