Win-wins for animals and people
The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund is dedicated to making the world a better place for animals — because this was Greg’s and my shared purpose during our life together; and because this cause is so underfunded, with just 3% of U.S. donations going to animals and the environment combined1.
Since its establishment on Earth Day 2016, the Fund has particularly emphasized programs that are win-wins for people as well as animals — and this emphasis has never been stronger than in 2021.
This holiday season, to the extent you are able, I hope you’ll add your name to the 2021 contributors listed below.
The Greg Fund’s key work in 2021 has included:
1 – Ending cruelty toward race horses — a major campaign of this Fund from the beginning. In 2021, a special focus has been PETA’s work to redirect billions of dollars in state-level subsidies away from the cruel horse racing industry and toward vital public education and social services — starting with a new bill targeting $230 million in annual New York State subsidies, the highest in the United States, which PETA is supporting as part of a broad coalition.
2 – Promoting vegan living — also a major focus since the Fund’s inception. Since 2019, the Fund has sponsored The Exam Room podcast of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, highlighting the many ways that plant-based diets improve human health while also sparing animals and the global environment. In 2021, this podcast celebrated the milestone of 6 million downloads around the world, making it the #1 nutrition podcast in 79 countries.
3 – Advocating for “backyard dogs” — another longtime Fund focus. In 2021, we have continued to support PETA’s work in impoverished communities to help thousands of people keep and care for their animals through counseling, subsidized spay/neuter and other veterinary care, dog houses, food, and other supplies. PETA’s work was the subject of a November 8 Washington Post feature piece A Dog’s Life by Pulitzer-winning journalists.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Fund in 2021 to date:
- Adam Kobor
- Alejandro Aguilar in honor of Patricia, Solomon, and Robert
- Alka Chandna
- Benevity Community Impact Fund
- Betsy Wason
- Greta Morris in memory of Lois Herrmann
- Ilona Lantos
- James North
- Jill Marcus
- Keith Kemplin
- Patricia Tacilauskas
- Rob Haworth
- Sarah Steadman
- Scott Anderson
- Sheila Markman
- Steve Kehrli
- Thu Thi Nguyen
Thank you to everyone who contributed to my Facebook birthday fundraiser for PETA, which the Greg Fund matched:
- Ann Garvey
- Barbara J King
- Christine Kestner
- Daphna Nachminovitch
- Dana Meeker
- David Cherry
- David Red
- Debbie Kula
- Diana Tyrrasch Ok
- Emily Perryman
- Ha Minh Nguyen
- Iman Moussa
- Jacob Eliosoff
- JD Eliott
- Jennifer Bailey
- Jim North
- Katie McHenry
- Kathy Guillermo
- Kristy Wolfe
- Mary Pauli
- Manuel E. Rivas
- Masha Skuratovskaya
- Rob Haworth
- Seth Dellinger
- Stephanie Jones
- Steven Kehrli
- Susan R. Johnson
- Tara Ann Stanczyk
- Yi Ting
Thank you to everyone who contributed to my Facebook GivingTuesday fundraiser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which the Greg Fund matched:
- Dana Meeker
- Debbie Kula
- Ha Minh Nguyen
- Ilona Lantos
- Julie Germany
- Jim North
- Katie McHenry
- Kirsten Krivoshia
- Manuel E. Rivas
- Mary Pauli
- Masha Skuratovskaya
- Michael Rutt
- Rob Haworth
Photos:
- Greg and me with our rescued street dogs Dana and Fox, Central Park, NYC, c. Dec. 2006.
- My three PETA rescue horses — Caroline, Charlie, and Henry (l to r), at my Central Pennsylvania farm, Feb. 2021.
- Christopher, who I adopted in 2018. Before – at the time of his rescue through a partnership of PETA and the Virginia Beach SPCA. After – at my Central Pennsylvania farm, Oct. 2021.
Source: https://givingusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GUSA2021_Infographic_Digital.pdf