The Sanctuary Brief: What’s Happening at Winding Branch Ranch This April
- Winding Branch Ranch
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
Spring always brings a shift out here.
Things start moving a little faster. The garden wakes up. The animals change with the season. And more people start finding their way through the gates.
This year, it feels bigger than that.
We’re growing.
Not just in numbers, but in what we’re offering and what this place is becoming.
National Farm Animal Day Matters Here
April 10 is National Farm Animal Day, and it means something here.
Last year, because of this community, the cities of Bulverde and Spring Branch officially recognized the day.
That didn’t happen by accident.
People showed up.
People spoke up.
And it meant something.
This year, we’re working toward having San Antonio do the same.
It may seem small, but it represents something bigger.
That farm animals matter.
That education matters.
That the work happening here is being seen.
Meet Kristen
As we’ve grown our education programs, it became clear we needed someone to help lead that work.
Kristen Akers has joined Winding Branch Ranch, and it’s been a natural fit from the start.
She’s a teacher who’s worked with students of all ages and understands how kids learn best when they’re part of something real. Not just sitting and listening, but doing, moving, and being involved.
She’s creative and connects easily with both kids and animals.
She’s already building out programs that come straight from the work we do every day.
Programs for Kids at the Sanctuary
This season, we’ve opened up more ways than ever for kids to be part of what’s happening here.
These aren’t passive experiences.
They’re hands-on, real, and built around the day-to-day work of the sanctuary.
Cultivate begins April 14.
This program is designed for kids to step into responsibility in a real environment.
They help care for animals.
They work in the garden.
They learn how systems function and what it means to take care of something beyond themselves.
It’s structured, hands-on, and intentionally small.
Summer camps at Winding Branch Ranch are built around themed, immersive experiences.
Kids spend time outside, working with animals, learning about agriculture, and participating in activities that connect them to the land.
This is not a sit-back kind of camp.
It’s active, engaging, and grounded in real experience.
We’re welcoming more schools and homeschool groups than ever.
Field trips at the sanctuary are hands-on, interactive, and built around what students are already learning, but in a way they can actually experience.
They’re not just walking through and listening.
They’re asking questions.
They’re feeding animals.
They’re seeing how things work in real time.
It’s the kind of experience that sticks.
The kind they remember.
And the kind teachers and parents tell us they wish they had more of.
There’s a group that gathers out here each week and gets to work.
In the garden.
In the soil.
In the part of the sanctuary where green things grow.
This is where the farm stand begins.
Where ideas get tested.
Where people come to build something that lasts.
Some people come to learn.
Some come to try things they don’t have space for at home.
All of it works here.
Around the Sanctuary
There’s always more happening behind the scenes.
Movie nights are back this April, giving families a chance to slow down and spend time at the sanctuary in a different way.
We also recently completed a full farm call with our veterinarian, making sure animals across the sanctuary are getting the care they need.
And just around the corner, our Spring Garden Luncheon is coming up, with one table left as we head into a full afternoon at the sanctuary.
If You’ve Been Thinking About Coming Out
This is a season where things are growing quickly.
More programs.
More people.
More opportunities to be part of something real.
If you’ve been thinking about visiting, getting involved, or finding something meaningful for you or your kids to be part of…
This is a good time to do it.
We’ll be out here,
Matthew Aversa
Founder & Executive Director
APRIL 1ST, 2026:
313 ANIMALS RESCUED | 237 ANIMALS REHOMED
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