As the Outreach Coordinators’ leafleting tours come to an end, we’d like to acknowledge this semester’s most prolific leafleters of Vegan Outreach’s Adopt a College Program.

We’ve asked each of the top leafleters to share their favorite memory from this past semester—their stories will surely leave you feeling inspired!

If you missed Part I of this two-part series, get caught up here.

Alexis Clark, Outreach Coordinator

“The memory that really sticks out for me this semester was leafleting Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY. Not only was everyone incredibly friendly, but they were so interested in learning more about speciesism and veganism in general.

I had several engaging and unforgettable conversations with students, including one student I’m still in contact with today. I’ve given him a ton of resources, social media pages to follow, recipes, etc. He’s working on his full transition to vegan living!”

Alexis leafleted at 63 schools this semester and distributed 41,685 leaflets.

Jevranne Martel, Outreach Coordinator

“One memory that stands out was an interaction I recently had on Prince Edward Island. When I arrived in Charlottetown, I headed downtown to do outreach. I handed information to two younger gentlemen who quickly turned around to ask for more information. They were really excited to see activism happening on the island because they’d been learning more about these issues.

One of them not only wanted to go fully vegan but also wanted to get more involved and do activism. We had a wonderful, detailed conversation. I’m certain he will be an amazing activist for the animals!”

Jevranne leafleted at 58 schools this semester and distributed 32,695 leaflets.

Rachel Shippee, Outreach Coordinator

“My favorite memory is from the first day of the semester when I leafleted at the University of Iowa. I met a student, Breanna, who stopped to let me know she went vegan after receiving a Vegan Outreach booklet last year. We also had a great team of volunteers that day and handed out over 4,000 leaflets! It was a great start to the semester.”

Rachel leafleted at 33 schools this semester and distributed 39,499 leaflets.

Sam Tucker, Australia Outreach Coordinator

“My favorite day of outreach this semester was at Victoria University, in Melbourne, Australia. Vegan Outreach, Animal Activist Collective, and Truth Riders all worked together to support the launch of the Victoria University Vegans club.

We handed out 1,100 leaflets and about 30 people watched Animal Equality’s iAnimal Virtual Reality. We showed videos on TV screens, wrote chalk messages, plastered the campus with posters, fed countless students delicious vegan food, had in-depth conversations about reducing consumption of animal foods, and nearly 100 people signed up to join the new vegan club on campus!”

Sam leafleted at 34 schools this semester and distributed 55,723 leaflets.

A huge congratulations to these Outreach Coordinators and those highlighted in Part I.

And a big thank you to all of Vegan Outreach’s supporters—who directly fuel our work—Outreach Coordinators, and volunteers! Because of you, many animals will be spared a life of suffering.

Donate in honor of a leafleter today to keep their work going.

 

Review by Lori Stultz, Communications Manager

If you were a kid in the late 90s and early 2000s—or a parent to young children during this time period—you probably remember when Yoplait’s Go-Gurt made its way into grocery stores and quickly became all the craze and hype. As a kid who didn’t know what goes on in the dairy industry, I thought tubed yogurt was pretty darn cool. It required no utensils, and it gave kids a perfectly valid excuse to slurp their food.

I admittedly ate this kid-marketed snack all the way through high school. And even as a five-year vegan, I still feel a sense of nostalgia whenever I see tubed yogurt. Not nostalgic for the taste, but for the memories of childhood it brings to mind.

I didn’t anticipate eating a tubed yogurt again simply because there wasn’t a vegan version. But last week, as I was scanning the non-dairy yogurt section at a nearby natural food store, I laid eyes on one of Kite Hill’s newest products, Almond Milk Yogurt Tubes. Yes, you read that right. Vegan tubed yogurt.

After picking up the remaining items on my list, I gleefully drove myself home, marched my adult self up to my apartment, and enjoyed a delicious Wild Berry yogurt tube. The yogurt was deliciously creamy, but not-too-sweet. I finished with a smile and a slurp, of course.

If you want to join me in the happiness of eating vegan tubed yogurt, head on over to Kite Hill’s website to see where you can buy a box. And while you’re there, check out the other new products Kite Hill has recently released, including Greek-Style and drinkable yogurts.

Attention vegan parents! In just a few short days, you’ll have access to a great new resource on vegan parenting—a free digital magazine!

This project was initiated by our friends behind the website Raise Vegan and will cover everything from planning for children, conception, how to handle skeptical family members, delicious recipes, and printable charts with nutritional information.

The first issue of the Raise Vegan magazine is set to release on December 15 and will be published in Spanish and English. By the end of 2018, the magazine will be in multiple languages.

Sign-up to receive the magazine by subscribing here.

If you’re a vegan parent raising vegan children and you’re interested in contributing to the magazine, email Tianna to see how you can get involved!

What’s cuter than pigs at Christmastime?

Help promote peace for animals by sharing this adorable and impactful video!

Produced by LivelyDays.

You can both liberate animals and earn $25 per hour for your favorite animal charity by helping the Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) leaflet a Winter Jam concert in your area.

Winter Jam is a traveling Christian concert festival that attracts thousands of young people to each event. It runs from January 5–March 31.

Peak leafleting time is from 5–7 pm.

The CVA will provide you with their Christian-oriented booklet, Joyful, Compassionate Eating and guidance. In exchange for leafleting, they’ll donate to the animal charity of your choice!

The audience is mostly young, very polite, and receptive to our message—and you don’t need to be Christian yourself!

Please check out the list of the Midwest and East dates (also listed below)—with the West Coast dates coming soon!—on the Winter Jam website.

To get involved, contact Lorena at [email protected].

Thank you!

Winter Jam Dates — Midwest and East

JAN 5, 2018 — Charleston, WV — Charleston Civic Center
JAN 6, 2018 — Louisville, KY — Freedom Hall
JAN 7, 2018 — Grand Rapids, MI — Van Andel Arena
JAN 12, 2018 — Jacksonville, FL — Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
JAN 13, 2018 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
JAN 14, 2018 — Sunrise, FL — BB&T Center
JAN 18, 2018 — Reading, PA — Santander Arena
JAN 19, 2018 — State College, PA — Bryce Jordan Center
JAN 20, 2018 — Columbus, OH — Schottenstein Center
JAN 21, 2018 — Charlotte, NC — Spectrum Center
JAN 25, 2018 — Springfield, MO — JQH Arena
JAN 26, 2018 — Des Moines, IA — Wells Fargo Arena
JAN 27, 2018 — St. Louis, MO — Scottrade Center
JAN 28, 2018 — Tulsa, OK — BOK Center
FEB 1, 2018 — Mobile, AL — Mitchell Center
FEB 2, 2018 — Nashville, TN — Bridgestone Arena
FEB 3, 2018 — Atlanta, GA — Philips Arena
FEB 8, 2018 — Ft. Wayne, IN — Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
FEB 9, 2018 — Cleveland, OH — Wolstein Center
FEB 10, 2018 — Indianapolis, IN — Bankers Life Fieldhouse
FEB 11, 2018 — Detroit, MI — Little Caesars Arena
FEB 15, 2018 — Evansville, IN — The Ford Center
FEB 16, 2018 — Pittsburgh, PA — PPG Paints Arena
FEB 17, 2018 — Cincinnati, OH — U.S. Bank Arena
FEB 18, 2018 — Birmingham, AL — Legacy Arena at the BJCC
FEB 22, 2018 — Tupelo, MS — BancorpSouth Arena
FEB 23, 2018 — Knoxville, TN — Thompson-Boling Arena
FEB 24, 2018 — Greensboro, NC — Greensboro Coliseum
FEB 25, 2018 — Chattanooga, TN — McKenzie Arena
MAR 2, 2018 — New Orleans, LA — Lakefront Arena
MAR 3, 2018 — Memphis, TN — FedExForum
MAR 4, 2018 — Houston, TX — Toyota Center
MAR 9, 2018 — Wichita, KS — INTRUST Bank Arena
MAR 10, 2018 — Bossier City, LA — CenturyLink Center
MAR 11, 2018 — N. Little Rock, AR — Verizon Arena
MAR 15, 2018 — Council Bluffs, IA — Mid-America Center
MAR 16, 2018 — Kansas City, MO — Sprint Center
MAR 17, 2018 — Oklahoma City, OK — Chesapeake Energy Arena
MAR 18, 2018 — Ft. Worth, TX — Ft. Worth Convention Center
MAR 22, 2018 — Augusta, GA — James Brown Arena
MAR 23, 2018 — Columbia, SC — Colonial Life Arena
MAR 24, 2018 — Raleigh, NC — PNC Arena
MAR 25, 2018 — Greenville, SC — Bon Secours Wellness Arena
MAR 29, 2018 — Peoria, IL — Peoria Civic Center
MAR 30, 2018 — Chicago, IL — Allstate Arena
MAR 31, 2018 — Lexington, KY — Rupp Arena

This fall, Vegan Outreach released it’s newest booklet, What is Speciesism. We’ve received positive feedback from our Outreach Coordinators about the impact this particular leaflet is making on college campuses across the country.

Are you familiar with the term? Check out this 60-second video produced by VO supporter, Eric Day, to get a brief overview.

Will you help us make speciesism a well-known concept? Share Eric’s video on social media and order VO’s What is Speciesism booklet online—grab a few friends and leaflet in a public place where open-minded people roam.

By Janet Kearney, Guest Contributor

Janet is the founder of Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting, the largest vegan parenting group in the world. She also owns Raise Vegan, an online resource for parents who are raising or considering raising their families plant-based. Find her on Instagram if you have any questions.

Stumped on what to buy your little vegan this holiday season? Here are some recommendations on what to wrap up and stick in their stocking or under the tree. These gifts are unique, human and animal-friendly, and will have them grinning from ear to ear.

Bath Bombs

If there’s one thing kids love, it’s making a mess and seeing their devoted parents cleaning up after them. Why not make your life that wee bit more entertaining—what were you planning on doing on a Saturday night anyway?

Bath bombs fizz, bubble, and will generally make your kids really happy until their little fingers have gone the great old wrinkly way.

Kids’ Cookbooks

Despite what it feels like now, your kids will fly the coop one day. And when they do, they’ll need to know more than how to burn water and order fries. Getting kids involved in cooking also provides opportunities for parents to explain why they choose not to eat animals.

And you never know—if the kids cook their own broccoli, they might even eat it!

Clothing

We know that vegan festival season is right around the corner, and your cool little vegan needs the latest trends. Have them prepared with their not-too-aggressive, but eye-catching shirt that lets others know there’s a mini vegan activist in the works.

A quick google search will give you plenty of vegan clothing options, or you can check out Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting for some ideas. For example, the Herbivore is an awesome shirt with all the fun and animal-loving messaging.

Happy Kitchen Vegetable Stickers

Simple Happy Kitchen has a range of plant food stickers on their site, but my favorite is the cutout vegetable characters, such as Tomato Face and Mr. Pedro Almondvar. They’re a riot!

I’ll be scraping these off the walls for all of 2018—join me!

The Pet Tofu

This little Pet Tofu is a step-up from the pet rock days and is a sure way to please your little ones. All Pet Tofus are made to order, come with their own little home, and are ready to be named and taken for daily walks.

Eco-Friendly Water Balloons

Depending on where you live, these might be a gift that gets stored away for the warmer months. These water balloons are reusable, animal-friendly, and would be a welcome addition to bath time or the summer-time picnic.

Have more ideas on what to buy vegan kids? Leave a comment below and tell us!

Victor Sjodin, Vegan Outreach’s Director of Outreach, has been leafleting college campuses throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico since 2008. In this time, he’s reached over 875,000 individuals with a Vegan Outreach booklet.

Aside from his personal leafleting accomplishments, Vic paved the way for Vegan Outreach’s successful outreach programs in Mexico, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Most recently, he’s spearheaded our expanding outreach in India.

Check out the video below to get a glimpse into the life of this truly one-of-a-kind activist—one we’re very happy to have as a part of the Vegan Outreach team.

A huge thank you to Eric Day, with Lively Days, for the production of this video.

“I don’t think it’s a radical notion that we can have better ways of living and thinking.” -Vic Sjodin