Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
al source of milk, offspring, and fertilizer—were shipped from York, Pennsylvania, to Puerto
Rico in 1944. The project grew exponentially until thousands of cows aboard converted
World War II cargo vessels were being escorted by volunteer “cowboys” to war-ravaged
Europe.
CELEBRITY DONORS
Here is a list of celebs who donate to Heifer International:
• Ed Asner • Bill Clinton • Walter Cronkite • Ted Danson • Ellen Degeneres • Jane
Kaczmarek • Barbara Kingsolver • Heath Ledger • Susan Sarandon • David Spade •
Bradley Whitford
COWABUNGA
Besides your standard cows, sheep, and goats, Heifer International gives out two
dozen other types of breeding animals, each chosen for their appropriateness to local
ecologies and economies. Some of the offerings over the years: earthworms, edible
snails, bees, silkworms, crayfish, ostriches, guinea pigs, alpacas, grasshoppers, wa-
ter buffalo, yaks, and, in two Thai projects, elephants. In Ghana, Heifer is raising a
large edible rodent called the grasscutter, and in Ukraine, they're reintroducing Hut-
sul horses, descendants of the wild tarpan.
In recent years, Heifer International has taken the fish adage a step further: Teach donors
about their own impact on the planet and then we'll make some real changes. You see, it's
one thing to donate a cow or a flock of goats, but to really understand how we, the developing
world, affect issues of hunger and poverty is a whole different ball of wax. If Heifer Interna-
tional has its way, those of us who “have it all” will understand our imprint on the planet and
realize our responsibilities are greater than simply writing a check.
Heifer International is so committed to educating the developed nations on issues of
poverty and sustainability that it has opened three learning centers. Its demonstration farm
and visitor center in Perryville, Arkansas, has not only a convention facility but also demon-
stration gardens and a “global village” of seven plots, each containing a small house or shanty
and landscaped to resemble living conditions in one of the organization's project areas. The
other learning centers are Overlook Farm near Rutland, Massachusetts, and the Ceres Center
in California.
