Keep your toes cozy this fall while sparing animals from suffering!
These fabulous Vegan Outreach socks are back by popular demand and available only until Wednesday, November 2.
Get your pair now and show your friends you “stand” for animals! Every pair you purchase will benefit VO’s work to persuade more people to go vegan!
Socks are $14 per pair, plus shipping. Materials are 75% bamboo rayon, 22% nylon, and 3% elastane. One size fits all. Hand-printed at a family-owned, U.S.-based company, using fair labor practices. Packaging made from recycled paper.
By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
Karla Reyes and Victor Flores
Last spring when I was leafleting in the American Southwest, I stayed with an incredibly kind and strongly motivated family whose newfound mission was to save as many animals as possible.
When I met Karla Reyes and Victor Flores, their four children, and the rest of their lovely family, none of them had been vegan for even a year, yet their passion and enthusiasm to raise awareness about animals was as strong as those who have been in the movement for years.
Karla’s mother and aunt live in Texas in El Paso, which is where I stayed, and Karla, Victor, and their kids live about two hours northeast in New Mexico in a small mountain town called Cloudcroft.
I’d never even heard of the town until I met Karla and Victor, and I remember wondering to myself whether or not they were actually being serious when they talked about living in a place called Cloudcroft. Maybe I’m the only one that thinks the name of this town sounds like a space alien video game?
The town of Cloudcroft and the surrounding area has a combined population of about 2,000 people. Needless to say, after Karla and Victor went vegan, they didn’t have a great selection of restaurants and grocery stores to enjoy tasty vegan meat and cheese alternatives. More importantly, there wasn’t an established vegan community nearby that this family could connect with.
Despite living in a small town where the words “animal rights” and “vegan” were pretty much unheard of, Karla and Victor started seeking out people who’d be interested in hearing about veganism—whether it was for health, animal, or environmental reasons.
The couple initiated the Otero Veg society—Otero being the county where Cloudcroft is located—and they started tabling at various events in and around New Mexico and Texas.
New Mexico State University Alamogordo Annual Diversity and Inclusion Fair
A little more than a year has gone by since Victor and Karla started their community building, and the changes they’ve made in and around Cloudcroft are unprecedented. A few weeks ago, I received the following message from Victor in an email—
Since you last visited the area, our group has grown. And since the Earth Day Fair, we have been non-stop! We’ve done a few health fairs and cancer 5Ks, shown movies, hosted numerous potlucks, and we’ve convinced two restaurants to prepare vegan dinners for anyone wanting to come.
Our first potluck had 15 people, the second one had 22, and the last one we did at a park had 24. The Asian dinner we hosted had 26, and today’s Greek dinner had 32!
We are also organizing our first Thanksliving potluck for November and we have a few other things planned for the future. We have met with Albertsons and they are bringing in tons of vegan options after we gave the store suggestions and helped them promote their new vegan food products. They now carry Gardein, Beyond Meat, Sophie’s Kitchen, Carla Lee’s Nut Tacos, Daiya, Follow Your Heart, Lightlife, and tons of other things we have told them about. They are now stocking raw cashews, nutritional yeast, and vital wheat gluten for some seitan!
We’ve also been active in nearby Alamogordo, NM, population about 30,400. We were at the New Mexico State University Alamogordo Diversity and Inclusion Fair and I got the university to let me leave pamphlets in the students’ lounge permanently,
Some members of the group will be tabling at another health fair at a popular resort casino in the area! We are slowly starting to get the help, instead of just me and Karla being out there by ourselves! Good things are happening!
Otero Veg September PotluckKarla Reyes Talking with Curious Health Fair Attendees at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, NM
Karla and Victor’s incredible efforts remind me of a quote I once read—“We all have a super power—it’s called initiative.”
Their story is a great reminder that no act is too small when it comes to helping animals and forming a community of people who are like-minded. It’s also a good reminder that your environment, even if it seems unlikely, can change starting with only one or two voices.
Thank you, Karla and Victor, for being an ongoing inspiration in my personal vegan journey and now to several other people who have learned about your inspiring work in and around Cloudcroft! Please keep it up!
By Alex Bury, VO Organizational Development Consultant
The Herbivorous Butcher’s Founders, Aubry and Kale Walch (Photo: The Herbivorous Butcher)
Back in August I traveled to Wisconsin to visit family members and friends who live in the area. That hot summer week in the Midwest left me with 1 cucumber, 12 cherry tomatoes, 4 mosquito bites, and a ridiculous amount of vegan jerky.
Ok, who’re we kidding? You can never have enough vegan jerky.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering—yes, it’s a little tricky to pack ripe tomatoes safely in your suitcase!
My hosts were master gardeners, and while I was there I helped harvest a ton of different veggies, melons, apples, herbs, and more. I also did some weeding. To be clear, though, I spent less than 8 hours total sweating and bending over. I mostly cooked and ate the produce while the true gardeners did the outside dirty work! We had great vegan meals all week long!
I’ve a new appreciation for the farm workers who spend endless hours in the sun harvesting all the produce I love to eat, and for people like VO’s Brenda Sanders who start and manage community gardens in food deserts. If you want to know more about food deserts, check out David Carter’s recent post on this topic.
On my way home, I made a special stop at The Herbivorous Butcher in Minneapolis, MN. If you’re vegan or leaning vegan, you’ve probably heard the buzz about this place—an all vegan butcher shop! It’s bright, airy, clean, and designed to look exactly like a traditional butcher shop.
If you’re not leaning vegan yet and you’re confused about why a vegan wants to visit a butcher shop—because YUM!
In all honesty, though, I don’t know a single vegan who stopped eating meat simply because they didn’t like the texture of animal meat.
Vegans go vegan because they learn how animals are tortured and killed in slaughterhouses, they want to improve their health, they’re upset by the environmental impacts of meat, or they don’t agree with the way slaughterhouse workers are treated—or all of the above!
We were greeted warmly as soon as we entered the shop and immediately offered samples. There were huge cooler cases—the old fashioned meat case kind—full of vegan meats and cheeses, as well shelves full of vegan treats like cookies and spreads.
The staff seemed to be having a blast—working fast, but smiling and laughing. We told them we were feeling overwhelmed and didn’t know how we could possibly choose what to sample. They told us to relax and take our time. I suspect they get that comment from customers all the time.
Vegan Porchetta
By the time I left Minneapolis, I had a ¼ pound of each type of jerky. I would’ve left with a lot more, but most of their products need to stay cool. Note to self—the next time I’m anywhere near Minneapolis, bring several massive coolers!
That just meant I had to do more sampling when I was there! I tasted their feta cheese—literally to die for—and a turkey slice, which was moist and wonderfully savory. The jerky was very rich and chewy, but not so hard that it hurt your teeth—just enough “tooth bounce” to really give it some oomph.
Jerky Sample Plate—Teriyaki, Cajun, Salt N’ Peppa, and Korean
If you’re like me and mourning the fact that you don’t live near Minneapolis, but you want to try The Herbivorous Butcher’s vegan meats and cheeses, hop on over to their website! You can order several of their products online. It’s guaranteed you’ll find something deliciously fitting for your taste preferences!
Social media addicts—be sure to check out The Herbivorous Butcher on Facebook and Instagram!
On October 12, 2016, TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, announced a policy change that can’t be easily ignored—
[The company] announced its commitment to launch a set of industry-leading actions, including changes to its policy on selling tickets to animal attractions, and the launch of a new education portal to help inform travelers about the standards of care for wild, captive, and endangered species in tourism and their interactions with tourists, and their impact on wildlife conservation.
This is a huge step in the right direction in terms of raising awareness about wildlife captivity.
To read more information about TripAdvisor’s recent decision, check out the full press release on their website.
By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
Photo: Erin Parker / TheSpeckledPalate.com
I remember the first time I made no-bake cookies in my 5th grade Home Economics class. I was thoroughly confused since the only type of cookie I’d made up to that point was chocolate chip and sugar cookies. I remember thinking to myself, “how can we make cookies without baking them?”
The world of no-bake cookies slowly opened its door to me that day, and the door swung wide open when I became vegan and started reading more food blogs. It’s incredible what you can do with a few ingredients and zero heat.
When I started sharing recipes for this blog, I knew it was only a matter of time until I shared a recipe for no-bake cookies. And when I recently came across this No-Bake Pumpkin Cookie recipe, I knew the time had come.
By Jamila Alfred, VO Maryland/DC Events and Outreach Coordinator
We all know Russell Simmons as being the ultimate businessman and professional hustler, but not everyone is familiar with his relaxed, compassionate side.
Who would have thought that the long-time hip-hop mogul would become a hardcore yogi, let alone a super-passionate vegan? I definitely didn’t, so reading his engaging book, The Happy Vegan: A Guide to Living a Long, Healthy, and Successful Life, not only helped me learn more about him, but it also reminded me of the main reasons why I chose to live vegan.
The books starts with Simmons telling his personal story of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle and all the cognitive dissonance that came along with it. His experience was similar to many—he ate a lot of animal foods, dabbled in recreational drugs, and overall wasn’t feeling healthy. With his discovery of veganism he now has more energy and zest, which prompted him to share his newfound happiness with the world.
Simmons sectioned off the top factors that concern vegans—ethics, environment, and health—but he also discussed issues that affect communities of color, namely African-Americans. He touched on the concept of soul food being “slave food” since it derived from the time when African slaves were given the scraps of animal carcasses and other swill as meals. I was glad that he touched on this because not many people know about this important historical fact.
His conversational tone and personal stories made this such a fun and relatable read! Simmons, like many other people, thought that by giving up animal products he would be betraying his heritage and culture. He explained that those animal products—among other things— have been killing fellow African-Americans for centuries and invited people of color to understand that veganism is just as much for them as it is for anybody else.
Simmons dropped so much knowledge in an entertaining yet laid-back way, which I’m sure, converted many pre-vegans. It’s clear he wrote this how-to guide for middle-aged people of color, and for that I’m truly grateful! Marginalized groups aren’t usually included in the vegan message, so I think it’s a good idea for people like Russell to continue to speak up for his community.
Get yourself a copy, give it to a friend, and let us—or Russell Simmons himself—know how much you liked it!
[T]hese are American-flagged boats that are American-owned. And they have American captains. And they’re fishing in a U.S. fishery managed by the federal government. There’s a fleet of about 140 boats with about 700 crew members. Almost all are non-citizen, undocumented men from Southeast Asia in the Pacific. They don’t have visas. And they are never allowed to come onshore.
This super simple Creamy Tomato Thyme Soup will satisfy your craving for a warm meal as the fall temperatures continue to drop.
To make this a heartier meal, I highly recommend serving the soup with a vegan grilled cheese sandwich! And if you’re over the age of 10, don’t worry there’ll be no judgment. You’re never too old for grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Creamy Tomato Thyme Soup
Yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 28 oz can of tomatoes, diced, crushed, or pureed
½ cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon salt, you can omit this if the canned tomatoes are salted
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
1 cup water
Directions
In a medium-sized pot, heat olive oil on medium low heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute lightly for 2-3 minutes.
Add canned tomatoes and all other remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes, until heated through and fragrant.
Serve as is or blend to desired creaminess. You can use either an immersion blender or you can transfer to a blender and puree in batches. If you’re using a traditional blender, be sure to let the soup cool before blending.
By Katia Rodríguez, Mexico Campaigns and Spanish Media Coordinator
I recently traveled from Mexico to Los Angeles, CA to give an informational presentation at All Saints Episcopal Church in the Highland Park neighborhood. The event was part of VO’s Community Engagement Initiative (CEI) and was organized by Roxanne Hill, VO’s Events and CEI Manager.
The community at All Saints has a large Latino population, so I was invited to give a talk in Spanish about the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet. There were about 20 people in attendance, and I discussed the benefits a plant-based diet can have for people’s health, the environment, and the animals that are raised and killed for food.
As people started showing up we discovered that some of the attendees weren’t native Spanish speakers. I ended up giving the presentation in both English and Spanish—we didn’t want anyone to feel left out!
The group was very interested in what I had to say! Many of the attendees interrupted me several times—agreeing with what I was saying and sharing personal experiences.
One woman told the group that when she was younger she lived with multiple pigs and there was one pig in particular that she cared deeply for. She described how after that special pig was killed they cut her open and she still had babies inside. She cried a lot and gave up eating pigs at a really young age.
Other people in the audience shared that they have high blood pressure and cholesterol and are interested in making dietary changes for their health.
At first, it seemed like the audience’s main motivation for taking interest in the topic was for health reasons, but they were also quite shocked when I explained what happens to animals in factory farms. They were also concerned about the environmental problems caused by animal agriculture, especially water issues in this drought-ridden state. I was very moved by how grateful this community was for my presentation.
And after the presentation and thoughtful discussions, it was time to eat!
Derek Rogers, The Nomad Vegan, cooked us a delicious vegan dinner! The menu consisted of—
Tofurky Chorizo and Chick’n tacos
Melissa’s Red Kidney Beans
Follow Your Heart Sour Cream
Rice
Ripe avocado slices
Watermelon and jicama salad
Trader Joe’s Soft-Baked Snickerdoodles
Derek Rogers—The Nomad Vegan
It was really fun to see people try these products for the first time and love them! They even insisted Chef Derek come out of the kitchen so they could thank him for the delicious meal!
Everyone was happy to know they weren’t contributing to what’s happening to animals on factory farms. In fact, they repeatedly asked when we’d come back to their community—I truly believe these individuals will make changes to their eating habits!
I’d also like to give a special thank you to David Hertel, who helped set up tables and chairs, assisted with technical issues, and also helped with the cooking and cleaning!
By Katia Rodríguez, Mexico Campaigns and Spanish Media Coordinator
My coworker—Emmanuel Márquez, VO’s Mexico Outreach Coordinator—and I have been traveling together since August. We’ve leafleted in seven different states throughout Mexico, visited several campuses, and have met a lot of young people willing to change their diet for animals.
We’ve handed out over 82,000 leaflets so far, and we’re very grateful because we’ve had some really amazing volunteers join us as we go into different cities. Some of them were experienced volunteers that support us every time we visit their city, and others were new volunteers that ended up loving the experience.
One very special volunteer we met along the way was a 9-year-old boy named Emiliano.
Before getting into all of the details about Emiliano, I would like to talk about his incredible parents. Emiliano’s parents went vegan after hosting Emmanuel in 2015 when he visited Xalapa, Veracruz to do campus outreach. They are loving and supportive parents that teach respect and compassion to their children.
After talking with Emiliano, we became more and more amazed by his compassion and empathy.
A good example of this was when Emiliano visited an animal sanctuary in another state and met two dogs that were siblings. He fell in love with one of the dogs, but told his parents that he wouldn’t be able to adopt just one of the pair. Emiliano could see how much these dogs loved each other and didn’t want to separate them.
His parents decided to let Emiliano adopt both dogs.
When Emiliano heard what Vegan Outreach does, and how many animals a person can save by leafleting, he was very curious about the activity. Emmanuel and I invited him to leaflet with us and he immediately said yes! We gave him a Vegan Outreach t-shirt and he could hardly hold back his tears.
After giving him some quick tips on how to leaflet, he was leafleting like a pro! This 9-year-old superhero handed out 400 leaflets in a single day!
After leafleting, we invited him to go to a restaurant with us where he could enjoy a vegan hot dog!
Emiliano’s parents thanked us for inspiring him, but, honestly, he inspired us. He wants to change the life for millions of animals and he’s off to a great start!
