Here’s How PETA Helped Animals This ‘ThanksVegan’—and How You Can, Too

Ahead of this year’s “ThanksVegan” celebrations, PETA urged people across North America to choose a compassionate holiday feast. Approximately 46 million turkeys are killed and sold each year in the U.S. for Thanksgiving, but simply choosing to serve a vegan meal helps spare them an agonizing death. Turkeys are playful birds who protect their flocks and bond with humans—some who live on farm sanctuaries have even been known to choose their favorite people. Turkeys and all other animals deserve respect, which is why we’re urging people across the country to choose compassion this Thanksgiving by going vegan.

Here are some of the ways PETA helped make Thanksgiving better for all animals in 2023:

Our “Leave Me in Peace, Not in Pieces” turkey billboard went up above PETA’s Los Angeles office in a high-traffic area.

We also placed the same ad at four bus shelters and a billboard along the route of St. Louis’ Thanksgiving parade to inspire families at the event to help end the exploitation of turkeys.

The “Leave Me in Peace, Not in Pieces” ad is also up at the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport—the busiest airport in Minnesota, one of the country’s top turkey producers—in time for Thanksgiving travel. The ad encourages travelers to extend compassion to all animals this holiday season and the rest of the year by leaving them off their plates.

PETA’s thought-provoking billboards displaying the message “She Did Not Consent—Go Vegan This Thanksgiving” went up in Concord, North Carolina, and two cities in Indiana: Fort Wayne and South Bend. These images point out that consent isn’t just a human issue and refer to the horrific abuse that has occurred on some farms and at some slaughterhouses in the U.S., including those labeled “humane.”

Another billboard, with the message “Turkeys Feel Pain, Too. Don’t Have a Hand in Their Suffering,” went up along the route of Detroit’s popular Thanksgiving parade to remind attendees—and those watching the televised parade—about who’s abused and killed for Thanksgiving dinner.

PETA supporters gave away hundreds of vegan roasts in cities across the country, including Beaverton, Oregon; Portland, Oregon; and Woodland Hills, California.

Flocks of PETA “chicks” wearing faux-feather tutus and headbands and holding signs saying, “Turkeys Go Wild for Tofurky,” gathered to hand out free vegan Tofurky roasts in Detroit and Philadelphia.

Having a wonderful ThanksVegan at home is a compassionate and fulfilling way to embrace holiday tradition without harming anyone.

Most supermarkets stock a variety of animal-free options at wallet-friendly prices—from dairy-free butter to vegan turkey roasts—so swapping ingredients is a snap.

PETA’s free ThanksVegan Guide will help you cook the meal of your life for the next holiday and many more to come. Whether you’re hosting, traveling, or hunkering down at home for a small-scale feast, we’ve got you covered.