🌟 Meet Bess, The Pig Whose Forgiving Love Relentlessly Changes Minds 🌟

Today, we want to (re)introduce you to someone who embodies everything Giving Tuesday and Giving Season stands for: hope, resilience, and the power of compassion.

This is Bess. Bess is one of the most beloved residents at The Mini Mountain Farm Sanctuary. You may already know her and love her, or this may be your first time meeting her. Regardless, she is a cornerstone here.

If you’ve ever had the privilege of meeting her, you know: Bess doesn’t just steal hearts… she restores them.

Bess’ Story: From “Used Up” to Unconditionally Loved

Bess spent the early years of her life isolated in a state-sponsored college breeding program training factory farmers. She was used solely to produce piglets, never given love, comfort, or companionship. That didn't stop college students and workers alike from looking into her tiny cramped 10x10ft stall to find a soul unlike any other.

When her body could no longer provide profitable pregnancies, her life no longer mattered. She was slated for auction. Her fate unknown, but expected. The most likely outcome was slaughter.

But then something incredible happened.

A connection.
A moment of recognition.
A soul-to-soul spark that said: “Not this one. Not Bess.”

That connection saved her life.

A small group rallied together to save Bess. We succeeded. She became the catalyst for the creation of The Mini Mountain Farm Sanctuary.

Today, Bess is safe. She is loved.

She gives love freely.

Bess making another new friend.

Her gentle nature touches every visitor who meets her. Despite everything she endured, she has chosen joy, trust, and connection. That spirit is why she has become the heartbeat of our sanctuary.

Bess’ rescue was the beginning of our journey as a sanctuary — and with your help, she will be the reason countless other animals get their own second chance.

The Hard Part: We Are in Crisis

❤️‍🩹 Our sanctuary funds are at an all-time low.

For months, we’ve been covering the cost of feed, vet care, shelter, and daily needs out of our own pockets. We are stretched thinner than ever — and we cannot keep going like this.

This Giving Tuesday is not just a campaign.
It’s our lifeline.

Your gift today keeps Bess and her friends:

Fed
Warm
Healthy
Safe in their forever home

And it allows us to say yes to more animals who, like Bess, are standing at the edge of being discarded — waiting for someone to see them as someone, not something.

What Your Gift Supports

Your donation goes straight to urgent care and winter survival for our residents. Here are just a few of the concrete needs your generosity will help cover:

Critical vet care for our residents

Georgio’s neuter & recovery – $1,000 (Nemo Farm Animal Hospital at Cornell)

Mavis’ spay, 3 days / 2 nights – $2,200 (Nemo Farm Animal Hospital at Cornell)

Midge’s spay, 3 days / 2 nights – $2,200 (Nemo Farm Animal Hospital at Cornell)

Plum’s neuter – $650 (Upstate Animal Medical Center)
Murphy’s neuter – $650 (Upstate Animal Medical Center)

Winter operating budget

Winter electric bills to keep everyone warm and safe – $3,000 (heat lamps drive our monthly bill into the multi-hundreds!)
Winter feed (grain & supplements) – $3,000

Safe, warm housing for our potbelly residents

Potbelly barn walls & insulation – $7,500 (building supplies)
Potbelly electrical hookup (heat lamps, lights, etc.) – $850 (licensed contractor)

That’s over $21,000 in urgent and near-term needs just to keep everyone safe, cared for, and warm through the winter.

Every dollar you give today helps us meet these real, immediate expenses.

How Your Gift Creates Second Chances

No amount is too small. Truly.

$25 helps cover grain and supplements for our residents.
$50 helps fund bedding, enrichment, and daily care.
$100 supports medications, routine vet checks, and hoof/claw care.
$250 moves us closer to critical surgeries like spays and neuters.
$500+ helps keep the lights and heat on through the coldest months.
$1,000+ can underwrite a major surgery or a significant chunk of our winter electric bills.

Every gift is a vote for compassion.
Every gift keeps the promise we made to Bess and every animal who finds their way to us:

You are safe now. You are home.

Donor Matches: Multiply Your Impact

We are actively working to secure individual and corporate donor matches for this campaign.

A donor match is when a person or company pledges to match donations up to a certain amount. For example, a $2,500 match means that when the community gives $2,500, it’s doubled to $5,000.

Matches:

Inspire more people to give (“my gift will be doubled!”)
Help small donations go further
Bring stability to our lifesaving work during our most financially vulnerable season

If you’re interested in setting up a personal or corporate match, please reach out — your generosity can unlock a wave of giving that keeps Bess and her friends safe.

How You Can Help Today

✨ Donate here on this page. Any amount truly helps.
✨ Share Bess’s story with your friends, family, and coworkers.
✨ Consider a personal or corporate donor match to multiply the impact of every gift.

From Bess, and from all of us at The Mini Mountain Farm Sanctuary,
thank you for believing in them.
Thank you for believing in love.

About The Mini Mountain Farm Sanctuary (Org Blurb)

The Mini Mountain Farm Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to rescuing exploited and abandoned farmed animals in the Catskills region of New York while advocating for ethical, plant-based agriculture.

We believe the future is plant-based — and the animals can’t wait.

Tax-Deductible Note

Donations to The Mini Mountain Farm Sanctuary Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
EIN: 99-1603587

Bess' Second Chance | Another Mini but Mighty Giving Season

Help Us Open Up Our Doors to More Rescues