Special Day to Feed the Cows

Today is the birthday of the most wonderful cowherd boy, Krishna. He is glorified and worshipped by devotees worldwide as the merciful God who spent his childhood herding, protecting, and loving cows. Today, charitable acts to the cows bestow significant spiritual benefits upon the giver.

We have officially launched the Feed the Cows Campaign today in honor of Lord Krishna’s Birthday. We launched the Matching Gift Challenge on August 2. Therefore, when you give to the cows today, you will have your gift doubled in value for the cows, feed the cows, and receive increased spiritual benefits and blessings!

Matching Gift Challenge

The Matching Gift Challenge given by an anonymous ISCOWP member will match every donor’s gift up to a total of $25,000. By September 5, ISCOWP members gave $15,185.65. We are thankful to you for your generosity! $8,814.35 left to meet the challenge! We will announce the challenge’s milestones on our Donate page and in e-newsletters.

Feed the Cows

We start the Feed the Cows Campaign around this time every year because this is the time of year we purchase hay to feed the cows during the colder months. It now takes about 250 bales of hay to feed the herd of 23 cows for one year, costing $18,750. Each hay bale weighs approximately 800 pounds and will feed the ISCOWP herd for one day. Since COVID, each bale’s cost has gone up from $50 to $75. This year, the price has remained at $75.

On this day, Krishna’s birthday,  you can help purchase winter hay for the ISCOWP herd for a day, a week, or a month.

One bale costs $75.
$75 to feed the herd of 23 cows for a day
$525 to feed the herd of 23 cows for a week
$2,100 to feed the cows for a month

Remember, our anonymous matching gift donor will double whatever you give (up to $25,000)! Please follow this link to donate. In addition, we will be providing milestone update reports for the Feed the Cows Campaign and the Matching Gift Campaign on the donate page and in upcoming e-newsletters. Thank you!

Adopt A Cow

Today is an auspicious day to Adopt A Cow or renew a previous adoption subscription. Each year of adoption, you will receive video updates for your cow 4 times a year. To visit your cow, please refer to our visitation program.

Your adoption helps us care for your adopted cow. Together, we are protecting cows and spreading the knowledge of cow protection and diet change. Thank you for joining us for the last 33 years, protecting and caring for cows!

Sad News. Padmaganda Has Passed Away

On August 30, the birthday of Lord Balaram, little ox Padmaganda passed away. Lord Balaram is Lord Krishna’s brother and is known for his association with oxen. So, it was an auspicious time for Padma to pass away. He was one of eight calves rescued from the auction barn in 2014. He was always small, weighing only 45 pounds when he came home to ISCOWP.

As you may know, we recently had a hurricane warning for our area of Florida. As a part of our hurricane preparedness, we opened all the pastures so the cows could go where they desired. The recommended practice here in Florida is to not gather all the cows under roof. Fierce winds and rains can collapse a roof or wall and endanger all the animals.

We have survived eight years of hurricane warnings and never a mishap with any of the cows. The storm hit Tuesday night, and we checked the cows in the morning. We found Padmaganda down. He was alive, and we immediately called the vet. Within 45 minutes, the vet arrived. Balabhadra, Lakshmi, the vet, and her assistant were with him. As the vet tried to ascertain what was wrong and Lakshmi and Balabhadra chanted the Hare Krishna mantra and petted him, Padmaganda peacefully passed away. The vet noticed some marks on his body and concluded lightning struck him.

We have buried him near where he went down and covered him with a Harinama charter, a pavitra garland from Lord Nrsimgha diety in ISKCON Mayapur, and holy water from sacred rivers in India. We are most sorry to send you this news. May we gather together in spirit to pray for his continued peaceful journey.