By EPIC Outreach | May 2025

At EPIC Outreach, we believe that kindness is something we’re born with. We enter the world with love in our hearts and a natural curiosity toward other living beings. But over time—through experience, environment, and influence—that instinct for compassion can fade.

That’s why nurturing kindness in children isn’t about teaching something new… it’s about helping them hold onto what they already know deep inside. May is the perfect month to celebrate that idea. During Be Kind to Animals Week (May 4–10, 2025), we shine a light on how powerful it can be when children are given the chance to care, connect, and show compassion—especially to animals.

When a child gently brushes a horse’s mane, hand-feeds a piglet, or lays quietly next to a sleepy barn cat, they’re not just learning—they’re remembering. They’re reconnecting with something that already lives in their heart: the instinct to be kind.

And in those small, quiet moments, something extraordinary happens. They begin to see animals as individuals, with personalities, emotions, and stories—just like their own. This is the essence of humane education. And it’s at the heart of everything we do at EPIC Outreach.

Growing Kindness, One Connection at a Time

Whether it’s through school programs, children’s books, or visits to the sanctuary, we’ve seen again and again how animals help bring out the best in kids.

A child who meets Jimmy the pig and learns that he was once destined for slaughter begins to see bacon—and pigs—differently.
A child who hears that Zeke and Zimba the donkeys lean in for love feels what trust and vulnerability look like.
A child who spends time with a rescued dog or cat learns how their presence, their calm, their attention can make someone else feel safe.

These are the moments that grow empathy—and those are the children who grow into compassionate adults.

Ways to Celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week

This month, we invite you to help kids in your life stay connected to that natural kindness. Here are a few ideas:

  • Create a “Kindness Tree” where kids add a leaf for every kind act they do for animals, people, or the planet.

  • Read a book together that teaches compassion through animals (we’d love to share one of ours!).

  • Visit a sanctuary or shelter so they can meet animals face to face and form their own connections.

  • Talk about feelings—both human and animal. Ask questions like “How do you think that pig feels right now?”

Even small moments of reflection and interaction make a big impact.

What We Grow Today, Shapes Tomorrow

At EPIC Outreach, we don’t just rescue animals—we cultivate compassion. We believe that children raised with empathy will grow into adults who lead with it. And when we support that growth early on, we plant the seeds for a kinder, more conscious world.

So this May, let’s nurture the kindness already living inside every child. Let’s help them stay connected to what they already know—that animals deserve love, that empathy matters, and that they can be a voice for change.

With kindness always,
The EPIC Outreach Team