The Gentle Barn Healing Distressed Children with Animal Love

The Gentle Barn and New Hope Media are coming together at Natural Products Expo West to host an exciting, innovative, and first of its kind event called “Gentle CSR” Celebrating the Natural Industry’s Commitment to Building a Gentler World. It will be an exciting and exclusive evening, celebrating amazing achievements by leaders in the Natural Products Industry, who are pioneering solutions to critical animal and environmental welfare issues through Corporate Social Responsibility.

The goal of the event is to not only bring outstanding natural products companies together with The Gentle Barn, but to focus on the powerful value of natural products companies connecting with nonprofits and the community and fulfilling their commitment to their core values of saving the planet.

“Hosting an event like this, where natural products companies are coming together to celebrate the extraordinary achievements they have had in the community and to learn about the opportunities available to them, is such an incredible feeling.” says Jay Weiner, Co-founder of The Gentle Barn. “It takes a well-grounded company, with healthy core values to make sure that their mission stays true in supporting the community as well as bringing a clean product to market.”

Some amazing companies who truly understand the value of giving back and supporting the community are sponsoring the event. You can visit their booths or their websites to learn more about them: Sun Chlorella (booths B1878 and H824), GoMacro (C3125), Hugo Naturals (D4105), and Heidi Ho (www.heidiho.com). There are many more supporters of the event as well as The Gentle Barn, who you can find out about at www.gentlebarn.org/gentle52.

“The world is slowly evolving to be more conscious and kinder to the environment, animals and our own bodies,” says Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn. “Supporting those companies, bringing them closer to The Gentle Barn, and letting people know about them means the world to me! This is exactly how the world will create peace!”

The event will take place Friday March 11, 7pm-10pm, at the Hilton Anaheim, just across from the Anaheim Convention Center, featuring plant-based hors d’oeuvres, Sun Chlorella’s “Wakasatini” drink, awards presentation, and special gifts from industry pioneers and companies.

The Gentle Barn (www.gentlebarn.org) is a national nonprofit organization, founded in 1999 as a safe haven and place of recovery for severely abused animals. The Gentle Barn offers their unique philosophy of rehabilitating animals and connecting their stories of survival and healing to the personal experiences of inner city, at-risk and special needs children who have suffered physical, mental or emotional trauma. By interacting with The Gentle Barn’s approximate one hundred and eighty animals and taking a hands-on role in their welfare, those who participate in the programs at The Gentle Barn learn empathy, trust and forgiveness. The Gentle Barn is run by Founder Ellie Laks and her husband and Co-founder Jay Weiner, both of whom were healed and supported by animals as children. The Gentle Barn’s mission is simple: “Teaching People Kindness and Compassion to Animals, Each Other and Our Planet.”

There are about two hundred natural product companies who support The Gentle Barn, including: Addictive Wellness, Balanced Guru, Bare Food, Blackwing Farms, Crunchies, Dr. Bronner, Eclair Naturals, HINT water, Hurraw! Balm, Laughing Giraffe, Repurpose, Sister River Foods.

Celebrity supporters and friends of The Gentle Barn include: Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Rondi Reed, Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Hilary Swank, Rose McGowan, Tiffani Thiessen, Sierra McCormick and Emma Fuhrmann.