By David Weiner
City News Service
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – As tens of millions of Americans prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey-based dinners, Los Angeles’ sizable vegan community is readying for the holiday in much the same way – only without the birds.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 46 million turkeys will be killed for Thanksgiving dinners this year. The dichotomy of showing gratitude by feasting on turkeys doesn’t seem right to many animal advocates.
“Turkeys are curious, playful, intelligent animals – yet every Thanksgiving, tens of millions of them endure short, miserable lives on factory farms before being killed in terrifying, painful ways,” according to People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
PETA is promoting the seventh year of “ThanksVegan,” a campaign aimed at encouraging people to enjoy a meat- and dairy-free holiday out of compassion. This year, the animal rights group is asking supporters to order a free “turkey tombstone” online, which reads “Here Lies the Corpse of a Tortured Bird.” People are instructed to attach the small item “to the turkey corpse your family has in the kitchen or one you see at a store using tape, string, a clip, a toothpick or any other tool,” photograph it and share the photo with at least one nonvegan.
More information, including recipes, can be found at peta.org/thanksvegan/.
Farm Sanctuary in Acton is conducting its 39th annual Adopt A Turkey Project. For a donation of $35, people can symbolically adopt a rescued turkey or sponsor an entire flock for $135, allowing the animals to live out their natural lives at one of the group’s spacious farms. The group has been sponsoring the program since 1986, and several of the turkeys’ stories can be viewed at farmsanctuary.org/adopt-a-turkey.
Kindred Spirits Care Farm in Chatsworth is hosting a compassionate Thanksgiving Day celebration, with tickets available at eventbrite.com/e/compassionate-thanksgiving-tickets-1797500876509.
“Thanksgiving, like so many holiday meals, can be disheartening for vegans. Not only is there very little for us to eat as a rule, but at most Thanksgiving meals we have to sit at a table with a dead turkey. For those of us who have had gentle, affectionate turkeys fall asleep in our laps, it can be very difficult to see one being carved up in front of us,” sanctuary officials said.
“Many of us can’t bear it, so we find ourselves alone on a day that traditionally centers [on] family,” they continued. “Some of us have found a sense of family with other vegans and we have our own celebration. Here at Kindred Spirits Care Farm, we take it one step further and flip the script altogether. We let the turkeys do some feasting complete with pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce and other delightful treats that are turkey appropriate.”
The Gentle Barn, a nonprofit animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, is offering something a little different this year: Turkey Cuddle Therapy. Organizers say turkeys are intuitive and naturally affectionate, and the program is great for people going through stress, grief, trauma or depression, or just to brighten someone’s day.
One-hour sessions for those 14 and older are available for a $200 donation to support care for The Gentle Barn’s residents. For $35, donors can participate in the sanctuary’s Turkey Guardian program, with the money helping provide care for the 18 turkeys who live both in the Gentle Barn’s Santa Clarita and Nashville locations.
LA’s largest in-person vegan event for the holiday is the Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck in the Cheviot Hills area south of Century City. It takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at 2551 Motor Ave., near the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center. Held annually for more than 20 years, the potluck typically draws hundreds of people, and features live music and an open mic.
Everyone is welcome and the event is free, with attendees asked to bring a vegan dish of any kind.
Although it’s still the holiday meal of choice for the overwhelming majority of U.S. households, turkey production is slowly declining nationwide. According to Trace One, a company with over 30 years of experience in regulatory compliance for the food and beverage industry, per-capita turkey production peaked in 1996 at 26.8 pounds per person, but in 2024 dropped to just 19.3 pounds per person.
At the same time, the average turkey size in the U.S. has nearly doubled since the 1960s, climbing from just 17.7 lbs. in 1960 to nearly 33 in 2024, which animal rights advocates say is further proof of how inhumanely the animals are treated at factory farms.
With an increasing number of Americans ditching meat, both the volume and quality of vegan options has steadily grown in recent years. Most supermarkets sell plant-based options that can nicely fit Thanksgiving needs, including the most popular choice, Tofurkey, an Oregon-based company founded in 1980 by self-described teacher, naturalist and hippie Seth Tibbott. The company debuted its tofu-based Holiday Roast in 1995.
Several other companies have followed suit and developed their own vegan roasts in recent years, including Gardein, Field Roast, Quorn, Country Life and Trader Joe’s.
Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society) notes that a few easy swaps can retain the traditional Thanksgiving meal but without the cruelty:
– For plant-based main dishes, more cruelty-free options are available than ever, such as a vegetable- or seitan-based roast.
– Classic Thanksgiving sides and desserts can easily be made egg- and dairy-free. Simply swap out the milk and butter for plant-based alternatives available at most supermarkets.
– Warm and cozy soups are another great idea, such as fire roasted corn chowder, butternut squash or sweet potato vegetables.
The Los Angeles-based group Mercy for Animals offers a free digital cookbook available at file-cdn.mercyforanimals.org/mercy4animals.wpengine.com/sites/517/2024/10/Pardon-a-Turkey-Digital-Cookbook-1-1.pdf.
For those seeking restaurant fare for the holiday, many vegan eateries in the Southland are offering special plant-based packages.
Veggie Grill, a chain of moderately priced vegan restaurants with several Southland locations, is closed on Thanksgiving Day, but is offering a pre-ordered holiday feast that serves four to six people for pickup between Nov. 20-26.
Doomie’s Home Cookin’ at 1253 Vine St. will be open 11 a.m. to midnight on Thanksgiving and will have plates available for $20, plant-based fried chicken and traditional holiday side dishes. Its NextMex taqueria and Hot Vegan Chicks, located next door, are also open regular hours Thursday.
Donna Jean Restaurant in Sherman Oaks has a special Thanksgiving catering menu available for pre-order and pickup Wednesday between noon and 8 p.m.
Likewise, Cafe Gratitude in the Larchmont neighborhood offers a Thanksgiving pickup menu, but orders must be placed by 9 p.m. the Sunday before the holiday and picked up between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Sunshine Kitchen in Culver City offers a vegan Shepherd’s Pie for $50 that feeds four to six people, available for pickup through Wednesday.
Pasadena’s all-vegan bakery ID-Eclair has a Thanksgiving Feast for Two – a handcrafted holiday box of mixed treats that includes a vegan turkey, classic herb stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, mushroom-based gravy and dinner rolls or a crusty baguette, along with a bottle of wine.
Pure Vita in West Hollywood is closed Thursday, but is offering a Thanksgiving feast at the restaurant until then, which is also offered for pick up Wednesday with pre-order.
Planta in Brentwood is also closed on the holiday, but will host a seated “Friendsgiving” event on Sunday from 1-5 p.m., and is selling “PlantsGiving” bundles and a la carte-themed Thanksgiving items for pickup on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Excellent article. Terrific information. Thank you for spreading the word!