VOA常速英语:Turkeys Guests of Honor at Unusual Thanksgiving Celebration(翻译)

Every Thanksgiving,millions of Americans get together with family and friends to celebrate the season and give thanks for all the blessings in their lives.For many,a highlight of the holiday is eating traditional Thanksgiving foods like green beans and sweet potatoes and a big, fat turkey,which is usually carved and served with stuffing and lots of rich gravy.

But here at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, in Poolesville, Maryland,the turkeys are not cooked and consumed, but cared for and celebrated.And for the past 18 years,visitors have been enjoying a special pre-Thanksgiving picnic where they get to eat with the turkeys.It’s a popular community event, organized by Sanctuary co-founder Terry Cummings and her team.

“We love having this event because it’s a great way for people to come out and celebrate a cruelty-free Thanksgiving,which so many people don’t get a chance to do with their families.”It’s also a chance to educate people about turkeys.“We wanted to show people that they all have personalities, that they’re all wonderful.They’re just like a cat or a dog; they’re just like a companion animal.And we wanted to show that by having a vegan potluck you can have delicious food without eating animals.”

“What do you have there?”“Broccoli salad, pasta salad, bean salad, it’s so good!”

As visitors enjoyed the meat- and dairy-free picnic, some shared the reasons why they were drawn to the event.“I’m here to support the sanctuary and enjoy great vegan food and mingle with like-minded people.”“This is a really great reminder of where the food that’s on my plate is coming from and to be more mindful about what I’m eating.”“I think having it at a sanctuary is just perfect because that’s one of the biggest ideas behind being vegan is just compassion for all living creatures.”“I really like that we get to be around the turkeys and see them living and how adorable they are.”

The 174-hectare refuge is also home to about 200 other abused and abandoned farm animals,(Oh, my goodness. Look at it) including goats, geese and lots and lots of pigs.The friendly porkers were a huge hit with visitors,who enjoyed petting them and tossing them pumpkins as a special treat.

Cummings hopes that after their experience at the sanctuary,visitors who are not already vegan will be inspired to think about starting a new tradition of mindful, cruelty-free living.

Julie Taboh, VOA News, Poolesville, Maryland.