Jennifer welcomes animals and people into her home with open arms, hoping to give those in need a second chance at life.
After traveling down a winding dirt road near Lake Mathews and navigating a few hills at the end of the trail, you’ll arrive at the entrance of Freyja’s Friends, a farm animal sanctuary. There, Jennifer Lightner will be waiting to open the gate and welcome you in. Once the dust has settled here, you’ll find an acre of land that has saved the lives of numerous chickens, goats, pigs, and even a few turkeys. Jennifer welcomes animals and people into her home with open arms, hoping to give those in need a second chance at life. According to Jennifer, she has taken it upon herself to protect and serve the animals that are most misunderstood—those that would have otherwise been put down and discarded simply because their humans didn’t understand the extent of their needs.
According to Jennifer she always had a soft spot for strays. It started with cats she rescued off the street, then grew to include mice from the pet store. She began fostering, finding homes for dogs online, and with each success, another dog was saved from the pound. Eventually, she took in chickens—first as a curiosity, but then she learned how many people got them thinking they’d be easy to care for, only to abandon them once they realized otherwise. Then came the pigs, when people bought them thinking they would stay small, but when they grew too big, they were left behind. It was around the time she faced the heartbreak of failed IVF treatments that she truly threw herself into caring for animals. It became clear to her that this was where she was meant to be—taking care of the ones others had given up on. Since she wouldn’t be able to have another chance at Motherhood she knew there were still souls that needed the love and care a mother could provide.
Freyj’s Friends is not just for the animals, but also for the human’s who have made mistakes and need community service, the child who is interested in animals and for any person who needs friendship. While the main goal is to save animals and livestock ,Jennifer says one of the most rewarding parts of running the sanctuary is when kids visit and it finally clicks for them—that the animals matter. Jennifer believes that education leads to the prevention of animal abandonment. As far as education is concerned she mentioned that pigs start at about 36 pounds but can easily grow to 200 pounds. Roosters get along just fine when they’re kept together. When you come to the sanctuary she will make sure to explain everything hands-on as she goes through the tour. One key point she emphasizes is that there’s no such thing as a “mini pig”—even the smaller breeds still grow to over 300 pounds, which is something a lot of people don’t realize. And if you’re thinking about adopting a pig, it’s really important to spay or neuter them—especially the males! You definitely don’t want an unaltered male around.
If you’re wondering how you can help the animals, volunteers and donations are always welcome. Jennifer states her focus is on repurposing, reducing, reusing, and recycling. If you can’t volunteer your time she also accepts donations of leftovers—take home any food scraps and bring them back to feed the chickens. Every little bit helps. It is important to remember the ones still waiting for their chance at life. Jennifer cannot do this alone and is always accepting donations, volunteers, and food scraps to help feed the animals. There’s still the pig who was surrendered for simply being too large, the blind rooster on death row, the turkey that wandered into an apartment complex, and the goat who has no home. Where would they go if not for
Freyja’s Friends? Jennifer has managed to protect and care for these animals so far, but she knows the journey is far from over. True success, she says, “will only be reached when all animals are safe”. It’s a big dream, but one Jennifer is committed to—because she understands that her work is not a destination, but a continuous journey with no final end in sight. There will always be work to do, and always animals to save.
