At VegaVriend, you can collect reward points with every order. Eventually, you can redeem these points for a donation to three causes we’ve selected. You can read how it works here.

We’d like to highlight our chosen causes in a blog post. In this post, we’ll tell you more about Farm of Mercy. Read on!

Farm of Mercy was founded out of love and compassion for animals.
Laureen Wes and her mother Yvonne Wes-Ligtenbarg made their dream come true by starting a small-scale animal sanctuary in the countryside near Dedemsvaart. They began in 2022 by taking in chickens, but soon more animals followed—goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, dogs, and cats. All animals are welcome!

Now, in 2025, the sanctuary has grown significantly. The board has expanded, and volunteers help out daily to ensure the animals live as comfortably as possible. Farm of Mercy is fully vegan and proudly promotes this philosophy.

Farm of Mercy aims to create a place where animals affected by the livestock industry can recover and be given a chance at a carefree future. In addition, they strive to be an activist voice for these animals and to inform people about how animals are treated within this industry. In doing so, Farm of Mercy hopes to make the world a little kinder—and more plant-based.

Farm of Mercy was originally founded by Laureen and Yvonne.
Thanks to the strong support of their partners, Michel and André, the sanctuary was able to grow. In the meantime, Marlijn and Iris have also joined the board.
The daily care of the animals is supported by a fantastic group of volunteers who are there every week. In addition, people regularly lend a hand during one-time volunteer workdays organized by the sanctuary.

“For the past two years during Eid al-Adha, we have served as a temporary sanctuary for animals that were at risk of being illegally slaughtered. In the Netherlands, some slaughterhouses are granted permission to perform ritual slaughter without stunning during the holiday. However, it’s not uncommon for animals to be slaughtered in unauthorized locations. When such illegal activity is discovered, the animals are seized by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). From that moment on, it becomes very difficult to find a safe place for them. That’s why we’ve chosen to become a temporary refuge for these animals.

In 2024, we received a report about an illegal slaughterhouse that had been shut down. Inside, 35 live sheep were still present. Tragically, they had witnessed their companions being killed before them. Five of those sheep came to our sanctuary. They were terrified and clearly traumatized. After spending three weeks in quarantine, their new lives could truly begin. They recovered quickly and now even line up for cuddles. Nandor and Rambo have remained with us. Two of the others were rehomed to a wonderful place with kind and caring people. Sadly, Loei passed away shortly after arriving at our sanctuary. He suffered an internal hemorrhage and could not be saved.

This story has stayed with us, because all of these animals were just minutes away from death. Thankfully, they no longer have anything to fear and are now deeply loved.”

“Farm of Mercy currently provides shelter for dozens of animals, each with their own story. Every one of them deserves the best possible care, which comes with significant daily costs. On top of that, some animals unfortunately require regular veterinary attention — expenses that can quickly run into the hundreds of euros.

To continue offering this level of care, we rely entirely on donations. Thankfully, VegaVriend supports us in covering the daily care of our animals — and for that, we are incredibly grateful!”

In addition to donating (loyalty points), there are several other ways to support Farm of Mercy.

⭐ Become a (regular) donor and help cover the daily care costs for the animals
⭐ Sign up to help during a volunteer workday! Every pair of hands makes a difference. Want to know when the next workday is scheduled?
⭐ Follow Farm of Mercy on social media
⭐ Live near Dedemsvaart? Become a volunteer and help care for the animals
⭐ Don’t live nearby but still want to help? There’s plenty of remote work to do! Send an email to farmofmercy@outlook.com