West Place Animal Sanctuary Wins the Defender Service Awards, Presented by Chase

Tiverton farm animal rescue honored among North American nonprofits

Tiverton, RI, November 17, 2025 – West Place Animal Sanctuary has been named the 2025 Defender Service Awards winner in the Honorees category, earning the top honor among U.S. and Canadian finalists. The Rhode Island nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and responsible care of farm animals secured the award following a 17-day public voting campaign in October. The win solidifies West Place’s position among international nonprofit organizations that go above and beyond to serve their communities and make meaningful, lasting change.

This was the fifth year of the Defender Service Awards, which were established to honor nonprofit and charitable organizations who embody the spirit of Defender, the original British adventure brand. It also marked the fifth year West Place has participated in the competition. The top two nonprofits, based on public voting, in each of the six categories were invited to Destination Defender in Temecula, California, for a special awards ceremony on November 15. Shortly after 11 p.m. Eastern Time, with volunteers, student interns, board members, and staff gathered at the sanctuary watching a live stream of the event, West Place Animal Sanctuary was announced as the final winner of the evening.

Wendy Taylor, founder and executive director of West Place Animal Sanctuary, took the stage to accept the award on behalf of the organization she created more than 18 years ago. When asked about this prestigious achievement, Taylor said, “This is an incredible honor and our deepest thanks go to Defender, presenting sponsor Chase, and Honorees category sponsor S&P Global. West Place is profoundly appreciative and grateful for our supporters in the community. Their daily votes are what finally propelled us to the top. Thank you!”

Taylor continues, “West Place is a small, but mighty, nonprofit in the smallest state in the nation. Yet we were able to rally support throughout the Ocean State and beyond to show the world what Rhode Islanders are all about. This is a shared honor with our compassionate community.”

As the winner of the Honorees category, West Place Animal Sanctuary will be awarded a custom Defender 130 vehicle and $30,000 in funding to support its lifesaving mission, educational programming, and workforce development initiatives. Taylor proudly states, “The Defender 130 will expand our capacity to rescue and rehabilitate underserved animal populations, respond to emergencies, and forever change the lives of both animals and our students interns. It is truly transformational.”

Taylor notes that the win is even more special after competing for five years in a row and achieving a second-place finish in 2024. “Not only is this a proud achievement for West Place and the state of Rhode Island, this is an important win for farm animals.” As an organization that provides a critical lifeline to overlooked and underrepresented animal populations, West Place sees the extraordinary resilience and perseverance of farm animals who have endured abuse, neglect, and cruelty. Taylor acknowledges West Place draws its inspiration from the animals it cares for, 365 days a year. “Our animals never give up,” explains Taylor, “and neither do we. We kept at it, year after year, knowing that our efforts would shine a spotlight on farm animal welfare. Ultimately, it is these intelligent, sentient, and deserving animals who have won.”

It will take several months for awards to be disbursed and for West Place and Defender to collaborate on the customization of the new vehicle. In the meantime, Taylor points out that supporters can visit the sanctuary and meet the rescued farm animals in person during the Holiday Shop & Stroll on November 28 and 29. “This is our final public visitors weekend of the year,” Taylor says, “and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by welcoming our friends and neighbors to West Place.”

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About West Place Animal Sanctuary

West Place Animal Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that rescues, rehabilitates, and responsibly cares for abused and neglected farm animals. Founded in 2007, it is the oldest and largest sanctuary of its kind in Rhode Island, and it is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility that assists sick, injured, and orphaned waterfowl and game birds. West Place offers interactive, educational tours as well as volunteer opportunities and humane education and workforce development internships for students. The organization relies on public support to create a more compassionate community.