Age: 62.

Address: Spring Township.

Family: Husband, James; one daughter, Andrea Bortz, son-in-law, Michael Bortz and granddaughter, Addison Bortz, 4, all of Allentown.

Occupation: Co-owner of Althouse Karate and Kickboxing in Fleetwood.

Making a difference: Stewart volunteers at Eden Farm Equine Sanctuary, a farm that provides lifetime care for abused and unwanted equines and various other animals. The sanctuary was founded in 1999 on a 14-acre farm in Womelsdorf and is owned and operated by Gayle Cooper.

“That was thanks to the Reading Eagle Berks Country supplement actually,” Stewart said, explaining she read an article about the farm in November 2012 and it touched her heart. “I was looking for something to do to volunteer, and as soon as I read about the horses and that they were in dire need of volunteers, I emailed the farm.”

That weekend, Stewart visited Eden Farm and started there as a volunteer the following Monday. Since then, she has spent four to five hours a day, two to three days a week, helping care for the animals and property in whatever way is needed.

“When this article was in the paper, it seemed like the perfect fit,” she said.

Though Stewart grew up in an urban area, she always has loved horses. She took riding lessons in Mohnton as a girl and started taking lessons again several years ago.

“I pitch in everywhere,” she said. “I muck stalls, I help with the feeding, I take the horses out to pasture and bring them in for lunchtime. It’s mostly physical labor.”

There are six horses, two ponies and one mule at the farm. She also feeds the chickens, geese, turkeys, pot belly pigs, dogs and cats, all rescued animals that reside on the farm property. She rakes the barn, cleans stalls and, from time to time, grooms the horses.

Staff at the farm receive calls from people who can’t take care of their horses or whose horses have outlived their usefulness. They also find horses, destined for kill pens, on the Internet. When possible, staff and volunteers claim these horses and bring them to Eden Farm.

“The horses come first there,” she said. “That’s what impressed me the most. It’s a forever home for the horses. We don’t rehabilitate them and sell them. They stay there for life once they come.”

Eden Farm is a nonprofit organization. It accepts donations and offer sponsorships for horses at $50 per month and ponies at $25 per month. Stewart said there are several regular donors who contribute feed, hay and straw, and many of the volunteers often reach into their own pockets to help cover costs. The farm also does periodic fundraisers.

Stewart’s favorite part about volunteering is her interaction with the horses. She said they are very affectionate, despite their histories.

“Honestly, it’s like they know you are trying to help them,” she said, adding the horses connect with you and learn to trust you. “I’ve learned that horse slaughter is a lot more prevalent than I would have expected, but I’ve also learned an enormous amount of information about care and the personalities of the horses and really how intelligent and affectionate they are.”

Rewards: “It’s the love of animals that I have, it’s so fulfilling,” she said. “It feels good physically to be outside and be around the animals, and the bond with the animals makes it all worthwhile and knowing I did something to make their lives better,” she said. “I never leave there in a bad mood. To know they came from a tough situation and we’re making their lives better makes me feel better about myself.”

Advice to others: “I think it would be there are opportunities out there for everyone that will touch your heart, you just need to look for that right situation,” she said.

Recommended by: Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein, animal welfare advocate/speaker/writer.

– Compiled by Jill E. Sheetz