Who is rescuing whom?

Meridian Stiller ’26 grew up in Virginia raising chickens, an experience that proved useful when 20 birds in need of rehabilitation arrived at the Oregon farm Stiller is interning for this summer.

Stiller is working at the nonprofit Sanctuary One Care Farm, which helps people struggling with health issues heal by participating in farm activities and provides a home to animals in need of rescuing or rehabilitation. During their first week at the farm, Stiller was busy caring for the 20 rescued chickens.

“We received the chickens from an egg farm that was shut down for poor conditions,” Stiller recalled. “All the chickens were in terrible shape. They barely had any feathers, they were very hungry, and they had worms.”

Stiller integrated the rescued chickens into the farm’s coop and helped restore their health. The Clark junior created a specialized social reintegration plan for three of the birds who initially were not healing properly, involving individualized care, housing, and medicine. Stiller also made sure that the ailing chickens received adequate time outdoors every day, so they did not grow accustomed to the indoor conditions of their rehabilitation pen.

Sanctuary One is based on the traditional care farm model, which is prevalent in Europe. While providing refuge for more than 700 animals since opening in 2008, farm employees also lead rehabilitation programs for people struggling with mental illnesses, physical disabilities, or substance use, offering an opportunity to reconnect with nature while simultaneously giving back to their community.

“Interacting on the farm helps people recover, but it also helps the rescued animals. It’s a two-way relationship,” Stiller says.

Stiller, an international development and social change and geography double major, received funding to work at Sanctuary One from a Clark Connect summer internship grant via the Career Connections Center. The farm gives Stiller the chance to enjoy the benefits of fresh air and hands-on experience in the farm’s sometimes challenging desert steppe climate.

“It’s fulfilling work to get up in the morning and help the animals. It’s good for me mentally and physically,” says Stiller.

The internship has helped Stiller solidify a career goal of becoming a national park ranger. Their next step is to enroll in Clark’s 4+1 Accelerated Master’s Degree program for environmental science and policy.

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