Meet Emily & Trevor | Co-Founders, Open Barn

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily & Trevor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily & Trevor, what’s your definition for success?
Success to Open Barn means inspiring compassion for animals. Any time someone says “I never knew that about farm animals” or is surprised to learn that the most exploited animals in modern society actually have huge personalities, that is a success for our organization. It takes a lot for someone to change their perspective, but we aim to be an opportunity for someone to have an experience or develop a bond that helps them to see animals a little differently.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Open Barn is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal sanctuary dedicated to providing forever homes to farm animals in need, and inspiring compassion for all animals. We are run by a very small group of volunteers, the support of the community, and co-founders with full-time jobs in engineering and management. As an organization, we really value the ability to think freely and challenge traditional norms. Using animals for food, testing, clothing, entertainment, etc. is something most people feel pretty normal about because it’s simply how they’ve been raised, but the truth is that these seemingly trivial choices have a devastating impact on animals. We decided we wanted to create opportunities for people to develop a new perspective on the ways we view and interact with animals. There are so many incredible alternatives to using animals for our day-to-day needs… But don’t take our word for it – find out for yourself. 🙂

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We do host private tours, so if you or any friends would like and educational and interactive experience meeting the rescued animal residents at Open Barn we would highly recommend reaching out to us if you are ever in Ramona. This town is a gem, and there are so many amazing vineyards and wineries. We recently had a fundraiser at Old Julian Vineyards and Winery and would highly recommend it for the wine, wonderful people, and beautiful scenery!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We want to thank Farm Animal Refuge and Sale Ranch Animal Sanctuary for being our mentors and inspiration every step of the way to starting and running an animal sanctuary. We wouldn’t be able to do this without them and the incredible animal sanctuary community.

Website: www.theopenbarn.org

Instagram: @the_open_barn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpenBarnAnimalSanctuary