‘Teacher of the Year’ Distributes Dozens of ‘ThanksVegan’ Roasts at Washington Rose
For Immediate Release:
November 26, 2025
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Fifth-grade students from Washington Rose Elementary School brought home a surprise this week for their families’ Thanksgiving tables: delicious vegan holiday roasts from Gardein and Field Roast, courtesy of educator Nicole Rivera—the 2025 Elementary School Teacher of the Year chosen by TeachKind, PETA’s humane education division.
Rivera wanted to show her students just how easy it is to celebrate the holidays with compassion, so she handed out the roasts—donated by TeachKind as part of PETA’s “ThanksVegan” campaign—to her class ahead of Thanksgiving break, along with ThanksVegan stickers and handy recipe guides. To help spread compassion beyond the classroom, Rivera and TeachKind also teamed up to provide additional roasts to the school’s Family and Community Engagement food pantry. Photos are available here.
“Young people have a natural empathy for animals, and once they realize that turkeys love their families, feel pain and fear, and value their own lives, they’re eager to choose vegan feasts that leave birds in peace,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “With families facing rising grocery costs and so many other challenges right now, PETA and TeachKind are delighted to give the Washington Rose community a break by treating students and their loved ones to a delicious ThanksVegan meal.”
“The kids are so proud to donate to our food pantry!,’ says Nicole Rivera. “And they are SO excited to bring the roasts home to their families to cook as part of their Thanksgiving celebrations.”
PETA notes that in addition to being a treat for the taste buds, savory vegan roasts spare animals from immense suffering. Turkeys are doting parents who can live for over 10 years, but those raised for food are usually slaughtered within their first six months of life—and 46 million turkeys are killed every year, on average, for Thanksgiving alone. PETA’s ThanksVegan guide is packed with recipes, cooking tips, and everything else needed to enjoy a delicious turkey-friendly holiday.
A longtime vegan and Nationally Board-Certified educator, Rivera has seamlessly incorporated compassion into her curriculum and made kindness to animals a celebrated part of her school’s culture. She provides learners with a clear, age-appropriate look into the lives of animals in the meat, egg, and dairy industries, sparking discussions about the Golden Rule—and families report that students are bringing these lessons home, encouraging more conscious choices at the dinner table.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. TeachKind offers free presentations, lessons, and other resources to help teachers add compassion to their curricula. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org or follow TeachKind on Facebook or Instagram.
