Since May 1st, the dedicated members of Team Vegan have raised over $123,000 for animals. We are so close to reaching our goal of $150,000, which will be doubled to total $300,000! But we only have one week left, and we need your help now to expand our reach for animals!

Team Vegan funds are what fuels our Fall outreach, and we need the full $300,000 if we want to reach the most people possible.

In Fall 2014, we set a semester record of over one million people reached with a VO booklet. That means a million more people were exposed to the truth about animal agribusiness. A million more people learned that there’s a more compassionate way to eat and to live.

We hear every day from individuals who are making changes, taking steps toward cruelty-free living. But our work is far from over. There are so many people left to reach, and we can reach them – with your help!

Donate now to one of our hardworking Team Vegan members.

Thank you!

Monster record day here at California State University in Los Angeles: Becca Balvin, Fabienne Origer, Leron Rabinowiz, Nicole Casares, Kim Moffatt, and I [below] handed out 5,140 Vegan Outreach booklets. No cakewalk either – a lot of grinding it out alone; and the troops even got a bit cranky as we didn’t have water and didn’t wanna miss anyone, lol, so had to make them wait a bit.

I met Becca [below] at Whole Foods: I was just chatting it up with the cashier, and voila – now we are friends, and she is a VO volunteer and wants to leaflet more. She did great her first time out.

Approximately the fourth person Becca handed a leaflet to was Janiece [below, left], who casually mentioned, “Thanks, don’t need one, been veg since I got one of these a long time ago.” I was like, “Really? No way! Where did you get one?” And she told us, and I asked to record her on video real quick.

We also ran into Christine [below, right], who has been veg since getting a booklet and seeing Vegucated and Food, Inc. She credits a vegan diet to having more energy, being healthier, and shedding 40 pounds. She is encouraging her social circle to give it a go and asked to take more literature to show others! She’s also interested in leafleting with us.

Leron met another student who wants to leaflet, and I am emailing her. Many others stopped to talk and ask questions. I met two Catholic students who I had a long talk with and both were fascinated, and more or less expressed they had never thought about veganism in that way and were very sincere and kind and interested in veg eating, and it was a moving interaction for me.

We saw literally a fantastic amount of students reading down the line from where they got a booklet. Especially powerful and enthusing to me is seeing all the athletes engrossed in the new Compassionate Athlete booklet; it is unreal. A total game changer – I had no idea how powerful it would be and how much athletes identify with it, and how easily it dispels some of the central rationalizations and myths about why athletes can’t go vegan.

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Support VO’s Adopt a College leafleting program:
Have your donation doubled today!

This semester, Adopt a College volunteer Kim Moffatt has leafleted 10 different schools, reaching more than 4,300 students; and longtime AAC activist Barbara Bear has leafleted five college campuses, placing booklets into the hands of over 4,000 students!

Exceptional day here at two small schools: Oxnard College and CSU Channel Islands. David [above, left] wants to go vegan, and I had a good conversation with him. Meg wants to go vegan. Hugo [above, center] took literature to give to his whole class. Victoria [above, right] took a lot of booklets to show others as well. Insane amount of readers [one, below, left].

Massive thanks to Barbara Bear for joining today and hosting us and being so generous and delightful. Kim Moffatt [below, center] was great as always.

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Teresa [below, right] was veg for a long time and went vegan about a year ago after a friend showed her one of VO’s booklets. She wants to leaflet when we’re in Oxnard again.

Teresa walked out on a cat dissection even though it will mean a lower grade in the class. She also said there’s no way she’s going back to eating animals / animal products, even though she’s finding it difficult to eat vegan in Oxnard. I gave her a Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating.

There are less than two weeks left to contribute to Team Vegan and receive dollar-for-dollar matching: Choose a team member to support or make a general donation at TeamVegan.org

Your doubled donation = 2 × more booklets = 2 × more vegans = 2 × more animals spared!

By Kassy Ortega, Outreach Coordinator

You may be thinking: “Dogs are carnivores and need meat!” “Dogs wouldn’t eat just plants in the wild.” “Forcing your beliefs on your dog is wrong.” “You are killing your dog.”

Let me respond with the following: Dogs are omnivores. Dogs have been domesticated over thousands and thousands of years – the ones in our homes are no longer “wild” animals. If forcing a healthy lifestyle on my dog is wrong, I don’t want to be right. My dog is happy, healthy, and thriving.

Meet Paco. Paco is an adopted American Staffordshire Terrier, weighs approximately 55lbs and turned 4 years old in February (yes, I threw him a birthday party). His story is similar to most vegans: he was not raised vegan, and became plant-based later on in life.

Image By GuideYourPet

(Patróna on the left. Paco on the right.)

I always had Paco’s well being in mind, so I fed him a high-quality meat-based kibble. Soon after going vegan, I learned that dogs could survive, even possibly live longer, on a nutritionally complete vegan diet. My little guy has been vegan for 2 years, and he is just as healthy as he was on a high-quality meat diet.

Paco lives with my roommate’s dog, Patróna, who is also vegan! These pups will give you the scoop on what they eat, play with, and munch on when they aren’t taking a nap.

Paco’s Faves

Favorite Kibble: V-Dog Dry Kibble

V-dog is the perfect kibble for my little dude. Skin allergies are common for his breed, so the hypoallergenic formula makes this the perfect fit.

Where to buy: Online and in some stores

Favorite Toy: Nylabone DuraChew Double-Action “Bacon” Flavor

For a powerful chewer like Paco, rawhides and femur bones aren’t going to cut it because 1) We know the many hazards that come with “real” bones and 2) Ew. Not all Nylabones are vegan, but the company states: “Dura Chew Bacon flavored bones contain non-meat based flavoring. The ‘Bended Bone’ and ‘Stick’ also contain a non-meat based bacon flavoring. All of these products are flavored with a vegetarian (plant-derived) natural flavoring that does not contain any meat protein. Similar to ‘Tofurky’ and ‘veggie-burgers,’ they have the meat flavor without the meat.”

Where to buy: Any pet store or online.

Favorite Treat: Fruits, Veggies, and Chickpeas

Why buy overpriced treats when Paco is just as happy eating baby carrots? I typically slip the pups a brussel sprout or an apple slice here or there while cooking or making smoothies. Giving Paco fruits and vegetables as treats gives me peace of mind around with all the dog treat recalls, and is much better for my wallet. Note: Some fruits and veggies can be poisonous. Ask Google if a new fruit or veggie is okay to give to your furry friend.

Where to buy: No need to buy, peek in your fridge!

Patróna’s Faves

Favorite Kibble: Nature’s Recipe Vegetarian Formula

Patróna has been fed Nature’s Recipe Vegetarian Formula since day one in her adopted life. It’s an affordable vegan kibble that can be found at most major retailers.

Where to buy: Any pet store or online.

Favorite Toy: Squeaky or Crunchy Stuffed Animals

This little girl loves snuggling and chewing on her stuffed animals! You can buy stuffed animals online or at pet stores. For an eco- and wallet- friendly option, you can always buy stuffed animals at thrift stores (just be cautious of the filling and other hazards).
Where to buy: Any pet store or online.

Favorite Treat: Old Mother Hubbard’s Just Vegg’N Biscuits

Ingredients you recognize at an affordable price ($10 for a 3lb bag!). Who can argue with that?
Where to buy: Any pet store or online.

Read more about vegan dogs from a veterinarian here.

Dedicated Adopt a College volunteer Guy Grayson has leafleted Bramson ORT College 28 times this semester, handing out more than 4,800 Vegan Outreach booklets; and he’s reached another 5,600+ individuals, including many college students, leafleting NYC sidewalks this spring!

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[At Bramson ORT College] I ran into a great, joyous young woman named Marina, who hugged me for my activism; another person interested in distributing pamphlets; another lovely Indian woman named Shamalaya, who needed to get the word out and who was the most emotionally devastated of anyone since I began pamphleting in 2000. She said, “You know they die but…” We called it the torture it is, and that’s the best day of my pamphleting ever. Not because I got the most pamphlets out – not nearly, but I know about five people are changed for life now, and two or three of them are on their way to becoming activists.

I used to only help animals out of duty, no pleasure in return at all, but now I feel thrilled some days, absolutely thrilled. Thanks a million for the Even If You Like Meat pamphlets.

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Have your donation doubled to support VO’s Adopt a College leafleting program today! The more money raised, the more animals spared from suffering.

By Lisa Rimmert, Donor Relations Manager

Not only is Jennifer Mennuti a generous supporter of Vegan Outreach and one of the most dedicated activists I know of, she’s also a member of Team Vegan and has been doing an incredible job raising funds for outreach. Let’s meet Jen!

Tell us about yourself, Jen.

I am VP of Operations for a Landscape Architectural Design/Build company in Boca Raton, FL, which I co-founded in 1999 following my passion for plants. When I’m not working, I enjoy sharing my love of plants by encouraging others to eat them – exclusively! Activism is my favorite hobby because I love sharing “the best thing I ever did” with others so they can experience this lifestyle as well. I’ve met so many friends volunteering in animal protection, that activism and hanging out with friends frequently have merged into one activity. I share my home with two adopted fur kids and three rescued feather kids.

Share with us the story of how you became vegan.

In 1997, I was driving down I-95 in South Florida and got behind a chicken transport truck. I pulled over and had a breakdown, and it had nothing to do with my car mechanics! I could see the birds’ feathers blowing out through the holes and their wings and legs sticking out. I thought it was so horrible that I could no longer support it, and I decided to stop eating chickens, turkeys, cows, and pigs. It was the only time I’ve seen a transport truck in South Florida in 20 years but I’m glad I saw that one!

Unfortunately, I never knew the truth about eggs, fish or dairy until I stumbled upon Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s podcast Vegetarian Food For Thought in 2008 and then decided to go vegan. Shortly after, I watched the original Peaceable Kingdom and decided to do whatever I could to make this abuse stop. I became an advocate for them whenever I could.

How did you get involved with Vegan Outreach?

When I first decided that I needed to get active for animals, many things I read suggested leafleting as a very effective activity and pointed toward Vegan Outreach and your booklets. I ordered a box of Compassionate Choices booklets but was too scared and introverted to hand them out, so I went to the Adopt A College website and searched for people in my area who were already leafleting. I emailed Linda Bower in Miami who happily agreed to ‘take me to school.’ When she showed me how easy it was, I became more comfortable.

Working full time doesn’t allow me to leaflet many colleges, so I try to help animals by donating money, fundraising, leafleting when I can, and cheering on the many advocates who can get out to their local colleges or travel around the country going to others. They are my heroes!

You do so much for VO – from leafleting to donating. What inspires this?

I am most inspired by the knowledge of what is happening to animals; it’s simply so horrific that I can’t stand by and do nothing. I’m constantly motivated by fellow activists who spend their time trying to lessen suffering in the world. Every Saturday night when we show factory farming footage to people on the street in Miami and they ask questions and take information, I am reminded that the general public is mostly unaware and that given the knowledge and resources, they will often make changes that result in less suffering.

What advice would you give to someone reading this who is considering adopting a vegan diet?

Give it a try because it’s probably much better than you think it will be. I dodged it for a long time because I thought vegans just ate salads and I didn’t want to do that. Once people discover the endless variety of new things to make and eat, they can still be vegan and never eat a salad. I encourage them to join vegetarian and vegan meetup.com groups to make like-minded friends and ask questions.

Finally, share with us your absolute favorite meal.

I seem to be on a quest to never repeat a dinner, since I constantly find new vegan recipes I want to try. Picking a favorite meal is difficult. If I had to survive on the proverbial deserted island with just one meal, I’d pick a simple burrito since I make one almost every morning for breakfast! I load up a multi-grain tortilla with beans, green peppers, tomatoes, avocado, and hot sauce!

Thank you, Jen!

By Melissa Li

My family and I are very lucky to live in Portland, Oregon, one of the top vegan cities in the country. You may have read articles about the Vegan Mini-Mall, which features Sweet Pea bakery, Herbivore Clothing Company, Food Fight grocery, and Scapegoat Tattoo. Yes, I hate to rub it in, but it’s a great city to live in, and the vegan businesses are continuing to grow in number and popularity. I love living here!

There are too many veg restaurants to list, and far more that offer dedicated vegan options. I’m very comfortable knowing that when I go out to eat, I’ll undoubtedly have a vegan meal.

I’m particularly lucky that I have all this in reach, because I have a really busy schedule with work, soccer (three, and sometimes four teams), and dogs. I find that I don’t really like to cook, nor do I have the creativity. It’s a catch-22–the more I avoid cooking, the more I fear cooking, and then the less likely I will try it.

I have many cookbooks on the counter, all hidden by bags of vegan snacks–I have yet to make a single dish from any of them–I’m hoping the information diffuses into me like osmosis! And believe me, I’ve tried to dumb down the cookbooks, from The 30 minute Vegan to the 4 Ingredient Vegan–anything to make it easier! This has yet to work.

The farmers markets in this city are reportedly amazing, but I have never even gone because I know I won’t cook the vegetables before they go bad. I’m vegan for ethical reasons not for health–and I’m not a foodie–this may explain my lack of enthusiasm in cooking.

My routine is to have breakfast in the cafeteria at the hospital where I work. It has vegan a la carte options such as vegan burritos and roasted potato wedges. For lunch, there is an amazing salad bar, with kale and pasta salads. There is always a meatless soup option and sometimes it’s vegan. At the grill, there is a vegan burger. On Mondays, my the cafeteria participates in Meatless Mondays.

Dinner is the meal that I have to fend for myself, and I’m comfortable eating essentially the same thing every night. Dinner has slowly evolved from just rice and black beans with salsa to including Daiya cheese, cilantro, red and yellow peppers, red onion, and occasionally chopped Tofurky or Field Roast sausage. With steamed rice already prepared, it used to take only five minutes to make dinner—now it takes a full fifteen!

My weekends are a little more challenging, and for breakfast or lunch, I often have a sandwich with Just Mayo and Tofurky deli slices on top of Dave’s Killer Bread.

I have actually devoted more time to my dogs’ diets than my own. They are also vegan and subsist on Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula mixed with a rotating variety of canned food: Halo Vegan Garden Medley, Nature’s Recipe Vegetarian Stew, Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula, or Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food. I will add water and brown rice to the mix of canned and dried food.

For daily treats, the dogs get an assortment of Whimzees, 3 Dog Bakery Lick’n Crunch Carob sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling, Buddy Biscuits peanut butter, and Wet Noses biscuits.

I like to keep it simple and routine because everything else in my life takes up so much time. However, I continue to make resolutions to strengthen my cooking skills. It would be nice to have a repertoire of meals, to cook for friends, or to bring treats for non-vegan colleagues at work in order to influence them. We’ll see what happens!

Welcome to another edition of our Supporter Spotlight posts!

Keyur and Shilpa Shah are vegan business owners who do so much for animals, including support Vegan Outreach’s grassroots activism around the world. Meet the Shahs!

Tell us about yourselves, Keyur and Shilpa.

We are an energetic family of five! A perfect weekend would include a morning walk with the kids and our rescue dog, some Frisbee football in the afternoon, and hosting friends and family for dinner in the evening.

Share with us the story of your “vegan journeys.”

It all started with the saying “Live and let live.” That philosophy stuck with us, and we realized we couldn’t make another being suffer for our benefit. Once we let go of the thought that we were giving up our favorite foods, it was super easy to adjust our diets. We started thinking of it more as a choice to try new foods, and we actually began to eat more variety than ever before. To be perfectly honest, the first 2 years were difficult. It felt like withdrawal, it felt like we didn’t fit in. But then we began to feel confident in our choices and didn’t impose ourselves on others. That’s when we became more accepted while also being a positive influence in many others’ decisions to take the same journey! Here we are 9 years later…man does time fly!

People always mention how ironic it is that animals were never really Keyur’s thing. He never liked the idea of a pet, or fur around the house. But something about the process of breeding, killing, and eating them was very hurtful to him. So even though animals aren’t cute and cuddly in Keyur’s eyes, suffering for any being can’t be justified. Animals do deserve the same chance at life we do.

Shilpa’s always had a connection with animals. She’s loved the idea to care for one but felt sad with the idea of breeding. We took a dog off death row and he’s been a joy to have!

Tell us about your vegan-owned business!

We were married in 2002 on a tight budget, so we hand made our invitations. We got so many inquiries of where we purchased them that we decided to open our own online business, www.paperandmore.com. We focus on high quality, budget friendly specialty papers, pocket cards, envelopes, and accessories. We personally take care of our customers from start to finish. We’re excited to now offer print services too.

We take pride in the fact that we fill orders quickly while also providing each customer individual attention. We work together with our customers as a team to create exactly what they are looking for to make their special day a classy event!

How did you first get involved with Vegan Outreach?

We ran across Jack Norris hosting a booth at a Veg Fest in 2007. We were new to vegan eating and were looking into financially supporting animals. VO’s booklets popped out to us and we loved the idea of printing these leaflets and handing them out to students…best idea ever! Since then we’ve been close friends with Jack and Team VO!

You’ve supported VO for years. What inspires this?

Just the simpleness…the honesty, the compassion, the collaboration. No job is too small for even the President of VO. They have it worked out to where it all just makes good, honest sense. We know our hard earned money is going straight to helping the animals.

What advice would you give to someone reading this who is considering adopting a vegan diet?

Believe in yourself. Remind yourself the reasons you thought to explore this road. Be kind and forgiving to yourself. And most of all, have fun, enjoy all the new foods, and meet more like minded people!

Finally, share with us your absolute favorite meal.

Hmm…goodness, we can’t choose just one! We always have to toss a coin on deciding to go eat falafel or Thai food.

Thank you, Keyur and Shilpa Shah, for all you do for animals!

Lauren Farnsworth is a member of Vegan Outreach’s Board of Directors and one of our most successful Team Vegan fundraisers. She and her new husband Steve do so much for VO, and we’re incredibly grateful to work with them to make the world better for animals. Meet Lauren!

Hi Lauren! Tell us about yourself.

Hi! I’m a writer of technical and fictional things, and I love to read, hike, and relax with my new husband and two kitties. I live and work in Silicon Valley, but I’m hoping to escape to somewhere less crowded in the future. And I’m an only child, but hopefully that doesn’t explain anything.

You mentioned your new husband. You just married Steve Sprang, another incredible VO supporter. Congratulations! Did you plan a vegan wedding?

Thanks! Yes, our wedding was vegan, from the cotton suit that my husband wore to the dinner we ate at Sanctuary Bistro in Berkeley. They made excellent mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla frosting. I didn’t freeze any for next year – we ate them all!

Our wedding included 10 people at beautiful and historic San Francisco City Hall. My bouquet and my husband’s boutonniere were from Whole Foods. We got our rings from McFarland Designs, which uses conflict-free gems and recycled metal. They donate a percentage of their sales to charity, and we were very surprised when we received a VO flyer in the mail with our rings! It seemed meant to be.

Share with us the story of your vegan journey.

At age 14 I looked down at my hamburger from Burger King and decided that I didn’t want to eat animals. My mother often ate vegetarian, which probably influenced me to become vegetarian. Then as a freshman at UC Davis I took a class taught by former veterinary professor Nedim Buyukmihci about many forms of animal exploitation. I went vegan thinking that I couldn’t eat bread or chocolate – quite a sacrifice for me. I was happily enlightened when a roommate in my dorm introduced me to chocolate soy milk. That was 15 years ago.

How did you get involved with Vegan Outreach?

It probably had something to do with the illustrious leader Jack Norris being part of the Sacramento vegan community. I hadn’t ever fundraised before, but I decided to try raising money for Team Vegan, and managed to meet my goals several years in a row. As I got to know the organization better, and truly trust and appreciate their message and approach, I started donating as well.

You do so much to support and enable VO’s work. What inspires this?

By being vegan, I make a conscious choice at every meal to affect change for animals, myself, the environment, and society as a whole. It takes many voices to create a message that is heard. I feel comfortable with VO and confident in their work, which makes me want to support them in effecting change in the world on a larger scale.

What advice would you give to someone reading this who is considering adopting a vegan diet?

#1 Try it! Sometimes all or nothing works – giving up all animal products in one day. But for many people it’s a gradual process. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Changing your diet is a learning experience and can take time and patience. If you eat a pile of pesto not knowing it included cheese, shake it off and try again next time.

#2 Use judgement. If you’re at your friend’s house all day and they make you a vegan sandwich and you notice that one of the 30 ingredients in the bread is whey, you can thank them, and then mention what your favorite bread is later, and about how you love knowing exactly what’s in your food. My point is that while 100% commitment to veganism is awesome, and I support that, sometimes you can make a bigger difference by making it clear that being vegan is doable.

#3 Indulge a little! If you’re trying to start eating vegan, and also change the style of food (fries to salad), you can let up a little. Eat some vegan ice cream, or get some fries if that helps you make the transition. I’m not advocating junk food all the time, but you can indulge once in a while and remain vegan.

Finally, share with us your absolute favorite meal.

Picking one is too much to ask! Strawberry shortcake is high on the list…cake, pureed strawberries, cream. Macaroni and cheese. And chocolate of course.

Thank you, Lauren, and congratulations again to you and Steve!

Donate to Lauren’s Team Vegan page here.