ABOUT US - Frequently Asked Questions - Food Animal Concerns Trust

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Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ
How can I contact FACT?
Does FACT have a privacy policy?
I heard FACT now has t-shirts. How can I get one?
Are there opportunities to volunteer for FACT?

Program FAQ
What does FACT do?
Does FACT offer programs or literature for children?
What is Filthy Feed?
Where can I buy humanely produced products?

Donor FAQ
How can I donation to FACT?
How does my donation help FACT?
Is there something else besides donating money that I can do?
How do I make a donation in memory of a family member or pet?
I'd like to give regularly. Does FACT have a monthly donation program?

How can I contact FACT?
FACT staff members are happy to answer any questions you may have related to our work. Please visit our Contact FACT page for detailed information. FACT's mailing address is 3525 W. Peterson Ave. Ste. 213, Chicago, IL 60659. Our phone number is (773) 525-4952 and general email is info@foodanimalconcerns.org

Does FACT have a private policy
FACT maintains a database with names, addresses and a record of donations from contributors. This information is maintained only on a computer in our offices and is never provided to other organizations on a rental, name trading, or other basis. Donors who wish to review the information kept on them at FACT may request a copy and then make any desired changes.

Donations by check or credit card can be sent to our office at 3525 W. Peterson Avenue, Ste. 213, Chicago, IL 60659. Supporters can also donate online through our secure Donate page. There you will find options to make a onetime contribution, an honorary/memorial gift, or a monthly donation. Contributors may elect to receive FACT Sheets, our monthly e-newsletter to stay up-to-date.

I heard FACT now has t-shirts. How can I get one?
FACT t-shirts are currently offered to new contributors who make an on-line donation of $25 or more. However, we hope to make these great shirts more widely available in the future.

Are there opportunities to volunteer for FACT?
FACT works with volunteers on a limited basis. On occasion there is an opportunity for volunteers to help with administrative tasks around the office. In addition, we can supply you with various FACT materials (stickers, brochures, postcards) if you are interested in distributing them in your community.

What does FACT do?
Food Animal Concerns Trust or FACT is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the way animals are raised on farms. Since 1982 we have been involved in efforts to increase awareness about the conditions experienced by chickens, pigs and cows. FACT's response is primarily focused on humane farming and public health and is expressed through research, advocacy and education activities.

Does FACT offer programs or literature for children?
In 2009, FACT kicked-off a new humane education program in Chicago. Our objective is to teach children about farm animals in hopes of cultivating respect and compassion for these animals. We have developed three workshop and present them in venues across the city to raise awareness among young people about the struggles faced by farm animals. In preparation for this project, staff members completed training to become Certified Humane Education Specialists through the Humane Society University. For more information, please contact Larissa McKenna at lmckenna@foodanimalconcerns.org or (773) 525-4952.

What is Filthy Feed?
Feeding poultry litter to cattle is a dangerous agricultural practice that should be banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect animal and human health. In areas of the United States where large cattle and poultry operations coexist, chicken waste is routinely fed to cows. Poultry litter consists primarily of manure, feathers, spilled feed and bedding material that accumulate on the floors of the buildings that house chickens and turkeys. It can contain disease-causing bacteria, antibiotics, toxic heavy metals, feed ingredients normally prohibited for cattle, and even foreign objects such as dead rodents, rocks, nails and glass. Few of these hazards are eliminated by any composting that might occur before use as feed. Surprisingly, this unhealthy and inhumane practice is legal, therefore creating unacceptable risks to human health and animal health.

In August 2009, after more than a year of research, FACT petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the feeding of poultry litter to cattle. This step launched FACT’s Filthy Feed Campaign. To date, FACT has published a comprehensive scientific report on the practice, designed a new website devoted to the issue, created an on-line grassroots letter of support for our petition to the FDA, and produced a video. For more information about the Filthy Feed campaign, visit www.filthyfeed.org.

Where can I buy humanely produced products
Many grocers now carry some humanely produced products. Check out our Humane Choices guide to learn more. Also, visit farmers markets which are often the primary outlet for humane farmers who wish to sell their products. Here consumers can ask the farmers how they raise their animals. For more information contact Larissa McKenna, FACT’s Associate Director at (773) 525-4952 or lmckenna@foodanimalconcerns.org.

How can I donation to FACT?
Donations by check or credit card can be sent to our office at 3525 W. Peterson Avenue, Ste. 213, Chicago, IL 60659. Supporters can also donate online through our secure Donate page. There you will find options to make a onetime contribution, an honorary/memorial gift, or a monthly donation. Contributions made to FACT are tax-deductible.

How does my donation help FACT?
Your contribution enables FACT to improve the lives of farm animals. Financial support from foundations is important, but the majority of FACT's income comes from individual donors. This ongoing and generous support is what enables FACT to accomplish so much. In 2010 we made significant progress in several areas.

For example:

• FACT kicked off the Filthy Feed Campaign, an initiative designed to end the use of poultry litter as cattle feed out of concern for animal and human health. After a year of research, FACT published a comprehensive scientific report on the practice, filed a petition with the FDA to prohibit litter feeding, designed a new website devoted to the issue, created an on-line grassroots letter of support for our petition to the FDA, and produced a short video pertaining to the practice. We also worked with a student at a Loyola University to organize college students around this issue, communicated with leaders at both the FDA and in Congress regarding our petition, and urged food companies and livestock associations to take a stand on the issue. The issue was reported in several mainstream publications and blogs across the country, including the Los Angeles Times and the Huffington Post.

• FACT continued to pressure the FDA to reduce the routine and unnecessary use of important antibiotics on farms. We submitted formal comments urging the agency to make data on antibiotic sales public, presented to an interagency consortium on the need to improve sampling of resistant bacteria in farms and in food, and performed analysis demonstrating that the FDA’s proposal to ban only growth promoting uses of antibiotics would have little effect on reducing antibiotic resistance

Is there something else besides donating money that I can do?
There are many ways that consumers can advocate for more humane and healthy ways of raising food animals. You can share our information with your friends and family. You can write to you representatives and urge them to pass policy that would improve the health and welfare of farm animals in response to FACT's action alerts. We also highlight such opportunities in our newsletters. You can submit a letter to the editor of your local paper regarding these alerts. You can support humane farming by the food choices you make when you shop. You can sign-up to receive our free, monthly e-newsletter FACT Sheets by contacting Jacki Rossi at (773) 525-4952 or jrossi@foodanimalconcerns.org.

How do I make a donation in memory of a family member or pet?
Our ability to work on behalf of farm animals is made possible by the kindness of people like you. Your honorary or memorial gift to FACT helps us to continue our efforts to make farms humane and healthy places. There is no minimum donation required. For more information on how you can choose FACT when making gifts to honor anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions - or in memory of a loved one - visit our Donate page or contact FACT at (773) 525-4952.

I'd like to give regularly. Does FACT have a monthly donation program?
It is easy to give to FACT on a monthly basis. Visit our Donate page or contact FACT at (773) 525-4952.

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