McKinney, Texas – September 18, 2026 -- FarmHouse Fresh Founder and CEO Shannon McLinden has been named a 2026 BeautyMatter Awards Changemaker of the Year finalist for mobilizing more than 15,000 community members to lobby Congress on the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act.
Beauty brand turns 15,000 supporters into federal lawmakers' inboxes
The bipartisan bill, H.R. 1661/S. 775, would permanently ban the slaughter of horses and donkeys for human consumption in the U.S. and prohibit their export abroad for that purpose. FarmHouse Fresh has used its consumer platform to convert product buyers into advocates who contact their senators and representatives directly.
Industry coalition spans racing, hospitality and therapeutic sectors
McLinden said the SAFE Act has united the horse racing community, beauty, travel and hospitality, therapeutic, and animal welfare industries around a single 2026 legislative push. She cited a recent study finding that 25% of horses transported to foreign slaughter plants suffer 2 to 10 ineffective blows to the head, arguing that no domestic horse population—racehorses, trail horses, or formerly federally protected wild horses—is exempt from kill-buyer purchases at U.S. auctions and sale barns.
CEO lived in a stall for four days to drive national attention
Earlier in 2026, McLinden ran 50 States for Equines, a four-day campaign in which she lived and slept in a stall at FarmHouse Fresh's on-site sanctuary while livestreaming three times daily, urging residents across all 50 states to press lawmakers on the bill.
10-acre sanctuary and GFAS verification anchor advocacy claims
FarmHouse Fresh operates a 10-acre nonprofit animal sanctuary in McKinney housing more than 60 rescued animals, funded in part through a portion of every product sale. The sanctuary earned verification from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) in 2025 and runs a Foster-to-Heal program alongside rescue, rehabilitation and education efforts.
"This award nomination gives us a bigger microphone," McLinden said. "We're using it to say one thing clearly to our senators: Pass the SAFE Act for equines."