Fri, Nov 29, 2024 – Fur Free Friday

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Events (Passed)

Join NH Animal Rights League on Fur Free Friday, November 29, 2024 to protest fur.

The protest will take from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm near the headquarters of the NH Fish and Game Department, at the intersection of Loudon Road and Hazen Drive in Concord. 

You can join for any portion of the protest. Dress for the weather! 

Signs will be provided, although you are welcome to bring your own.

Parking: Take a left onto Hazen Drive, and then your first left onto Charles Doe Drive. The parking lot is on the left.

Gentle Thanksgiving 2024 a Success!

Posted on by Joan OBrien in In the News

On November 16, 2024, NHARL hosted our 4th sold-out catered Gentle Thanksgiving event at the NH Audubon McLane Center in Concord!

The Guests!

It was inspiring to see familiar faces and new ones, all united by the shared purpose of protecting the rights of animals.

The Food!

Our good friends at The Green Beautiful Vegan Cafe served up another scrumptious, animal-free Thanksgiving feast — topped off with complimentary coffee and cookies! 

Raffle Prizes!

Twelve lucky guests went home with one of our fabulous raffle prizes!

Thank you to our generous raffle donors:

  • Farmhouse Fresh
  • MegaFood
  • Trader Joe’s (Bedford)
  • Granite State Naturals
  • Nicole Roma – Arbonne
  • A Market (Manchester)
  • 900 Degrees Neopolitan Pizzeria (Manchester)
  • Chunky’s Cinema and Pub (Manchester)

Our thanks to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s for donating the flowers and floral arrangements!

We also thank everyone who brought a contribution for the Vegan Food Drive. The bounty will be delivered to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry in Concord, where our donated food was greatly appreciated last year.

The Donuts!

No NHARL event is ever complete without our official dessert — the donut! This delicious batch was donated by Lovebirds Donuts, with locations in Kittery, ME and Portsmouth, NH.

The Speaker!

Bella O’Connor, a legal fellow with the PETA Foundation’s Legal Team, delivered a captivating and insightful presentation on the evolving legal landscape for animal protection. She highlighted promising strategies and pathways with the potential to drive meaningful change in the fight for animal rights.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event!

Try to find a turkey to hug this holiday season…

© The Gentle Barn

Sat, Nov 16, 2024 – Catered Vegan Thanksgiving

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Events (Passed)

We’re back with a traditional menu of all your favorite Thanksgiving dishes, once again catered by the talented chefs behind The Green Beautiful Gourmet Vegan Cafe in Manchester!

Gentle Thanksgiving Catered Event + Speaker
Saturday, November 16
11:30 am to 3:30 pm
McLane Center
84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH

We are also hosting a budget-friendly Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck on Nov. 2

Tickets for the event are $50 for adults (same price for members and non-members) and $15 for children (12 and under). Toddlers are free.

  • Seating is limited, so buy your tickets today!
  • No tickets sold at door
  • Ticket purchases are non-refundable
Purchase Tickets

Your ticket includes:

  • Thanksgiving vegan buffet with two entrées and six sides
  • Two complimentary drinks — wine, beer, or signature seasonal mocktail
  • Dessert buffet and coffee service
  • 5 complimentary raffle tickets for a chance to win fantastic prizes!
  • Presentation by Bella O’Connor, legal fellow with the PETA Foundation’s Legal Team

Featured Speaker

We are delighted to have Bella O’Connor, legal fellow with the PETA Foundation’s Legal Team, as our featured speaker!

Bella will present Pathways to Progress, a results-driven talk that delves into the importance of changing laws and policies in creating a better world for animals, and how to do this most effectively.

Bella received her J.D. from Vermont Law and Graduate School, where she served as an environmental mission scholar and completed her formal concentration in animal law. 

While in law school, Bella worked on a wide variety of animal and environmental issues with the school’s Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic and during her time with Animal Partisan and Food & Water Watch.

She also holds a B.A. in peace studies from Wellesley College and previously worked as the state affairs intern with the Massachusetts Humane Society.

Bella is deeply passionate about creating a food system that protects and honors the inherent dignity of all animals and farm workers while safeguarding the precious natural resources we share.

Bella lives in South Royalton, Vermont, with her rescued fish companion, Dr. Pepper.

Sat, Nov 2, 2024 – Thanksgiving Potluck & Annual Meeting

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Events (Passed)

Given the rising cost of living, we are bringing back the budget-friendly Gentle Thanksgiving Potluck that so many of you fondly remember.

Please help us spread the word to old friends who enjoyed these potlucks but whom we haven’t seen in a while. 

Along with a potluck meal, this gathering will be our Annual Meeting and will include a recap of the year.

Sign Up for the Potluck

Gentle Thanksgiving Potluck + Annual Meeting
Saturday, November 2
12:00 to 3:00 pm
Marion Gerrish Community Center
39 West Broadway, Derry, NH

Please sign up by October 30, so we can plan accordingly for the number of tables, beverages, and other essentials.

We’ll be having a book swap at this event, so you can trade your gently used vegan cookbooks and animal rights books. Bring a book, take a book!
Photos from past Gentle Thanksgiving potlucks

Sat, Oct 19, 2024 – Howl-O-Ween 5K

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Events (Passed)
On Saturday, October 19, NHARL is once again participating in the Howl-O-Ween 5K hosted by the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire at the Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester (1 Line Drive), 10:00 am. We need walkers/runners to join our team — captained by board member Liz Herrick.
As of Oct. 14, online registration is closed. You can still register on the day of the race for $45 or help us at the NHARL table, which costs nothing. Send questions to info@nhanimalrights.org.
Register to Run/Walk with the NHARL Team

This is a great opportunity to get out and be active with the whole family, including your pooch(es). Get in the Halloween spirit and wear your favorite costume!

Not up for breaking a sweat? You can also donate to support our walkers/runners or visit our table at the event.

Donate to Support the NHARL Team
View NHARL’s Fundraising Page

On the donation page, be sure to type “New Hampshire Animal Rights League” in the box (shown below) so that the NHARL team gets credit.

Sat, Sep 7, 2024 – Summer Outing

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Events (Passed)

It’s that time of year — time for our annual summer outing, postponed from August! Join us Saturday, September 7, 12:00 to 3:00, on picturesque Four Tree Island in Portsmouth for a vegan cookout.

Please sign up in advance, so we can have enough delicious food for everyone!

Sign Up!

Important!

If you were signed up for the Aug. 10 Summer Outing, you’re automatically signed up for the Sept. 7 outing, unless you told us otherwise. 

If you plan to be at the Sept. 7 event, you’re all set!

If you won’t be there Sept. 7, please click Sign Up; then click Change my sign up (top of page) and remove your name to prevent food waste. Alternatively, just send us a regrets email at info@nhanimalrights.org.

Thank you for helping us have an accurate count!

Theme

Our theme for this year’s event will be the impact of ocean plastic, ghost nets, and other marine debris on aquatic life.

We have an activity planned that requires a bag, so bring an old T-shirt and we’ll turn it into a reusable bag in minutes! A perfect use for an old animal rights shirt. (We will have some extra T-shirts.)

Food & Drink

The event menu will include burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, potato salad, chips, and desserts. All vegan, of course! 

We will also have a zero-waste drink station with water, lemonade, and iced tea.

Don’t forget to enjoy the snow cone machine. Great for kids of all ages!

Feel free to bring your own lunch and beverages (no alcohol allowed) if you desire something different.

What to Bring

Bring chairs or a blanket for you and your family. Shade is limited, so hats and sunscreen are recommended.

Island Rules

Please remember that we have only reserved the pavilion area and must respect other guests visiting Four Tree Island. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed on Four Tree Island per city ordinance.

This is a free event but donations to NHARL are welcome. The New Hampshire Animal Rights League works for the fair treatment of all animals, in New Hampshire and beyond. We are a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer organization, working on behalf of animals since 1977.

Gathering Support for Blackbirds

Posted on by Joan OBrien in In the News

We set up shop at the Milford Wildflower Festival on May 24 to gather signatures for our Letter to Hold Market Basket Accountable for Destroying Nesting Birds.

Not wanting baby birds to be run over is a bipartisan issue, and support for the blackbirds was overwhelming. Almost everyone agreed with the campaign, and we gathered more than 150 signatures in addition to those collected online.

Choose Coexistence

While the blackbirds were our focus, we also promoted our other wildlife protection programs at the festival:

  • Free No Hunting Signs
  • Grants for Living with Beavers
  • The Turtle Brigade
  • Let Go and Let Nature Be
It’s not every day we get a visitor with a parasol.

Did someone say paper mache?

In promoting our wildlife programs, we had help from some whimsical paper mache animals made of “found objects” (i.e., trash), including a red-wing blackbird named Harrison.

Thank you!

Thank you to the Wildflower Festival organizers for inviting us, and to everyone who stopped by to sign our letter!

Promoting safe mosquito control

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Campaigns

The world is losing nature at a remarkable pace, and New Hampshire is no exception. The crisis spares no creature — mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and even the tiniest invertebrates are disappearing.

Contributing to the loss of species is widespread pesticide use. Yet companies promising to rid your yard of mosquitos are popping up everywhere.

Seen a yard sign like this?

Send us the address(es), and we will mail a polite postcard from NH Animal Rights League explaining the dangers of mosquito spraying and offering the homeowner nature-friendly alternatives. Your name will not be mentioned!

Yard signs are typically taken down at the end of the summer. We aim to get postcards out to homeowners before it’s time to renew their contracts.

Send Address *

* If the button doesn’t work for you, just send email to info@nhanimalrights.org

What’s wrong with mosquito spraying?

Homeowners may be told that the mosquito treatment is “organic” or “natural,” but substances found in nature can still be toxic to bees, fireflies, dragonflies, butterflies, and many other insects. 

Often the active ingredient in “organic” mosquito treatments is pyrethins, a byproduct of the Chrysanthemum flower. This may sound harmless, but in high concentrations pyrethin is toxic and will kills insects on contact.

Bees are particulary sensitive to pyrethrin, with lethal doses as low as 0.02 micrograms. Because of this sensitivity and the decline in pollinators, applicators are advised to apply pyrethrins at night when bees are not active.

(Note: Some mosquito control companies do offer a truly safe option, typically a garlic-based repellent; however, this approach is generally mentioned down the list and therefore probably less popular.)

Nature-friendly alternatives to spraying

Here are some simple, inexpensive options for dealing with mosquitos:

  • Remove standing water in your yard.
  • Turn on a fan.
  • Apply insect repellent or cover exposed skin.
  • Create mosquito-free spaces with mosquito curtains or an umbrella mosquito net.
  • Landscape to invite mosquito predators, such as bats, frogs, and dragonflies.

Southern-Style Vegan Banana Pudding Parfaits

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Recipes

Dessert or breakfast, you decide! Cashew cream, fresh bananas and cinnamon oats all come together to make this dish absolutely fantastic! Cashew cream is often considered better than milk for several reasons. It’s naturally creamy without the need for additives, it’s versatile in cooking and baking, it’s free from lactose and cholesterol and it doesn’t contribute to the needless suffering of dairy cows.

Southern Style Vegan Banana Pudding Parfaits