Longtime Malibu resident Cindy Landon has been given the “Philanthropist of the Year” award by the nonprofit animal protection group Last Chance for Animals (LCA). The honor was presented to her at the organization’s annual benefit gala held at the Beverly Hilton on Oct. 22. Another Malibu resident, rocker Rick Springfield, gave a special performance at the event.
“I’ve supported various animal groups for a long time,” Landon said in an interview. She first met LCA founder Chris DeRose at a fundraiser about seven years ago, and was impressed with how “hands-on and involved” he was, even after 37 years of running the organization.
Last Chance for Animals, which is based in the LA area, has a number of current animal campaigns, including trying to ban China’s dog meat trade, stopping the slaughter of cormorants in Oregon, banning the exploitation of animals for entertainment (including circuses, hunting, zoos, bullfighting, cockfighting, etc.), banning puppy mills, fighting the “ag-gag” laws passed in some states, banning the use of lab animals and many other issues.
The organization is also helping to prevent the extermination of elephants and mountain gorillas by poachers in the Virunga National Park, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Vito Maria, LCA’s director of development, said that in deciding who to choose for the award, organizers look at individuals who contribute not only to LCA, but to other types of causes and other animal organizations.
“Cindy Landon has been involved in philanthropic efforts for decades,” Maria said. “It’s her wide body of work. Plus, over the past seven or eight years, she’s been even more hands-on with LCA than she was previously. She’s pretty involved on a monthly basis, wanting to know what we’re doing and how she can help.
“Her strategy and philosophy is to see measurable results with her donations, and we appreciate that she’s willing to roll her sleeves up,” Maria added.
As president of the Michael and Cindy Landon Foundation, she has also supported and/or hosted events for Doctors without Borders, Free Arts for Abused Children, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network — her husband Michael died of pancreatic cancer — and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Over time, Landon has deepened her personal involvement with the causes she believes in.
“I wanted to get more hands-on, produce documentaries on certain subjects and take things to a different place,” she said.
To that end, she is the executive producer of “Sanctuary,” a documentary about chimps taken from their mothers that was just screened at Paramount Studios. It tells stories of individual used, abused, unwanted and abandoned chimpanzees being rescued.
Another recent documentary project is “The Game Changers,” with James Cameron as executive producer. In it, James Wilks, a former mixed martial artist welterweight champion and vegan, travels the world with his film crew, interviewing successful vegan athletes, including four-time NBA champion John Salley and NASCAR driver Andy Lally.
“The documentary basically shows that we don’t need to eat meat to be strong,” Landon said. “You don’t do a documentary thinking you’re going to make money. For me, it’s all about creating awareness.”
She also put her money where her heart is by recently investing in Plant Food + Wine, a vegan restaurant headed by celebrity chef Matthew Kenney, with locations in Venice and Miami.
“I had no desire to be in the restaurant business, but when Matthew Kenney came to me and told me about his idea, I was ready to jump on board,” Landon said. “To me, it was about saving a lot of animals. It’s completely vegan and cruelty free.”
Growing up in Utah, Landon first became a vegetarian at the age of 14 after seeing a film about slaughterhouses and gave up eating dairy about 12 years ago.
Her big heart for animals extends to her own household, where she has eight dogs, mostly “rescues,” and a 250-pound Mexican hairless pig, Rosie, who was rescued from a lab in Utah. Rosie sleeps in the stables at night, but is allowed to come inside the house from time to time. Landon said Rosie is very well mannered.
“My life is very busy, and it’s always been that way,” Landon said. “I like being active and involved, but I also want time to do the things I love and enjoy in life, like travel and see my family.” To that end, she’ll soon be taking a break from business and investments for an extended trip to Africa, her “favorite place on the planet.”