Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Honoring the Life and Legacy of Lentil


Editor's Note: Our hearts are heavy after hearing about the passing of Lentil. To keep his legacy alive, CCA will name an Annual Family Retreat and Educational Symposium scholarship for Lentil, so that more children and families can experience the welcoming environment of retreat. We hold Lindsay and Lentil's closest family members in our hearts as we celebrate the life of ambassadog, Lentil Bean. Please enjoy rereading this piece written in 2019 for CCA's 30 year anniversary of "empowering and giving hope to individuals and families affected by facial differences."  

"In my experience, CCAKids represents Community, Compassion and Acceptance.   We aren’t a group of strangers, we are a Family. Through Lentil, I was blessed to find my way to CCAKIDS. Animals love based on hearts not our differences on the outside. They create a non-judgmental bridge between humans and the way life should be lived. Our children can relate to animals because they don't stare, they don't ask questions; they just enjoy the hug.  Little by little, all of us that have experienced this beauty will carry it forward to help change our world one day."

Lindsay K. Condefer
Street Tails Animal Rescue
My Name is Lentil
Mount Laurel Animal Hospital


Lindsay Condefer is an amazing woman no doubt. Before she began her "Chews Kind" activities, she was already active in her community and rescuing animals with Street Tails Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania. Then, along came an adorable French bulldog, Lentil, born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Lentil was one in a litter of five pups all born with facial differences. He was the only one to survive.  Lindsay met Lentil in 2013, fell in love, and became his caretaker. The adorable dog and his story - including the intense efforts Lindsay put in to help him thrive - took the media by storm, with thousands of followers joining little Lentil's journey. His viral success offered Lentil and Lindsay a platform. So with the world's attention, they began raising awareness via their blog, My Name is Lentil, and social media nurturing an enormous Facebook and Instagram following with fun photos, uplifting moments, and eventually genuine, authentic connections with families and children across the country. 


One of the most amazing gifts Lindsay has given the craniofacial community is the gift of fundraising. She's raised over $30,000 for CCA Families to attend the Annual Retreat and continues to give back annually. This loyalty and commitment is something we can never repay, but a love for which we are eternally grateful. We selected Lindsay as one of our 30 Stories because she truly changed the trajectory of our organization. By using her visibility to share the spotlight, CCA has been able to grow into new communities and bring along more supporters than we ever could have without them. Lindsay is truly serving to widen the circle of acceptance for our kids. 


Lindsay continues to visit children with facial differences in the Philadelphia area and across the country with organizations like CCA. She has added more "ambassadogs" to her crew, too, with Sprout coming to the CCA Retreat in 2018 (see photo above). When Lindsay is not traveling with Lentil to visit kids, she saves animals as Founder and President of Street Tails Animal Rescue in Philadelphia, PA, and is raising her adorable daughter, Charlie. 




6 comments:

  1. Oh beanie accomplished sooo much .. I hope his legacy never fades away.. love u bean and all of the children the CCA..

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  2. I still have not stop crying..my heart is full of his little memories but broken at the same time..this little dog with the biggest smile helped me get through some of the hardest times in my life..I will always remember you baby bean!

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  3. Lindsay Condifer is an amazing woman.I have followed Lindsay, Lentil, Sprout and Chia from the beginning. I miss seeing Lentil's face everyday and following his antics! I cannot even imagine the pain Lindsay and Charlie have gone through since his passing.
    Thank you Lindsay for saving his life and giving him all the love and comfort he could ever want!
    You are an inspiration to us all.







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  4. I feel so blessed to have found Lindsay and Lentil on Facebook, starting when he was so tiny and fragile. Heartbroken by his sudden death - but grateful his good work will continue. Excellent legacy. Truly enjoy seeing photos from the retreats and following the success of so many of these beautiful children. Thank you all.

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  5. So well deserved. Lentil will always be with us through this wonderful honor.

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  6. Thank you ALL for making the world a better place. πŸ’–πŸΆπŸ™πŸ»

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