My name is Templeton, and I am one of eleven rescued pigs currently living at the farm sanctuary under the care of EPIC Outreach. At any given moment 10 plus pigs call this place home. Some pigs like me will remain for life being loved and cared for and others will be adopted into their very own homes to be cherished as beloved pets. I want to tell you more about this magical place where I live, so I sat in the pasture with the founder of EPIC Outreach, the lady who I call mom! Read on for all the insightful information that I rooted up!
To me you’re MOM, but tell everyone your real name and what you do:
My name is Jessie, and I am the founder of EPIC Outreach. EPIC was founded in 2015 and the farm sanctuary was created in 2019. The mission is to share information to inspire people to be kind to people, animals, and the planet. My focus is connecting people to rescued animals to raise the consciousness of the planet to inspire a more compassionate way of living. I am fully committed to the mission, rescue, and outreach. And of course, I am committed to making your life, TEMPLETON, the most wonderful experience ever!
Awe shucks, I do feel very special. So why do you love me and all the other farm animal friends so much?
I love all the rescued horses, donkeys, chickens, cats, dogs, pigs, bunny, and guinea pigs very much. But I also truly love showing people that all kinds of animals need to be rescued, and that even horses and pigs (fam animals) have personalities and want to be loved just like domestic dogs and cats. All animals want to have food, water, bedding, a warm place to call home and feel safe, and be loved unconditionally. I really want to show people that loving a pig like you TEMPLETON is like loving man’s Best Friend – a dog.
I never miss a meal, it’s like magic, food always appears, how does that happen?
It takes a lot of magic to feed everyone and make sure all the animals have warm bedding, all the veterinarian care they need, and provide them with enrichment like treats and pools for cooling off in the summer’s heat. In addition to basic care needs there are needs like fixing fences or buying new water and food dishes or halters and leads for the horses. And horses need their hooves trimmed, and so do pigs like you TEMPLETON.
Yikes, I need my hooves trimmed?
Yes, to keep your feet healthy since you spend a good majority of the time on your feet walking around the pasture. Some pigs need their tusks trimmed too.
Wow, how do you pay for all of these needs?
It’s a combination of grants, sponsorships, fundraisers, farm tour visits, and a ton of support from people who love you as much as I do. On average it costs $7 a day per animal to cover all the care needed. With an average of 40 animals living at the sanctuary that’s $280 a day and for 30 days (average one month) that’s $8,400.
That’s a lot of feed, hay, vet, and overall care! It sure is, but your life is worth it TEMPLETON.
So, pigs like me seem to be your passion, why?
When I first started the farm sanctuary my heart was on helping horses. When I bought the farm there was one pig that was already a resident and came with the property. Taking care of OLIVER showed me how smart and personable pigs really are. It was over a year of having the sanctuary, loving, and learning with OLIVER before we added anymore pigs. Slowly I became more knowledgeable about pigs, and it deepened my awareness to how intelligent pigs are and also how easy and fun it is to take care of pigs. I also saw an incredible need for pig rescue. There are a lot of you cute pigs out there needing a new path to life.
What can people do to help?
Of course, donations are hugely impactful and make a big difference. $1, $10, or $100 donations all add up to collaboratively provide for all the animal care needs, along with providing opportunities for education outreach, which is the heart of the mission. People can also come visit the farm and learn more about the rescued animals. Then there are ways to volunteer, tell their family and friends about EPIC Outreach, and share on social media.
I love when people come to visit me, how can they do that?
Yes, anyone is welcome to come for a visit. The sanctuary schedules visits by RSVP and can accommodate a visit during the week or on the weekend with advanced notice. A tour to meet the animals and learn about their rescue stories takes about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on how long someone spends with the animal’s asking questions. Anyone interested in scheduling a visit can email me directly at epicanimals2015@gmail.com
P.S. If you come for a visit, carrots and apples are my favorite treat!
This was so much fun, thank you MOM for being so candid. Anytime TEMPLETON. Saving lives and creating compassion by sharing information is my personal mission. And of course, sitting in the pasture petting a pig as cute as you is the carrot, or cherry on top!
