I initially came to the Gentle Barn to get experience in the nonprofit world. Being a vegan of five years, I had wanted to work at an animal nonprofit, so I volunteered to work in their office. Truthfully, from previous experiences, I was expecting this to be terrible. I thought I would be forced to treat this as “work”, and that eventually, after a couple of months or so, I would quit due to the sheer stress of it all. However my experience so far has been quite the opposite. I am constantly thanked, and appreciated for my work, and if I have to be sick or absent for a day, the staff completely understand. To me, that sense of respect and understanding, that I am working for free, is one of the reasons that make me come back.

Now, for me, getting used to the animals took some time. I have, and always will be, a city person, so being around anything other than a cat or a dog is quite a shock. Despite this one handicap I have discovered the animals at Gentle Barn are so loving and calm that my preconceived nerves are being left at the door. Despite being an avid animal lover I never thought the animals would affect me as much as they did. I never thought that seeing King every time I volunteer would make my day, I never thought I would spend time taking photos and videos of Sundance or of snoring Ryan, and I never thought working near turkeys would be so causal. However all of those things have come to pass, and frankly, I quite love it.

The Gentle Barn staff have been nothing but kind to me; they have understood and accepted my quirks and I have felt that I am part of the team. I get excited to be near and feed the animals; I am still happy to be here. I really feel like The Gentle Barn does nothing but change everyone’s preconceived notions for the better.

- Elle