Thelma “The Tender Heart”
Thelma’s rescuer freed her from meat production. While most turkeys today are bred to have white feathers (this yields light-colored bodies, per consumer demand), heritage breeds like Thelma are slaughtered for food as well.
Shortly after her rescue, wildfires nearly destroyed her home. Thelma once again needed a safe place to land––and she found it at Farm Sanctuary.
Thelma is a shy, but kind and sensitive soul. She now spends her days roaming her yard and snuggling with her friends. At Sanctuary, our “tender heart” of the flock is free to live and love as nature intended!
Each Farm Sanctuary Adopt a Turkey sponsorship:
- Arrives with a personalized digital certificate with a photo and details about the adopted turkey.
- Provides an optional print certificate with a photo and details about the adopted turkey — great for displaying on your holiday table.
- Offers our deepest thanks for supporting our rescue, education, and advocacy work on behalf of turkeys and other farm animals.
PLEASE NOTE:
- All donors will receive one digital certificate (in both PDF and JPG formats) for the turkey(s) they adopt, along with graphics and a video to share on social media.
- Digital certificates are sent via email overnight on the day your order is placed.
- Print certificates are sent via USPS First Class Mail and are not trackable.
- You will receive the print version by mail and the digital version via email.
- Please allow 10 business days for mail delivery. They are mailed separately from all other shop items.
- We are only able to ship to a single address per order.
- If you need to send adoption certificates to multiple addresses, please submit separate orders.
- Your billing information can be saved by creating an account with us during checkout or by going to our Registration Page.
About Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey Project
Each year during Thanksgiving, the United States slaughters 46 million turkeys for meat. Most live in confinement on factory farms and endure painful mutilations, including debeaking and toe removal procedures without anesthesia. These living, feeling individuals deserve so much better.
Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey Project has encouraged people to symbolically adopt a rescued turkey at Thanksgiving instead of eating one. By highlighting the unique personalities and intelligence of turkeys — while also revealing the abuse they face in a food system that harms animals, workers, communities, and our planet — this beloved campaign has reached millions of people with a message of compassion. For a one-time donation of $35, you can symbolically adopt a rescued turkey living at Farm Sanctuary — and for $150, you can sponsor this year’s featured flock.
Plus: This year, we’re introducing the Flock Advocate package! This $500 gift comes with a special Flock Advocate certificate, a commemorative 2023 Adopt a Turkey mug, and an invitation to be part of an exclusive conversation with Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur.