Sanctuary Update: Uplands PEAK

We wrote about Uplands PEAK Sanctuary in June, at an exciting time when it was materializing from just an idea into a real, physical place. Since then, the sanctuary took in its very first residents in October of 2013, piglets Andy and Annie.

Found north of Minneapolis in a field, the brother and sister were meant to be slaughtered in a backyard. However these two were not going to accept such a fate, and made a courageous run for it. After finding different homes in different places, and realizing they couldn’t be apart for very long, they were finally given a permanent home by Uplands PEAK Sanctuary.

In fact, since then, the sanctuary has given home to another group of siblings: Isaac, Erica, and Brandi. These three adolescent pigs were taken from a neglect case in New York, where they were confined in a concrete paddock without grass, shade, or water, and they were found to be malnourished with dental issues and parasites. Now at the sanctuary, they are healthier, with plenty of land to root and forage and do as they please without fear or pain.

Along with residents, Uplands PEAK is now open to the public, with regular volunteer days and fundraising events such as “Day of Retreat,” where, alongside the residents, there are cooking demo classes and yoga classes. Within less than a year, the farm has gone from just a construction zone to a small slice of community brimming with life and activity.

If you’d like to help with Uplands PEAK’s first five residents, you can donate or become a “Peak Pal,” a monthly sponsorship that helps cover the basic costs of living for a single resident. As a “Peak Pal,” you’ll receive a glossy photo of  the resident along with their bio, a sanctuary bumper sticker, and VIP visitation by appointment during the peak visiting season. If you become a “Peak Pal” by May 1, you’ll also receive a 20% off discount to all sanctuary events in 2014.

There are a lot of wonderful additions coming to Uplands PEAK as well, from a B&B room to visitor camping sites. What we can expect, and can’t wait to see, is how this new community grows, and what their future resident family will look like. It’s just the beginning for Uplands PEAK, and for Annie, Andy, Isaac, Erica and Brandi.

Uplands PEAK Sanctuary is located at 4205 W. Grandview Road, Salem, IN, 47129.