Early this afternoon I drove to Rutland, via Routes 31, 122A, and then 68, to attend the “Celebration of Living Gifts” at Overlook Farm, a Learning Center for the non-profit organization Heifer International.  Though it was bitterly cold, the sun shone brightly and all visitors were warmly greeted.  At the Welcome Station, I dropped off a donation to the Worcester County Food Bank and enjoyed a cup of hot cider.   Then I took a short walk around some of the outdoor exhibits and ended at the barn where I met some of the livestock, some of whose photos you see below.  My last stop was the Gift Shop where I purchased Half the Sky, a book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, New York Times columnists who have commented favorably on Heifer International’s work in the developing world.

As a committed vegetarian, I’m not sure I want to encourage people to use animals, even if they don’t always kill them, but I can’t argue with the organization’s mission:  “To work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.”  I also like the idea that recipients agree to share the offspring of gift animals with others in need, which empowers them by making them aid donors as well.

And I’m glad that

• Sustainable development is taught to project recipients to help them achieve environmentally-friendly agricultural production
• Animal well-being guidelines are strictly reinforced with professional veterinary training staff

Apparently, Heifer International was one of the pioneers of alternative giving at Christmas, meaning that they encouraged people to gift farm animals to poor communities in the names of family and friends.  Grinch that I am, I don’t believe in the whole Christmas shopping thing at all, and I don’t usually pimp for charities on this blog, but I will mention that, inspired by my visit, I did contribute toward a water buffalo for someone.

Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land:

Water buffalo are draft animals that can plow fields, provide manure for fertilizer, produce milk, and greatly increase crop production:

Cows produce one calf a year and four gallons of milk a day (a heifer is a young cow that has not yet calved):

LLamas are helpful to farmers in the highlands of South America:

Overlook Farm is also home to sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, and bees, but I don’t have any good photos of these animals (and I hope I’ve correctly identified the animals above).