Creature Kindness – Sanctuary rescues neglected farm animals

Today Magazine Online
2 days ago
5 min read

Updated: 20 hours ago

• Kindness Matters Farm Sanctuary aims to save animals and people alike

Bruce William Deckert

Editor-in-Chief

Today Magazine Online

Consider this classic Jewish proverb from the Talmud: "Anyone who has mercy on God's creatures will receive mercy from Heaven."

Maher's website – click this ad

Kindness to animals is a time-honored human protocol — a best-practice way for human beings to navigate our interaction with the living creatures who also inhabit and share planet Earth.

Kindness Matters Farm Sanctuary aims to fulfill this honorable goal. Based in Avon, in the heart of Connecticut's Farmington Valley, the sanctuary was established by veterinarian Deidre Galbo in 2020. The mission is simple: Provide a caring, compassionate and safe place for neglected farm animals.

"Our sanctuary is all about kindness to everyone," says Galbo. "It starts with the farm friends, but we have attracted incredibly kind volunteers."

The volunteers range in age from 8 to 82 — about 20-25 volunteers overall.

"When I started a farm sanctuary during COVID as a little side hobby, I had no idea what a beautiful charity we would become," Galbo wrote in a LinkedIn post earlier this year. "We now are a flourishing nonprofit with a mission to offer unwanted, neglected and abused farm animals a peaceful place to live out their lives. We are a 100% volunteer organization. We also offer enrichment programs for many humans with challenges."

Hulme website – click this ad

She concluded the post with this declaration: "There is always light in the darkness ... and our farm friends are surrounded by that light. Blessings abound!"

The sanctuary is home to seven sheep, five donkeys and two goats. The five-acre location is also the home residence for Galbo and her husband and their three sons, who are all in college.

Situated on Bishop Lane, the property encompasses five acres on the east side of Waterville Road (aka Route 10) in Avon. About 4-1/2 acres offer open range for the animals to roam freely.

"It is such a blessing to watch our farm friends frolic in the pasture," Galbo tells Today Magazine. "To see them free and joyful makes our hearts sing."

When her family moved into their home in December 2019, "the pasture was overgrown," Galbo says — "it was a disaster."

The original owner had two horses and a few sheep, according to Galbo. The previous owner utilized the barn space as a glass-blowing studio for about a half-dozen years, with no farm animals on the premises.

Today, after much hard work and sweat equity, the venue is certified by the National Wildlife Federation, and about a dozen bluebird houses grace the property. Certain requirements must be met to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat — the environment needs to be chemical-free, pollinator-friendly and water-accessible, among other prerequisites.

"It's a perfect location," notes Galbo. "Our space is amazing as it is tucked between the Farmington River and Avon Mountain."

The 14 farm animals residing at the sanctuary represent the facility's capacity — "we don't adopt out," says Galbo. She is an associate veterinarian at Farmington Animal Hospital in the town of Farmington, the namesake for the Farmington Valley.

The Enders Reserve, managed by the Avon Land Trust, is directly across the road from the sanctuary on Bishop Lane. The reserve serves as a conservation parcel to protect wildlife habitats, so there are no public hiking trails.

Carmon website – click this ad

Regarding her goals for the next five years, Galbo says: "We hope to continue to save farm animals — and people through their experience with them. ... It is amazing to see the gift of their presence to our volunteers, visitors, school groups and people with mental or physical disabilities."

"We rescue animals," she affirms, "and we're also rescuing people."

Galbo shares the story of a dementia patient who visited the sanctuary with some family members. The visit evoked childhood memories and more.

"Her relatives said she spoke more sentences that made sense in an hour here than she had in six months," Galbo says. "The feedback we receive is beautiful and many times life-changing," adding that one of the sanctuary's essential objectives is to do "anything that helps the world, because the world needs helping."

The Farmington Valley is a small corner of the world that features big-time benefits, including plentiful open space: parks and forests and hiking trails galore. All five Valley towns — Avon, Canton, Farmington, Granby and Simsbury — have independent nonprofit land trusts focused on preserving the region's amazing pastoral landscapes.

Simsbury – 860-735-3744 – website: click this ad

"We work toward being connected to nature," Galbo says. "We offer education with a naturalist about farming, plants, trees and birds. We need nature and the pasture for our animals, and all are interconnected."

Diane Tucker is the sanctuary's naturalist. She teaches school youth and adult programs. Tucker has offered natural history programs for over 25 years in Connecticut schools, via the Farmington Land Trust and at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, where she was the estate naturalist.

Galbo has local allies who align with the goals she aims for via Kindness Matters Farm Sanctuary. Canton-based Roaring Brook Nature Center exists to advance environmental education, enhance appreciation of the natural world, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the relationships between people and the environment.

"Education continues to be important in that everything in the natural world is interrelated," says Roaring Brook director emeritus Jay Kaplan, "and people must understand that their actions play a role in shaping the environment we all share and in which we all live."

Kaplan notes a famous saying by environmentalist Baba Dioum: "In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught."

"It is such a blessing to watch our farm friends frolic in the pasture" — Deidre Galbo

People throughout human history have held various beliefs about the origin of the natural world and the humans and other beings therein. These belief systems include agnosticism, atheism, pantheism and theism.

Asked if she believes in a Creator, Galbo replies, "Yes — I also believe we're all interconnected."

Meanwhile, the McLean Game Refuge is one of New England's scenic wonders. Situated in the the Farmington Valley, the game refuge is essentially a next-door neighbor of Galbo's farm sanctuary, along with Roaring Brook Nature Center.

"I am endlessly amazed by how diverse and beautiful these forestlands are," says refuge director Connor Hogan, "and I love that I get to explore and document them each day."

This wildlife sanctuary is a key legacy of former Connecticut governor and U.S. senator George McLean, who wrote that he wanted the game refuge to be "a place where some of the things God made may be seen by those who love them as I loved them and who may find in them the peace of mind and body that I have found."

Safe to say, promoting peace and providing a rescue refuge for both animals and humans are primary aims of Kindness Matters Farm Sanctuary. +

"We rescue animals, and we're also rescuing people" — Deidre Galbo

• Photos and info – Sanctuary website

• This is the first feature in a planned two-part series on Kindness Matters Farm Sanctuary — stay tuned for an exclusive Q&A with founder Deidre Galbo

Creature Kindness – Sanctuary rescues neglected farm animals

Recent Posts

Comments