04/12/2026
Hello everyone,
This is the post we hoped we would never have to make.
We wish we could have shared this sooner, but we were deep in discussions with the town and needed to wait until we had clarity on next steps.
It became clear over time that the town did not want us here. For three years, we appeared in court nearly every month, hiring lawyers to represent us at each hearing. We tried our best to meet the town’s requirements, but we eventually ran out of funds to continue the fight. The township wanted all of our animals removed from the property and the sanctuary shut down. With no support or resources left, we had no choice but to end the battle.
We know many of you have been concerned about the animals and have questions, so let us address that first: all of our animals have been safely relocated to our sister farms. They are receiving daily care, and we continue to personally pay for and provide all of their feed and needs. We cannot share the exact locations, as doing so could create problems for the farms currently hosting them.
Our property was one of the last two remaining farms in Berkeley Township (you can verify this in the township’s master plan, where our farm is specifically mentioned). The area has since been rezoned to allow for townhouses and condos. Even though the property had the correct acreage and had historically always been used as a farm, the town was still able to issue citations and argue that we were not properly zoned. This led to a lengthy court battle, and unfortunately, the township—with its access to taxpayer dollars—outlasted us.
Finally, we want to be very clear: we started Charlotte Farms with one simple goal—to save animals and give them a safe place to live. Caring for and feeding animals is not a profitable business. The donations we received never came close to covering our expenses, but we kept going because of our deep love for the animals. We know this news will sadden many of you. Please know that everything we did was solely for the animals. No one profited from this. It’s heartbreaking that something so beautiful and meaningful was not valued by the town.
This is not the end of Charlotte Farms. We are actively working to secure a new location in a town that welcomes animal sanctuaries, where our animals can finally have their forever home.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way. Your kindness has meant the world to the animals and to us.
