Humane Action Pennsylvania: 2025 Year in Review

2025 has been a year of bold shifts and steady progress for Humane Action Pennsylvania. As the movement for compassion, sustainability, and safer communities gains momentum across the Commonwealth, HAP has remained at the forefront by connecting the ways we treat animals, design our neighborhoods, and care for the environment.

As we look back on the past year, we invite you to join us in reflecting on the conversations we’ve sparked, the systems we’ve helped shape, and the foundation we’ve laid for what comes next. The highlights below offer a glimpse into how 2025 moved all of us one step closer to a more humane and sustainable future:

A New Statewide Identity

Pittsburgh’s First Vegan Restaurant Week

In May, HAP organized Pittsburgh’s first-ever Vegan Restaurant Week, a citywide celebration of plant-based dining held from May 12–18. The week highlighted how far the local food scene has come, with restaurants across the city crafting inventive vegan entrées, desserts, and specials that went well beyond “standard” options.

The initiative encouraged diners to try new spots, support small businesses, and see plant-based food as both satisfying and accessible. Participating restaurants ranged from Arepittas, Alihan’s, and EYV to Con Alma, Emporio, Mezzo, and more, each using this opportunity to spotlight what a more sustainable, compassionate food culture can look like in practice. More than a series of special menus, Vegan Restaurant Week helped build momentum for viewing plant-based eating as a normal, celebrated part of Pittsburgh’s culinary identity and a foundation that future editions of the event can continue to grow on.

Learn more about Pittsburgh’s Vegan Restaurant Week and the restaurants that participated here:

https://humaneactionpennsylvania.org/pittsburgh-vegan-week/

Growing our Eastern Pennsylvania Team

This year, HAP significantly strengthened its presence in the east by bringing Eastern Pennsylvania State Director Joshua Marquez into a full-time role based in Philadelphia. Josh now leads regional campaigns and helps drive HAP’s state and federal policy agenda, giving the greater Philly area a dedicated, year-round advocate.

With a PhD in composition and a parallel career as a creative artist, Josh blends organizing, storytelling, and strategy to make advocacy feel both accessible and powerful. His full-time role marks a significant step in building lasting, on-the-ground capacity for animal and environmental protection across eastern Pennsylvania. We’re excited to see how his leadership continues to shape the region!

Wild Neighbors Dance Benefit

This summer, HAP marked its 10th year of animal advocacy with the Wild Neighbors Dance Benefit: A Night of Music, Movement, and Meaning. Held at Pittsburgh Opera, the event was both a celebration and a launchpad for HAP’s Love Your Wild Neighbor campaign, which focuses on humane ways to live alongside urban wildlife.

The campaign offers practical, non-lethal solutions for common conflicts with animals like raccoons, squirrels, and opossums: simple strategies that encourage animals to move on without trapping or killing them. Instead of calling for removal at the first sign of a “nuisance,” residents are guided through small steps they can take to safely resolve the issue themselves while keeping wildlife alive and ecosystems intact. Wild Neighbors also helped fund public art that brings this message into the city’s daily life. Last year, HAP partnered with local muralist Jeremy Raymer to create a mural on East Carson Street featuring a raccoon and the words “Love Your Wild Neighbor.” The dance benefit this year raised money to support the next mural in the series, using large-scale artwork to remind passersby that urban wildlife belongs to the city’s story, too.

By pairing an energetic community event with education, public art, and practical tools, the Wild Neighbors Dance Benefit advanced a broader goal: reframing wildlife not as a problem to be eliminated, but as part of a shared environment that can be managed thoughtfully and humanely.

Learn more about the Love Your Wild Neighbor Campaign here: https://humaneactionpennsylvania.org/love-your-wild-neighbor-campaign/

Cultivating Young Advocates Through YSC

In May 2025, HAP wrapped up the second cohort of the Youth Steering Committee (YSC), a leadership program for high school students focused on animal protection and environmental justice. Over the year, students paired hands-on experiences with systems-level thinking, from visiting Kindred Spirits Farm Animal Sanctuary to earning a Pittsburgh City Council proclamation for establishing a pollinator garden in Homewood, now thriving at Sankofa Village Community Garden. They also met with leaders such as Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker, State Representative Jessica Benham, Ashley MacFarland of Reimagined Recycling, and Keith Allison of the New Roots Institute, gaining a clearer sense of how real advocacy campaigns take shape.

Building on that momentum, the third YSC cohort launched in September 2025. Students from across the Greater Pittsburgh area gathered for orientation and were introduced to their yearlong capstone: designing and creating another pollinator garden. Master gardener and HAP Advisory Council member Dr. Katie Cruger set the stage with a session on why pollinators matter for whole ecosystems, while Program Manager Janay Coleman began guiding students through monthly meetings on animal welfare issues, campaign skills, and enrichment experiences such as a HAP-funded visit to Phipps Conservatory.

Use this link to learn more about the YSC program: https://humaneactionpennsylvania.org/youthsteeringcommittee

Mandatory Animal Welfare Training for Pittsburgh Police 

One of the year’s most significant milestones was the launch of a virtual animal welfare training program that is now mandatory for every Pittsburgh Police officer. The course provides officers with a thorough grounding in Pennsylvania’s animal protection laws, guidance on investigating cruelty and animal fighting cases, and best practices for evidence collection and interagency collaboration. It also emphasizes the documented link between animal abuse and other serious crimes, positioning animal welfare as a public safety issue as well as a moral one.

Officers must earn a minimum passing score, making the training more than a formality. Originally developed as a pilot, the program is now being used as a model for potential expansion to other departments across Pennsylvania. Former Humane Police Officer Angela Fry played a key role in developing and leading the training in partnership with Humane Action Pennsylvania.

Learn more about the Law Enforcement Training here: https://humaneactionpennsylvania.org/pittsburgh-police-animal-welfare-training/

Executive Director Natalie Ahwesh Named to City & State’s “40 In Their Forties”

In October, Executive Director Natalie Ahwesh was selected for the cover and named to City & State Pennsylvania’s “40 In Their Forties” list, spotlighting leaders transforming public life across the Commonwealth. The honor highlighted how quickly she’s helped move animal welfare into mainstream policy, from backing bans on circus animal performances and force-fed products to championing a statewide law that lets survivorimages of domestic violence include companion animals in protection-from-abuse orders. Through both legislative strategy and impactful public education efforts, her leadership keeps tying animal protection, community safety, and sustainability together. This year’s recognition highlights just how far that vision is reaching.

Use this link to read the full article: https://www.cityandstatepa.com/power-lists/2025/09/2025-city-state-40-their-40s/408400/

First-Ever Virtual Lobby Week

HAP recently held its first-ever Virtual Lobby Week, bringing together advocates from across the Commonwealth to meet directly with legislators and staff. Over several days, participants joined online meetings focused on priority animal protection bills, including:

• Senate Bill 879, which would ban the intentional release of balloons statewide to protect wildlife and reduce pollution;
• Senate Bill 412/House Bill 492, which would restore local authority to regulate rodeos and similar events, allowing municipalities to prevent cruelty within their borders; and
• House Bill 1097, which would ban live pigeon shoots, contests in which live birds are released and shot for sport.

Lobby Week also included a virtual training session on effective citizen advoacy–how to prepare for meetings, communicate clearly with legislators, and follow up strategically. The result had both an immediate impact in Harrisburg and helped grow a base of informed advocates prepared to engage year-round.

Poised to Crack the 80-year “Cow’s Milk Only

In December, Humane Action Pennsylvania helped secure a historic federal shift in school milk policy. After decades of “cow’s milk only” rules in the National School Lunch Program, a compromise bill backed by HAP and national partners opened the door for reimbursable plant-based milks in schools.

Through the FISCAL Act campaign and targeted outreach to key lawmakers, HAP helped make the case that milk policy should reflect today’s students, not those of the 1940s. Under the new framework, schools can serve dairy-free milks as part of regular lunch options, and lactose-intolerant students can access a nondairy alternative with a simple note from home. The change is about more than what’s in a carton. It recognizes the health needs of millions of kids, reduces waste from untouched milk, and begins to loosen an outdated, dairy-only model while advancing HAP’s broader goals around equity, animal welfare, and sustainability in one of the most visible public food programs in the country.

The bill has passed both the House and the Senate, and we are anticipating it being signed into law soon!

Learn more about the bill here: https://humaneactionpennsylvania.org/historic-victory-senate-passes-bill-to-end-cows-milk-mandate-in-schools/

Looking Ahead

Ultimately, these 2025 milestones, including statewide rebranding, specialized police training, public-facing events, leadership recognition, and structured legislative advocacy, mark a shift from localized campaigns to a coordinated, statewide strategy.

Humane Action Pennsylvania now enters 2026 with a clearer identity, stronger partnerships, and an expanding network of engaged residents ready to act. The infrastructure built this year positions the organization to pursue even more ambitious animal protection goals in the years to come.