By Nzinga Young, Greater NYC Community Engagement and Events Coordinator

Last month, Vegan Outreach held its first East Coast grocery store tour at Whole Foods Market in Clark, NJ. The event showed aspiring vegans how to grocery shop for a plant-based lifestyle. Veg-curious NJ residents snaked up and down the aisles as I walked them through the basics of vegan groceries.

Some tour participants were former vegans looking to get back in the game. Others were vegetarians looking to take their diet to the next level. Moms brought their sons, women brought their sisters, and nurses brought their notebooks to learn how to prepare plant-based meals.

I showed them the epicenter for affordable vegan protein—the bulk section. Participants were introduced to delicious vegan meats and popular frozen food brands that make vegan versions of their favorite ice cream flavors. We talked about the vegan staples every pantry needs, specialty items you can do without, and just how easy it is to prepare filling, flavorful meals without animal products.

Participants left the tour with coupons and samples from Field Roast, Dr. Praeger’s, Sweet Earth Natural Foods, Upton’s Naturals, Hodo Soy, Hilary’s, Tofurky, Justin’s, Amazing Grass, and Dr. Bronner’s.

More importantly, they left feeling more prepared to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I want to give a huge shout out to the brands who donated samples and coupons, and a big thank you to the NJ folks who enthusiastically participated! It was a great way to spend a Saturday!

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

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 like to give a big shout out to Follow Your Heart, Melissa’s, and Tofurky for supporting us at this event.

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 Roxanne Hill, VO Events and Community Engagement Initiative Manager

On Sunday, November 27, Vegan Outreach’s Community Engagement Initiative hosted its final event of 2016. The presentation and lunch were for the congregation of Holy Faith Episcopal Church in Inglewood, CA, and it turned out to be a most delightful event.

The first part of our program took place during the bilingual church service. The Reverend Francisco J. Garcia, Jr., rector at Holy Faith, preceded our presentation with an eloquently delivered sermon that framed our vegan message within a theological context. He explained to his parishioners—our audience—the significance of caring for God’s creation, specifically animals and our earth, as a way of living one’s faith. He shared that his decision to become vegetarian more than a decade ago was an important part of his own faith journey.

The first presentation of the day followed the Rev’d. Garcia’s sermon. Victor Flores gave the presentation, with Karla Reyes, his wife, translating. The Flores family, including their four children, had driven all the way from their home in Cloudcroft, NM to Los Angeles, CA to participate in the event.

Victor shared his story and his family’s journey to veganism, including his and his wife’s significant weight loss and the positive impact that their vegan lifestyle has had on the health of both of their own parents.

The second part of the program continued in the parish hall with a mouthwatering holiday meal prepared by the illustrious Alex Bury, VO’s Organizational Development Consultant and chef extraordinaire! Liz Ross, founder of Coalition of Vegan Activists of Color—COVAC—jumped right in as Alex’s sous chef!

Alex wowed our guests with her specially prepared Tofurky roast garnished with slices of Tofurky Italian sausage, fresh sage and rosemary, and roasted vegetables donated by Melissa’s Produce. The buffet was also loaded with mashed potatoes, gravy, butternut squash, dinner rolls, and a delicious salad drizzled with Follow Your Heart dressing.

People kept popping into the kitchen to see who this chef was and to ask questions about the deliciousness they couldn’t get enough of!

To crown it all, there were pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin tofu pies made by VO volunteer, baker and pastry chef, Desiree Stapley. The pie recipes were Alex’s very own—no surprise! As if the pies weren’t enough to tantalize the taste buds, we also had the most delicious brownies from Charlie Fyffe’s vegan company, Charlie’s Brownies—who you’ll meet next week in the VO blog!

While everyone was enjoying this most scrumptious meal, vegan registered dietician Matt Ruscigno gave a very informative presentation, which focused on the nutritional and practical aspects of a vegan diet. The audience was completely engaged and the questions were non-stop!

As the event came to an end, each guest was given a goodie bag filled with items that were generously donated from Amazing Grass, Dr. Bronner’s, Follow Your Heart, Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates, and Tofurky! We are very grateful to all of these companies for their support.

We would also like to thank our volunteers and vegan activists who all contributed to the success of the event—the Flores Family, Liz Ross, Desiree Stapley, Anasylvia Torres, and Joyce Wong.

Finally, we’d like to extend our gratitude to the Reverend Francisco J. Garcia, Jr. for his support in allowing VO to bring our message to his congregation—and a special thank you to the church sexton and his wife, Gumer and Rosa Rangel, who were a tremendous help in setting up and breaking down the room after our event.

By Victor Flores and Karla Reyes, VO Volunteers

Towards the end of November, my family and I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of veg-curious folks at a church in Inglewood, CA—the experience was amazing!

In the works was a similar gathering, near our home, in the rural town of Alamogordo, NM. Within a few short weeks, my family and I—with the help of  Vegan Outreach and members of Otero Veg, our hometown Vegetarian/Vegan Meetup group—planned a holiday gathering to inform community members about the joy of living a compassionate lifestyle.

We offered a great holiday meal, personal testimonials, and we showed an informative video by Dr. Michael Greger, vegan physician and author of How Not to Die. We discussed the cruelty inherent in animal agriculture and the impact of animal product consumption on our health and on the environment.

We also had the iAnimal Virtual Reality headsets available for people to view, which gave viewers the opportunity to experience what happens inside of a pig slaughterhouse.

Our expectations for a positive response went far beyond what we ever could’ve expected! We had to keep restocking the information table we’d piled high with Vegan Outreach literature. Everyone was receptive and engaged—you could feel the positive vibe in the room!

Oh, and the tasty desserts didn’t hurt—vegan cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and Mexican sweet bread. The vegan nog and coffee with almond milk creamer was also a huge hit. We even had chocolate soy milk for the kids!

Everyone enjoyed the holiday roasts, which we ended up having to drive over 6 hours to pick up the day before the event. We also had mashed potatoes with gravy, cornbread stuffing, corn, green chili mac and cheese, and an excellent green bean casserole.

By the end of the night, attendees were asking where they could buy vegan food products, how to best prepare them, and how to maintain a vegan lifestyle. We gave away goodie bags packed with vegan treats and coupons for different types of vegan foods. Many attendees requested to stay in touch so they could ask questions and get support if needed. And we heard many people say they’re excited about future events because they want to bring their friends and family members.

Reflecting back, it was such a powerful event! There’s no doubt in our mind that this is an effective way of doing outreach for our communities. We’ve even heard from people who live in larger, nearby cities, like El Paso, TX and Las Cruces, NM, who want us to do events like this in their areas!

Thank you to Kristina Marzano, Kathrin Schoos, and Amy Dame for volunteering to share their personal vegan stories. Such a big inspiration! And thank you to Vivian Nevarez and Jesus Loya for making the delicious vegan treats!

A big shout out to Janina Rojas, Silva, Kathrin Schoos, and Leanne Smith for helping serve the delicious meal. Thanks again to Vegan Outreach, Otero Veg, Flowers for Animals, and everyone else that made this event a success!

2017 better be ready because we are coming in strong……Vegan Strong!

By Nzinga Young, Greater NYC Community Engagement and Events Coordinator

For the past four weeks, Gwenna Hunter—the Greater Los Angeles Community Engagement and Events Coordinator—and I traveled throughout the Southeast for Vegan Outreach, leafleting historically black colleges and universities. Each day was a new campus and a new opportunity to expose hundreds of young people to the truth behind the food they eat.

We learned a lot! Here are a few major takeaways from our month on the road.

Vegans Are Everywhere

Despite the strong Southern culture of eating a lot of animal products, it was rare that we went on a campus without meeting a vegetarian or vegan. The vegetarians were the most interested in adopting a vegan lifestyle. Many people told us that they’d considered it—they just didn’t know where to start. Gwenna and I had great conversations between leafleting and we hope the vegetarians are able to cut out eggs and dairy very soon.

Southern Black Students Are Open to Change

Animal products are staples in Southern black cuisine, so we had no idea how we’d be received. Not only were students gracious and polite, but many were interested in making a change. The limited cafeteria food and summers with meat-loving parents were the biggest barriers students’ mentioned, but Gwenna and I gave great tips on getting over those obstacles. We loved connecting students with VO’s Vegan Mentor Program—it felt great knowing that our presence on campus was exactly what some students were looking for.

There’s Power to Leaflets

We had so many leaflets circulating through campus that people were seeking us out to get one. Even if we didn’t personally hand one to a student, they would see it on their roommate’s desk or in a classmate’s hand and come talk to us about it. Watching students flip through the booklets as they walked away was amazing. We certainly don’t expect everyone to go vegan overnight, but we knew each booklet planted a very important seed.

We also met students who got a booklet last year and went vegan as a result! We hope our leaflets have the same impact for other students.

You Can Find Vegan Food Anywhere

We had to get creative, but we were able to eat vegan and well no matter where we were. Major cities like New Orleans and Atlanta were one of the few places with completely vegan restaurants, but even the small towns had a Japanese restaurant with avocado sushi rolls. I’m going to need a break from eating cheeseless pizza and potato burritos, but am grateful we could easily find animal-free alternatives in the Deep South.

Our first tour was a great experience! We’ll miss life on the road, but it’s also nice being back in our respective homes. Gwenna has great ideas for outreach in Los Angeles and I’m excited about the partnerships I’m developing in New York City. We’ll focus on local event planning until our next tour this fall.

By Jevranne Martel, Canada Outreach Coordinator

Vegan Outreach made history last spring semester—completing our first East Coast tour of Canada. I was honored to be the one making this trip, and I’d like to share my experience.

From the beginning, I knew it was going to be a big journey. I traveled from British Columbia all the way to the east side of Canada. There was a lot of driving, winter storms, and all other types of weather conditions, but I continued on because I knew it was going to be worth every minute.

I traveled through Edmundston, Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton in New Brunswick, Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island, and Halifax in Nova Scotia. The population density isn’t large in these areas, but that didn’t take away the importance of spreading the message about veganism. It was also my intention to help expand animal activism in these cities.

On numerous occasions, groups of students and people told me they were glad I was handing out information. The leaflets sparked many detailed conversations, like the one I had with the group of students—pictured below—at St. Thomas University.

There was a great dynamic among this particular group of students. We discussed the dairy and egg industries and how animals share our desire to live. The students left with a lot more information about veganism, and I felt confident that many would make dietary changes.

I also had many conversations with people who’d tried veganism in the past, but found the lifestyle hard to maintain. I asked them questions, offered advice, provided quick recipes, and suggested adjustments they could make to menu items when eating out.

I was interviewed by the CBC twice while on Prince Edward Island—I was asked what Vegan Outreach’s goals were while touring the East Coast. I said that, ultimately, we wanted to raise awareness about the unnecessary suffering of animals, as well as provide resources about vegan living. I wrapped up the interview by saying, “If we can live happy and healthy lives without harming others, why wouldn’t we?”

I took part in a very successful dual interview hosted by Cheryl Sobie on Vegan Activist Radio where I was joined by Ananda Pratt with The Save Movement. It was a wonderful interview—we discussed Vegan Outreach’s mission, my leafleting tour, the growth of animal activism in Canada, tips for effective activism, and the importance of self-care.

One of the coolest parts of this tour was noticing that no matter where I was, or what kind of day I was having, I always had a smile on my face. There are many positive things being done for animals in Canada, and there is a growing trend of animal activism regardless of which coast you’re on. It’s beautiful to see people wanting to learn more about veganism and how they can get involved in helping animals.

Now that I’m back in Ottawa, I’m knee deep in organizing and participating in various outreach events. I’ll hit the road again during the fall semester to keep the momentum going!

I’d like to send out a huge “thank you” to all of our donors. My ability to do this work and travel to the schools on the Canadian East Coast tour wouldn’t have been possible without you!

By Roxanne Hill, Community Engagement and Events Manager

I met Susan Estrella at VegFest LA when she approached the Vegan Outreach table to tell me that it was because of our Why Vegan booklet that she went vegan 13 years ago. Even prior to meeting Susan, I’d heard about her when a mutual acquaintance told me about the wonderful activist work she does.

I caught up with Susan and had the opportunity to ask her about her vegan journey and activism. I know you’re all going to love getting to know Susan as much as I did, so let’s listen to what this Uber-driving, animal activist, and great-grandmother has to say!

Roxanne Hill: How long have you been an animal rights activist? What inspired you to do this work?

Susan Estrella: I’ve been a vegan since October 25, 2003. I didn’t know any other vegans at the time. Vegan Outreach’s booklet Why Vegan was the catalyst. As a vegetarian, I thought I wasn’t hurting animals. But after reading the booklet, I realized I was paying people to torture animals for me.

Roxanne: How do you go about spreading the vegan message and advocating for animals?

Susan: I started working for Uber a little over a year ago, and I spread the vegan message by telling my passengers all about it. I carry a lot of literature, so I’ve been planting a lot of seeds.

Roxanne: Susan has definitely planted some seeds! Here are a few feedback comments she’s received from her Uber passengers—

“Made me go vegan.”

“You were so sweet. I think you’ve convinced me to be a vegan.”

“Thank you! Ban cruelty.”

“Thank you, Susan, keep fighting the good fight.”

“Learned so much. Thank you.”

“Thank you for the great pamphlets and I will definitely check out the World Peace Diet.”

“Thanks for directing us further down the path! Love your energy.”

Roxanne: How is your life different now than prior to becoming vegan?

Susan: Oh wow! Beyond the fact that, as a great-grandmother, I live with less stress and more joy.

I’m on a mission for a kinder, healthier, more loving world for absolutely everyone. Like Dr. Will Tuttle states in his book, The World Peace Diet, “If you want to live a peaceful life, you have to allow that for all beings.”

Roxanne: What advice do you have for young activists?

Susan: I tell people it’s nobody’s fault. Virtually all cultures on the planet are based on violence and people are conditioned that this is the way to live. I would tell young activists to try to be sensitive to the fact that people have been hypnotized since birth.

Dr. Tuttle reminds us, from the time we’re babies we see meat up to three times a day. The message that we receive is to not be compassionate, but to just eat the food.

And the truth is, animals aren’t different from us in their ability to feel pain and suffering.

Roxanne: What else would you like to share about yourself?

Susan: I color my hair with crazy colors because it’s an all vegan product and it gets people’s attention. It provides a way to open the conversation.

Roxanne: When I asked Susan if it would be okay for me to mention that she’s a great-grandmother, her response was, “Of course! How many people can claim to be a great-grandmother and a teenager?”

After meeting Susan, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. I am grateful for the love and compassion she has for animals and humans alike, her energy and passion that drives her to do this work and inspire anyone fortunate enough to meet her, and for the opportunity to be reminded of our common responsibility to care for all creatures.

By Alex Bury, Organizational Development Consultant

Rachel Donovan is a longtime Vegan Outreach donor, activist, Team Vegan fundraiser, and organizer.

The first time Rachel and I met was romantically confusing. We both attended an event hosted by a fabulous local donor. Rachel was hoping to meet a vegan guy named Alex who posted to the San Francisco Bay Area Vegetarian list. I, on the other hand, was not there to meet anyone, especially Jack Norris, who I considered much too serious for my tastes. I planned to spend most of the event ignoring him and hanging out with my friends.

By the end of the event, Rachel had made her first donation to VO, had forgiven me for leading her to believe there was a new vegan guy in town, and I had told my friends, “I’m going to marry Jack.”

Rachel is involved in veg advocacy in many ways and succeeded at getting everyone in her office to celebrate Oakland Veg Week.

Rachel recently started the busy Facebook group Let’s Go Vegan-ish. I love what she’s doing with it! It’s a warm and welcoming way to introduce people to plant-based eating. She posts restaurant tips, travel food, new products, and more. She gives people permission to do the best they can and not give up if they fall off the wagon for a while.

If you’re vegan, please join Rachel’s group and post in it to inspire people who are thinking about going veg!

While VO is expanding our Vegan Mentor Program, Rachel’s Facebook group is another important tool to fight the veg recidivism problem. Here is my interview with Rachel—

Alex Bury: Tell us a little about yourself. I hope you’ll include something about your amazing job.

Rachel Donovan: I’m a civil engineer who really wanted to be an artist and illustrator of children’s books. Maybe I’ll still get to do that some day, but for right now I’m a bridge inspector.

If you look up, you might see me climbing or rappelling with my compadres. Besides work, I’m into sleeping, reading books, rock climbing, swing dancing, and going on urban hikes and bike rides. Plus, my sweetheart plays bass in a David Bowie cover band, and I’m his biggest groupie!

Alex: Tell us about Let’s Go Vegan-ish!

Rachel: Prior to July 2005, I had enjoyed the food at vegan events, but I had been turned off from going vegan because it seemed too rigid. When I read Erik Marcus’ book Meat Market: Animals, Ethics, and Money, I felt compelled to go vegan. I tried being a strict vegan for a few years. There were occasions when it seemed silly to insist on being vegan, but I insisted anyway…and I felt bad about hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and other problems that sometimes arose.

Being super strict became more challenging when I moved in with my partner in 2008. He is not vegan, and he does most of the grocery shopping and cooking. Although he’s very careful to make everything vegan, sometimes a non-vegan ingredient gets overlooked and he takes it really hard. I never wanted to have to tell him that we needed to throw out the entire dish.

Over the years, I had seen many instances when it would be useful and practical to be more flexible and in fact knowingly consume non-vegan things once in awhile. However, I struggled with this because based on books I’ve read and interactions I’ve had with other vegans, the logic runs like this: if you care about animals, you’ll be vegan, and if you knowingly consume non-vegan products (no matter how infrequently), then you’re not vegan. I felt stuck.

In 2009, I read The Animal Activist’s Handbook: Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today’s World, by Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich. I read it twice and highlighted and starred several passages. If you have access to the book, check out pages 55 to 60, the section entitled, “Personal Purity vs. Effectiveness for the Animals.” You would not believe the excitement I felt as I read these paragraphs, which explain why, for helpful animal advocacy, we need not be “all or nothing” vegans. My heart was jumping up and down…”Yes! This is it!”

Since that time, I’ve been looking for a community that promotes vegan ideals while embracing and welcoming those who have not and perhaps will not (for whatever reason) make a pledge to go 100% vegan all the time. This is what I call going vegan-ish, or “as vegan as you wanna be.” I felt there should be a place where people could ask honest questions about the how’s and why’s of making vegan choices, without being judged for being too vegan or not vegan enough. As a result, I started Let’s Go Vegan-ish—first as a blog, then as a Facebook community page, and now as a Facebook public group! Right now we have 200+ members. I hope that more people will join the group and feel comfortable asking questions and sharing great vegan finds. I would like the information we share to be welcoming, thought provoking, and inspirational for people no matter where they may live.

Alex: How did you get involved in the world of animal protection? How about with Vegan Outreach?

Rachel: This article in the January 2002 edition of E Magazine, “The Case Against Meat” was what got me started. I had been a long-time environmentalist, but I never thought about the connection to animal agriculture before reading that article. Upon reading the article, I became vegetarian-ish. Most people thought I was vegetarian because they never saw me eating meat, but in fact I wasn’t. I had not made any vow to stop eating meat. I had simply read the article and thought, “OK! Just as I avoid car and air travel, I should also not eat meat unless there’s no other option!” As it turns out, there was nearly always a vegetarian option wherever I went, so indeed I appeared to be vegetarian.

To learn more about vegetarian foods, I joined Bay Area Vegetarians. It was through Bay Area Vegetarians that I received an advance reading copy (in brown paper cover) of Meat Market by Eric Marcus in 2005. And that’s when I went vegan for the animals—or, more precisely, vegan-ish!

I first learned about Vegan Outreach at a Bay Area Vegetarians event in February 2007. Upon seeing Jack Norris’ presentation on vegan diets and the work Vegan Outreach is doing, I knew right away that this was an organization I wanted to support.

Alex: You’ve been donating to VO since 2007! That’s amazing. Thank you! What first inspired you to give, and what has kept you doing so?

Rachel: I support Vegan Outreach because they have a pragmatic approach to opening hearts and minds about how we can make a difference in this world. I truly believe that the shift we are seeing toward vegan products being more available in the U.S. is connected to Vegan Outreach’s work. Flyers such as VO’s Even If You Like Meat encourage people to make vegan choices when possible, even if they do still eat meat sometimes.

I feel these kind of incremental changes are what will make the difference. If we can decrease the demand for meat, eggs, and dairy, to only 10% of what it is today, or 5% or 1%—imagine the billions of animals who will be spared a lifetime of suffering. Imagine how much lighter the world will feel when it no longer bears the burden of so much pain and suffering.

When it comes to activism for the animals, I believe strongly in philanthropy. I do like to participate in activism when I can, but generally it’s more effective for me to spend my time working to earn money. This allows me to donate more to charitable organizations, including Vegan Outreach.

I would like to be like Cesar Chavez and pass away having very little money to my name because I gave it all away in my lifetime. If I do pass away unexpectedly, don’t worry I do have Vegan Outreach listed as one of the benefactors for whatever is left in my bank account!

Alex: Thank you so much, Rachel, that’s really awesome about your will!

Rachel, you have stepped up many times over the years to help us meet a challenge match or pull off an event. You’re a huge part of Vegan Outreach and I hope you know how much we all appreciate you. Thank you.

One last question: What is your favorite vegan meal?

Rachel: Vegan buffalo wings, vegan Reuben sandwich, and vegan chocolate peanut butter milkshakes from The Chicago Diner!

Alex: Rachel, I’m grateful we met, to know you still, and to work with you to help animals. Thanks for a wonderful interview and stay safe when you’re up on the bridges!

Readers—please contact Vegan Outreach if you’d like to make VO a beneficiary in your will.

By Taylor Radig, Campaigns Manager

Vegan Outreach is proud to announce our work with 1702—a popular craft beer and pizza restaurant in Tucson, AZ—which is now offering Daiya vegan cheese for their pizzas and calzones!

The restaurant is one of many in Tucson that has decided it was time to expand their vegan menu offerings—and boy was the vegan cheese a success! 1702 held a launch event and invited their customers to try their new vegan pizza. Bar manager Ty Young was blown away with the turnout. He said, “We went through 25 pounds of Daiya cheese and were sold out in just a few hours.”

Our team will continue to partner with 1702—we’d like these two new vegan options to be the first of many to show up on their menu in the coming year.