Dear incredible volunteers and members –

This has been a monumental year for animals. We at the Animal Protection and Rescue League have been honored to work by your side in the most historic campaign for animals in history. Together, we stood in the rain on Election Day with our signs, we gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures, and we gave our time, our resources, and our passion for millions of animals whose suffering has for so long been invisible.

When we started APRL six years ago, our goal was to expose and stop the cruelties that are often hidden from us--the pain and suffering we don't often hear about but exists behind closed doors in our society. I am now taking a moment to reflect on all we have accomplished--and I am asking for your contribution to help us continue fighting for animals. 

I remember a dark night in September of 2003, investigating a factory farm in California engaged in the cruel practice of force feeding ducks to the point of organ rupture and death to produce foie gras. I crawled through an air vent and let the other APRL activists in through the front door. We then exposed the horrific conditions inside to the LA Times reporter who had accompanied us on our journey--we documented piles of dead ducks and birds who could barely breathe because of the painful effects of force feeding. That night, we rescued all of the birds that we could carry and brought them to a good home. The next day, the LA Times ran a full page story that was picked up by Time Magazine, and our footage was shown on news stations around the country and the world. We then filed a lawsuit against the farm for violating California's animal cruelty law, resulting in the legislature passing a new law banning not only the production but also the sale of foie gras after a phaseout period.

Since then, we have accomplished big things--passing city council resolutions to help animals, winning court victories to protect marine mammals, getting parks to end squirrel poisoning, organizing one of the largest veg outreach campaigns in the country, and creating a volunteer infrastructure to fight animal cruelty.

This year, we dropped everything to work as hard as we possibly could to pass Prop 2--turning our office into the San Diego campaign headquarters, devoting our staff time, funds and energy to organize for this historic ballot initiative. Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote this to APRL: "Of all of the 58 counties in California, we've been strongest in San Diego because of you.  The effort there has been incredible, and we are indebted to you.  You have done something for the ages, and millions of lives will be improved thanks to you." This year has been an incredible journey for all of us--and, together, we did it! 

APRL is now working hard on our continued campaigns for animals. We are committed to abolishing foie gras altogether, throughout the country, as we worked so hard to do in California.  We are also working to ensure that cruel battery cage eggs--which will be illegal to produce in California due to Prop 2--are not being shipped in from other states. We are continuing our constant community outreach to let individuals know how they can help animals by moving toward a plant based diet. And, we continue to protect the home of the San Diego seals with on the ground efforts and litigation that has resulted in federal protection for this treasured colony.

In order to sustain our efforts for animals, we need your help.  As a grassroots organization on a shoestring budget, we are funded by contributions from individuals--not by corporate profits, like our opposition. We rely on the strength of our membership for funding and political clout.

The best way to help in our continued fight--in addition to giving your time and talent--is by becoming a member of APRL.  APRL members pledge a monthly contribution, and this ongoing support is the lifeblood of our sustained progress for the animals. When lobbying politicians, we let them know how many people care about animals in their district.  Members are the very fabric of our organization--essential to our continued work. 

Now is also the time to make larger year-end contributions to APRL if you are able, as all contributions are tax deducitble. You can mail in a check, contribute online, or call us (619-236-9514) to enter your credit card over the phone.

To sign up as a sustainer member of APRL right now, you can either:

• Download this form, fill it out and email it back to us, or fax it to us at 619-923-1001, or mail to 302 Washington St. #404, San Diego, CA 92103. Most people have been contributing between $20 and $50 a month, but any amount you choose will help.
• Or, just give us a call at 619-236-9514 and we can take your information over the phone.

Online contributions can also be made at www.APRL.org/contribute.html.

With gratitude,

Kath Rogers