We are pleased to welcome a new Program Assistant—Abbey Feola! Below we share a brief bio of her along with questions she answered so that we could get to know her a little better. She hopes to meet you soon at a CAA event so that she can get to know you too!
Abbey Feola, Program Assistant
Abbey (she/her) joined CAA as Program Assistant after volunteering at several CAA events and loving the open, welcoming atmosphere she found there. As Program Assistant, she supports participants taking the Explore Veg challenge and assists with a variety of other CAA programming. In her previous years at Macalester College and Habitat for Humanity, she created outreach programs and worked with volunteers around topics relating to sustainability and housing. She currently spends her time outside of CAA working in the financial industry, volunteering at pet rescues, getting involved in new sports, spending time with her friends and family, and taking care of her pets.
She answered some of our questions below so that we could get to know her better:
What motivated you to get involved with animal advocacy?
Realizing what animals go through in factory farms — and that pigs are just as emotional and social as the cats and dogs I’ve lived with — is what got me involved. Realizing the environmental impacts of industrial animal agriculture was another factor — for instance, where I’m from, the Chesapeake Bay area, chicken farms are one of the biggest water polluters.
What about CAA appeals to you?
I was drawn to CAA because of the community-based, open approach it takes to communicating about plant-based living. And CAA events, even enormous ones like VegFest, have always had a welcoming, positive atmosphere.
What are your hopes for CAA and for the animal protection movement?
My end hope is that we decrease the amount of suffering in the world, and there’s a lot of pieces that click together to make that happen. I hope that we raise awareness of the reasons to eat plant-based, that we legislate protections for animals against abuses that are currently legal, and that we make plant-based food accessible and normal in school systems.
Speaking of compassionate living, what are your favorite vegan foods?
Chili, cornbread, and pasta with coconut or cheez sauce. I’ve also been rediscovering salads — it turns out they can be both easy and flavorful.
How do you spend your time when you’re not advocating for animals and our community?
I volunteer with local pet rescues, and enjoy spending time with my own pets (one cat and two guinea pigs). I love playing sports — though I’ve put the most time into martial arts and running — and I work a day job at a bank.