Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Miller.
Hi Jessie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story really began with a lifelong love for animals and a deep belief that kindness can change the world. Animals were always a safe place for me, especially during some of the hardest seasons of my own life. I am a recovering alcoholic and also spent many years struggling with an eating disorder. As I began healing, I felt an overwhelming desire to turn what I had lived through into something meaningful, something that could help others feel less alone while also giving animals the safety and compassion they deserve.
In 2015, I founded EPIC Outreach. EPIC stands for Educating People, Inspiring Compassion, and it began as a humane education organization. I visited schools, libraries, camps, and community groups, using stories and rescued animals to teach children about empathy, responsible pet ownership, animal welfare, and how the choices we make affect people, animals, and the planet.
At the time, I did not own a farm. I only had a dream that someday I would create a sanctuary where rescued farm animals could be safe and where people, especially children, could meet the animals, hear their stories, and learn to see them as individuals. In 2019, that dream became real when my husband, Jack, and I bought the 7-acre farm on the northside of jacksonville that is home to EPIC today. It is an education farm sanctuary where 75+ animals live at any given time.
What began with a few rescued animals has grown into a home for more than 75 animals, including pigs, horses, ponies, donkeys, chickens, dogs, cats, and other animals who needed a safe new path. Over the years, we have rescued, adopted, rehomed, and helped hundreds of animals while reaching thousands of children and adults through humane education, tours, volunteer experiences, school programs, and community events.
The journey has been beautiful, but it has not always been easy. Running a nonprofit and caring for so many lives comes with tremendous responsibility. There have been financial ups and downs, heartbreaking losses, moments of burnout, and far more requests for help than we have the space or resources to accept. I have had to learn how to fundraise, lead a team, ask for help, make difficult decisions, and continue growing alongside the organization I created.
Today, EPIC Outreach is more than an animal sanctuary. It is a place where animals receive a second chance and where people can slow down, reconnect, and experience compassion in a very real way. The rescued animals become ambassadors who help people understand that every life has value and every act of kindness matters.
When I look back at the woman who once quietly dreamed of helping animals, I do not think she could have imagined where that dream would lead. I certainly did not have a perfect plan or all the answers. I simply kept following the next opportunity to help, saying yes when I could, and trusting that kindness would show me the way.
I am still learning, still growing, and still dreaming about what EPIC Outreach can become. But I know now that some of our hardest chapters do not have to be the end of our story. Sometimes, they become the very reason we are able to help write a better story for someone else.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I started EPIC Outreach and the sanctuary because I wanted to help animals and make a difference. I had no idea that I would also need to learn how to fundraise, manage people, lead an organization, navigate public scrutiny, and somehow keep all the pieces moving at once.
Honestly, rescuing and caring for the animals is the easy part. It is the constant fundraising, decision-making, managing, and pressure that can become all-consuming. There are always more animals needing help than we have space or resources for, and learning to say no has been one of the hardest parts. People do not always see everything happening behind the scenes or understand the weight of the decisions we have to make.
Another challenge is that the sanctuary and nearly all of its activities operate from our personal home. The place where my husband and I live is also where the animals live, volunteers gather, visitors come, events happen, and the work never truly ends. There has not always been a clear separation between EPIC and our personal lives.
Looking back, there are things I might have structured differently from the beginning. But we built this from the heart and learned as we went. Over time, we have become more intentional about setting boundaries, creating systems, asking for help, and protecting our personal peace. I have learned that boundaries do not mean I care any less. They are what allow me to continue doing this work without completely losing myself in it.
There have been plenty of bumps, heartbreaks, and hard lessons along the way, but each one has helped shape both EPIC Outreach and me into who we are today.
We’ve been impressed with EPIC Outreach, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
EPIC Outreach is a Jacksonville-based nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring compassion for people, animals, and the planet. EPIC stands for Educating People, Inspiring Compassion, and education is at the heart of everything we do.
The Education Farm Sanctuary provides a lifelong home for more than 75 rescued animals, including pigs, horses, ponies, donkeys, chickens, dogs, cats, and other animals who needed a safe place to land. We specialize in helping pigs, an often misunderstood and underserved animal in the rescue world, but our work extends far beyond rescue. The animals become ambassadors who help us teach empathy, responsible care, kindness, and respect for all living beings.
Through sanctuary tours, school visits, youth programs, volunteer experiences, workshops, and community events, we create opportunities for people to connect with animals in a personal way. We do have a SPARK youth program which stands for Saving the Planet and Animals with Respect and Kindness. It gives children hands-on experiences while introducing them to compassion, environmental responsibility, and careers involving animals. We also help animals beyond our sanctuary through rescue networking, adoption and rehoming assistance, education for pig families, and support when resources allow.
What sets EPIC apart is that we are not only helping animals in need from difficult situations. We are using their stories to help prevent future suffering by changing the way people think, feel, and act. We believe lasting change begins when someone forms a genuine connection. It is much harder to dismiss an animal once you know their name, understand their personality, and hear what they have survived.
I am most proud that EPIC has grown into a trusted, heart-centered organization without losing the personal connection on which it was built. We are not a large, polished facility. We are a working sanctuary built from the ground up at our home, supported by a small team, dedicated volunteers, donors, and a community that believes kindness matters.
Our message has always been simple: Be Kind. It may sound small, but kindness is powerful. It can change the direction of someone’s day, influence how a child sees the world, keep a family and their animal together, or save a life. We want people to know that they do not have to rescue 75 animals or start a nonprofit to make a difference. Every person has the ability to create a more compassionate world through the choices they make each day.
EPIC Outreach is ultimately a safe haven for animals, but it has also become a place where people feel safe, connected, and inspired. That is what I am most proud of and what I hope readers remember about us.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I am not sure I believe in luck as much as I believe in energy and intention. What we put into the world has a way of finding its way back to us. When we make genuine connections, share stories that inspire kindness, and lead from the heart, more kindness seems to show up. I believe we are all part of that beautiful circulation of energy, what we give grows, touches others, and contributes to the collective good.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.epicoutreach.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/epicanimals2015
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-miller-707b6021/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeKindTV
