Cotton Branch Refuge Project

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Cotton Branch Refuge Project ❤️ Providing Refuge Since 2004
🧭 Leesville, SC
📲 on all platforms
🧾 Part of The Refuge Project Network

A refuge for horses, goats, cows, pigs, donkeys, mules, chickens, and turkeys.

10/20/2026

Things are about to CHANGE! Y'all ready?!?

10/19/2026

It's dinner time!

I’ve been in courtrooms. I’ve sat through city council meetings, town council meetings, and more government meetings tha...
10/19/2026

I’ve been in courtrooms. I’ve sat through city council meetings, town council meetings, and more government meetings than I care to count. All because I believe animals deserve better.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this:

Change doesn’t happen just because we ask for it. Change happens when there’s pressure to do what’s right.

We can’t force government agencies or elected officials to act. But we CAN make sure they hear from the people they’re supposed to represent.

And that’s where Cotton Branch’s next initiative comes in. ❤️🐷

Very soon, when you see something posted by me, Josh, or Cotton Branch, you’ll have an opportunity to do more than like it, share it, or shake your head in frustration.

You’ll be able to take action. Real action. Right where you live.

You won’t need to figure out which government agency to contact or who represents your community. We’re working to make that part easier.

And the best part?

It won’t cost you a single cent.

Because helping animals shouldn’t always require opening your wallet. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can give is your voice.

We’re getting ready to put that power into more hands than ever before.

Get ready, y’all. Something important is coming. ❤️

YALL, we are sooo excited!! One of the things Josh and I are most grateful for is how often someone asks, “How can I hel...
10/19/2026

YALL, we are sooo excited!! One of the things Josh and I are most grateful for is how often someone asks, “How can I help?” ❤️

As we get ready to launch Cotton Branch’s new website, we’re especially excited about what it will help us share: over 67 volunteer opportunities, with more ways to put your kindness, talents, and time to work for animals.

Josh, our team, and I have been putting a lot of thought into helping people find a place in this work. Whether you’re 21, 60, or somewhere beyond or between, there’s a place for you at Cotton Branch.

And being part of Cotton Branch doesn’t always mean being here in person. Even if you live far from Batesburg-Leesville, you’ll have opportunities to make a meaningful difference right where you are. 🐷

We’ll always need helping hands at the sanctuary, and we’d love to welcome you here. But we’re grateful that this next chapter will let us welcome more of you from wherever you call home.

Thank you for being the kind of people who keep asking how you can help. We can’t wait to show you what’s coming. 💛

10/18/2026

Fall is here. Levi would like to speak to whoever decided pool season was over. 🐷🍂

He has mud, sunshine, and absolutely nowhere to be. But life wasn’t always this peaceful. Take 30 seconds to hear his story and see what your kindness makes possible. 🤎

Every donation, share, and helping hand gives pigs like Levi the chance to feel safe, loved, and free to focus on important pig business. Like refusing to get out of the wallow.

Thank you for being part of his story. And if you’re new here, welcome to the Cotton Branch family. We’re glad you found us. Levi would greet you, but he’s soaking.

This weekend, we lost a wonderful member of our Cotton Branch family, Andy Sidden. Our hearts are heavy, and we are so g...
10/18/2026

This weekend, we lost a wonderful member of our Cotton Branch family, Andy Sidden. Our hearts are heavy, and we are so grateful to have known and loved him.

We first met Andy in 2017, along with the love of his life, his husband, Kevin. They came to volunteer at Cotton Branch and immediately became part of the CB family. Andy was so happy spending time with all the animals. That very first day, he met a special pig named Bentley and became his monthly sponsor.

A year later, when we worked on the largest pig hoarding case in the nation, Andy stepped up again. This time, he fell in love with Harris and sponsored him, too. He loved receiving pictures and updates about his two sweet boys. We will always be thankful for the love and support he gave them, and for the place they held in his heart.

Andy’s kindness reached far beyond Cotton Branch. He also volunteered at his local shelter, caring for the animals who came through its doors and helping them find homes. As a retired pastor, he had dedicated his life to helping people, too. There were so many ways he gave his time and care to others.

And every week, we could look forward to the beautiful photos of whatever was blooming in his beloved garden. We will miss those photos so much, and we will miss the person who so lovingly shared them with us.

Because of some health issues, we hadn’t seen Andy in person in a few years. The last time we saw him and Kevin was at our Cotton Branch festival in Batesburg-Leesville, right after the COVID shutdowns were lifted. Andy had that smile that was bigger than life, just as he always did, and we were all so excited to spend a little time together.

With the weather finally starting to cool off, we had been looking forward to Andy and Kevin visiting with our mutual friend Donna. It hurts to know we won’t get to have that visit with him.

We send so much love to Kevin, to Andy’s large family, and to his dear friends. We are thankful that Cotton Branch was one of the places where we got to know his kindness, share in his joy, and call him family.

Andy, thank you for the time you gave, for loving Bentley and Harris, and for showing up for animals and people who needed someone to care. You touched more lives than you could ever have known, human and nonhuman animals alike.

You are loved. You are missed. And we hope Bentley was there to greet you with some pig snuggles.

Bright sunshine, a little chill, and pigs who would like to know why breakfast doesn’t come with heated blankets. ☀️🐷🍂Go...
10/18/2026

Bright sunshine, a little chill, and pigs who would like to know why breakfast doesn’t come with heated blankets. ☀️🐷🍂

Good morning from Cotton Branch! How’s everyone feeling today?!? Up and ready, or negotiating five more minutes under the covers? ❤️

Good night from Darè. 🐷🌙 Sleep well, be gentle with yourself, and remember to make your own care a priority, too. You de...
10/18/2026

Good night from Darè. 🐷🌙 Sleep well, be gentle with yourself, and remember to make your own care a priority, too. You deserve the kindness you give to others. 💚

At some point, “my space” quietly becomes “our space,” and then eventually you’re just grateful they left you a corner. ...
10/17/2026

At some point, “my space” quietly becomes “our space,” and then eventually you’re just grateful they left you a corner.

Sometimes we look out at this pasture and just cry.There has been so much hardship. So much worry. Days when we’re exhau...
10/16/2026

Sometimes we look out at this pasture and just cry.

There has been so much hardship. So much worry. Days when we’re exhausted and trying to figure out how to get through the next thing, while still giving everyone here the care they deserve. It’s hard to put all of that into a caption.

So much of this work happens in the middle of ordinary days. Making sure everyone has what they need. Paying attention. Knowing who likes their space and who wants company. Being there again tomorrow, and the day after that. The responsibility stays with us even when we’re tired. We love them, and we want to do right by them.

And then we look up, and there they are.

Grazing. Wandering around with their friends. Finding one more good patch of grass before the sun goes down. Just being pigs, happy and at home.

It stops us in our tracks. These are the lives we all work so hard to care for. Each one has their own personality, their own friendships, their own little routines. And here they are, getting to enjoy another peaceful evening together.

We know these pigs. We know the faces looking back at us. We get to see the little things that make each of them who they are, and we get attached to all of it. Watching them feel comfortable enough to go about their day, surrounded by their friends, means more than we can explain.

That is what we want for them. And we know that’s what our Cotton Branch family wants, too.

Sometimes the worry takes up so much room that we have to remind ourselves to stop and really look. To take in the animals in front of us. To notice that, in this moment, they have what we’ve been working so hard to give them. A place where they can settle in, be themselves, and belong.

When you give, volunteer, share our posts, or help us through another hard stretch, you help make ordinary evenings like this possible. We wish you could stand here beside us and feel what that means.

We wish everyone who has helped Cotton Branch could have a moment here at the fence. You deserve to see the lives your kindness touches. To watch someone wander over to a friend, find a comfortable spot, or spend a few more minutes nosing through the grass. There is so much life here. So much worth caring for.

The hard things are still hard. We still carry them. But looking out at these pigs, knowing they’re fed, loved, and free to spend their evening doing exactly this, brings us to tears.

Thank you for loving them with us. This is what all of us are working for. ❤️

Please help us keep giving them days like this. Your donation helps fill their bowls, provide their medicine, and care for the home they depend on.

🐷 Website: https://www.cottonbranch.org/givetoday

💙 Start a Facebook fundraiser: https://www.facebook.com/fund/cottonbranch/

💛 Venmo: https://venmo.com/cottonbranch
Verification code, if asked: 1802

💚 Cash App: https://cash.app/$CBFarmSanctuary

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Leesville, SC

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