Meet Ginny

Ginny Ginny, the adorable and feisty pig from Virginia, was born in the historic old community of Smithfield. She was raised on a beautiful farm by devoted parents who taught her many important values and life lessons.

Ginny is a spotted pig, and is one of the rare white pigs with dark spots.

She was born with a large spot shaped like the state of Virginia, so her parents named her Ginny - short for Virginia. The heart-shaped beauty mark on her snout has become a charming trademark.

Ginny has a passion for American history. She spends a lot of time reading history books and watching the History Channel.

Pigs are known for their ability to dig things up, which makes her a natural researcher.

In researching her family tree, she learned that her ancestors came to America when Sir Walter Raleigh brought sows to the Jamestown Colony in 1607.

Some time back, while rooting around in her history books, she stumbled on historical evidence that the first Thanksgiving took place in Virginia, not Massachusetts like most people believe. She was captivated by this amazing revelation, and she made it her mission to set the historical record straight.

To take her message nationwide, Ginny is asking the President to pardon a pig in the White House Rose garden this Thanksgiving - a campaign she launched on March 1, National Pig Day.

Remembering the values of compassion and service that her parents taught her, she is using her campaign to benefit the Federation of Virginia Food Banks.

The rest will be history!

Here are some fascinating facts that Ginny learned and wants to share with you:

1493

Christopher Columbus took eight pigs on his voyage to Cuba, as commanded by Queen Isabella of Spain.

1539

Hernando de Soto, who could be dubbed "the father of the American pork industry," landed with America's first 13 pigs at Tampa Bay, Florida.

1607

Sir Walter Raleigh brought sows to Virginia's Jamestown Colony in 1607.

1619

The first Thanksgiving occurred when Captain John Woodlief, a veteran of Jamestown who had survived its "starving time," led his crew and passengers from their ship to a grassy slope along the James River on what is now the site of Berkeley Plantation, for the colonists' first Thanksgiving service on December 4, 1619. There, they dropped to their knees and prayed as the British company expedition sponsor had instructed.

1653

A palisade called "The Wall" was built at the northern edge of the city of New Amsterdam on southern Manhattan Island. The Wall kept out wild woodland pigs that loved to come into the city and root up gardens and rummage trash piles. The street that paralleled the inside of this wall became the known as Wall Street in lower Manhattan, New York City.

1863

President Abraham Lincoln, who visited Berkeley on one occasion, also acknowledged Virginia's first-Thanksgiving claim. To this day, Virginia continues to commemorate its noteworthy event on the first Sunday of each November at Berkeley Plantation, the first Thanksgiving site.