By Lisa Rimmert, VO Director of Development

My colleague, Victor Sjodin, never ceases to amaze me with his dedication to reducing animal suffering. As if it isn’t enough that he’s VO’s Director of Outreach, or that he leafleted 133,000 people all over India during a grueling ten-week tour earlier this year—now he’s raising money for the Team Vegan matching drive! During Team Vegan, throughout May and June, all donations to Vegan Outreach will be doubled.

Vic speaks out for animals by leafleting because he knows first-hand its effectiveness. He received a Why Vegan booklet himself, at Hofstra University in 2002. The seed was planted, and before long he became vegan and started volunteering for VO as a leafleter. Vic said, “I decided I needed to use my human freedoms and privilege to help others—like the poor, innocent farm animals who have done nothing wrong but were born into terrible suffering.”

Vic was very shy when he first started leafleting, but soon he got used to talking with strangers and, well, the rest is history—nine years of leafleting and working with VO!

I asked Vic why he’s participating in Team Vegan, and why he thinks donating is so crucial to this cause. “Money is the fuel of social change,” he said. And he’s right! We can’t pay for gas, print and ship booklets, or provide hard-working Outreach Coordinators a salary without donations.

Vic added, “Fundraising is vital to the operation and is also inspiring. If everybody gives what they can, together it accumulates to a large figure and we can do so much with it.” I wholeheartedly agree!

For Vic’s Team Vegan fundraiser, he plans to walk a mile for every 50 dollars donated. He came up with the idea after tearing his Achilles tendon (for the second time—ouch). Vic needs to do some rehab to heal that leg, so donating to his Team Vegan page is helping animals and helping Vic at the same time!

Every $50 donation means Vic will walk one mile! Get him moving by donating to his Team Vegan page now.

This semester, Lori Stultz, VO’s Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator (below, right), has traveled to 49 different schools, handing out 28,636 booklets, and Holly Brown (below, left) has handed out 8,465 booklets at 21 different campuses!

On February 26, Lori teamed with Alma Williams, Michael Battey, and Ayesha Mohiuddin (below, left) and together they reached more than 1,600 students at the University of Houston:

I had three wonderful, local activists join me and we saturated the campus with literature. Most of the students were very receptive and all of us had conversations with students and professors who stopped to ask questions about farmed animals, or conversations with individuals who were already vegan/vegetarian but were looking for a community in Houston to get involved with.

I think my favorite part of the day was when I overheard a student say, “They used Photoshop on this picture,” pointing to one of the photos of Robert Cheeke. “There is not a way this guy doesn’t eat meat.” I jumped in and talked to the student about vegan athletes and protein, and told him that, yes, Robert Cheeke is in fact that big! I also caught a student athlete reading the Compassionate Athlete [below, right]. He sat there for a good 10 to 15 minutes looking through the booklet.

On March 17, Holly (below), Lori, and local activists reached more than 1,500 students at Middle Tennessee State University. Lori reports:

A big thank you to first-time leafleter Jasper Ohde, who recruited his friends Jordan Davidson and Demon Rogers. Both Jasper and Demon are students at MTSU and in the US Army Reserve. I have a feeling that anyone who received a leaflet from them was surprised to know they didn’t eat animal protein.

We heard from students who wanted to transition from vegetarian to vegan, and an equal number who wanted to start transitioning to a vegetarian diet. Holly and I gave these folks Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating booklets and told them about the Vegan Mentor Program.

Right as we were about to call it a day, I had a student return to me with a booklet I had given him a few minutes before and he simply asked, “Where do I even start?” I have to admit he looked pretty overwhelmed. We started chatting about slowly cutting back on animal food products, and Jasper jumped in to give him his number and enthusiastically volunteered to hang out with him and provide support as he transitions. I talked to Jasper later in the day and he and the other student were already texting each other about vegan food.

On March 23, Lori and Holly handed out 827 booklets at East Tennessee State University:

Holly and I had a very positive experience at ETSU. One student stopped to let me know that she went vegetarian after receiving our leaflet in the past. And later in the day two male students stopped to thank us for being there, which was very surprising because both looked like farmers/ranchers. One of them told us that he tries to eat vegetarian as much as possible. After we called it a day we were walking through the student union and saw a few students sitting at the tables reading through the booklet.

Help inspire more students to go veg: Donate to Lori’s Team Vegan page and receive dollar-for-dollar matching!

This semester, Emmanuel Marquez, VO’s Mexico Outreach Coordinator, has traveled to 58 different schools, handing out 25,171 booklets, and Katia Rodriguez, VO’s Mexico Campaigns & Spanish Media Coordinator, has handed out 7,132 booklets at 25 different campuses!

On January 19, Emmanuel and Katia leafleted the Universidad Tecnológica Santa Catarina in Nuevo León. Emmanuel reports:

This was the first time we visited this university: the administration staff was very open and really interested in what we were doing. Students were very receptive…we saw many of them reading [one, below, right]. We met Delta: she asked us why we were there and after receiving a leaflet she told us how she saw her family killing pigs and other animals for food, and said she couldn’t eat those animals; she seemed very interested.

We also met Karen and Pedro [below, left]: Pedro has been a vegetarian for three years and Karen for five years; they were really excited to see what we were doing and told us how they try to spread vegetarianism in every class project they can and that they want to get involved with VO.

On January 28, Emmanuel and Katia reached 1,500 high school students at Preparatoria 22 de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Guadalupe:

Katia joined me at noon and for a period of time we were in a river of students. We met Marisol and Mary [below, left]; they were talking about the leaflet some steps away from us and I joined their conversation because Marisol was saying how she had tried going veg a couple of times before. Katia chimed in and told her a little bit of her personal transition to veganism, since she did it at a similar age. We gave them some advice, guided them to VO’s web site for more information and encouraged them to go at their own rhythm.

On February 3, Emmanuel visited the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Unidad Campo Redondo, in Saltillo:

Fortunately Miranda Garcia [below, right] and Miriam Solano joined me to help and they leafleted freely around the campus because Miranda is a student from the university. Both are animal rights activists and this was their first time leafleting and they did a great job. They loved how many students were reading the booklets and the reaction they had.

We met many people interested in the information, like Gabriel and Cristina [below, center], who asked for more information and a vegan starter kit after they received the leaflet. They decided to start cooking and eating vegan meals!

On April 20, Katia teamed with activist Ana Gonzalez at the Preparatoria de la Universidad de Monterrey, Unidad Obispado:

First time visiting this high school with a student population of 350. We set up a table that was visited a lot. Several people registered so we can send them information and recipes to change their eating habits.

Lizeth, teacher Celia, and Jordana [below, left] were so interested that they even sat and kept asking one question after another and taking notes of everything I said about where to find vegan products, restaurants, the benefits of a vegan diet and how to begin; I’m so glad I met them!

I also gave a conference to around 32 students: they were receptive and some of them stayed after I finished to thank me for being there and to tell me that they were going to give veganism a try.

On April 22, Emmanuel leafleted the Universidad Politécnica de Tulancingo in Hidalgo:

The take rate was lower and there weren’t a lot of students; I assume this was because it was Friday. It was a little hard but the whole day was worth it almost at the end. I met a teacher that told me she was shocked with the information in the leaflet and will start changing her diet.

And finally, I met Eva [below, right]: she told me that she was thinking about going vegan for some time because her family had a pig living with them and when she watched videos about factory farming on the web she felt terrible to think someone like her pig would go through that. Also her cousin has been vegan for some years. Our presence there was the last push she needed to start changing her diet.

On hard days with a low take rate or a not very responsive audience we should keep in mind that we never know when we are going to meet someone whose life we are going to change. It may be at the middle or the end of the day, but we have to hold out there and be persistent to find out.

Be a part of Vegan Outreach’s life-changing work: Donate to Emmanuel’s Team Vegan page or Katia’s page and you’ll receive dollar-for-dollar matching, doubling your impact for the animals!

By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development

The folks at Miyoko’s Kitchen are well known for being expert purveyors of delicious vegan cheese (and butter). And they’re as generous as they are talented!

Throughout the month of June, your purchase of Miyoko’s products will support the work of Vegan Outreach. Our friends at Miyoko’s Kitchen will donate 1% of online sales to VO. So you can buy cheese and support grassroots animal activism at the same time!

As if that wasn’t enough! Order Miyoko’s cheeses for 15% off this month, using the discount code: Veganoreach16. I’m definitely placing my order soon. I love all of Miyoko’s cheeses, and I’ve yet to try their heat-and-serve cheese sauce. I can’t wait!

Miyoko’s cheeses are available for online order anywhere in the U.S. All products are free of animal products and gluten, and made from organic ingredients. Thank you for supporting Vegan Outreach, and enjoy!

Order now!

By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development

Recently, I visited the Portland, Oregon area for a Team Vegan fundraising event hosted by the incomparable Diane and Dennis. They recently moved from Southern California to Vancouver, Washington—just outside Portland—and offered up their gorgeous new home for a Vegan Outreach event. Thank you, Diane and Dennis!

Taste of Excellence catered the event—and did a wonderful job! The food was creative and tasty, and of course all vegan.

In addition to the catered dishes, we enjoyed dipping pretzels, vegan marshmallows, and fruit into Diane’s new chocolate fountain!

We also got to taste seven flavors of Miyoko’s Kitchen cheeses, thanks to a donation from Miyoko’s. Thank you, Miyoko, Maria, and team!

VO Executive Director Jack Norris provided an overview of what VO has been working on—including our growing international outreach program, the success of our Vegan Mentor Program, and the work our leadership has done to hire and promote women (like me).

Paige and David Carter, who flew in from the Oakland Veg Fest that day, spoke to the crowd about the importance of VO’s work to reach a more diverse audience with a message of compassion for animals.

Then I had the wonderful opportunity of inviting people to donate to continue VO’s work. I was blown away by everyone’s support that day.

This event was a fundraiser for our Team Vegan drive, so all the money donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar. On top of that, three wonderful donors pledged to match $10,000 that day! The event attendees donated $6,380, which means $25,520 for animals. Thank you to everyone who gave so generously!

To donate now to Team Vegan and have your donation matched, click here.

By Melissa Li, Vegan Outreach Board Member

Part of the joy I experience in the animal rights movement is to hear an activist’s story of how they became involved in animal rights, what influenced them, and what they find as an effective means of activism. I am fascinated by what propels someone to go forward and take further action, because it inspires me to be more active. The Pig In Thin Air: An Identification is Dr. Alex Lockwood’s personal account of how he became involved in animal rights.

Do you remember the Facebook image of a pig leaping out of an open bed truck headed for slaughter? That this image was taken from the car behind the truck, on a busy street in China? Many animal rights activists likely know this image that quickly went viral, and remember that the pig, who, because she fought to escape and save her life, was allowed to live. This image resonated with the author Alex Lockwood, and is the source of the title for the book.

Each animal rights activist’s story depicts a path, from becoming aware of atrocities imposed on animals, and journeying towards action against these atrocities. Dr. Alex Lockwood originally began his career as an environmentalist and as an academic. As he approached his mid-thirties, he struggled with unease, and he knew that his health and personal relationships were faltering. He knew there was a disassociation from his feelings and his own body. As he began to correct these issues in his life, he became cognizant and empathetic towards issues in animal advocacy.

He was awarded a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship in 2014, and used this to travel to North America to learn from animal advocates. Originally, he was to be stationed at the Vancouver Aquarium as a visiting writer in residence. However, the Vancouver Aquarium became a target of an animal rights campaign; he aborted this, and quickly became involved with animal rights groups. I found it interesting to read his perceptions of different methods of action, and to read of his encounters with contemporary groups such as Direct Action Everywhere and Toronto Pig Save, as well as better established organizations such as Farm Sanctuary.

Throughout his interactions with various organizations, he cites references that support the idea that one must be aware of one’s physical body—to embrace it in order to relate to a nonhuman animal’s body. He quotes Lori Gruen:

[T]he distinction between self and other isn’t one of distance and it doesn’t entail dominance or subordination…it is centrally important that one has a balanced and clear self-concept to be able to engage empathetically with others.

When Dr. Lockwood was able to reconnect with his body, it gave him the capacity to live a more compassionate, feeling life.

Dr. Lockwood frames The Pig In Thin Air into two questions: 1. What makes an animal advocate? And 2. How can I be a good animal advocate? Interspersed in these sections are his experiences and citations from several established references regarding efficacy. His writing is eloquent, benefiting from his background in writing. He is open about his personal history, and willing to describe his setbacks. Towards the end, he chooses his own path for animal advocacy, which for every animal rights activist, they must find their place. In the culmination of his summer fellowship, his action in animal advocacy is an achievement; it is astonishing as well as inspiring. He has found his way, and knows he will fight for animals for the rest of his life.

This semester, Pooja Rathor, VO’s India Outreach Coordinator (below, left), has handed out 15,827 booklets at 23 different schools, and Shweta Sood (below, right) has traveled to 24 different campuses, handing out 9,067 booklets!

Below are Shweta at Aryabhatta College (left) and Pooja at Motilal Nehru College (right); these schools are part of the University of Delhi South Campus, where Shweta and Pooja teamed with fellow activists on January 19 and reached more than 2,800 students!

On February 24, Pooja got booklets into the hands of more than 700 high school students (four below) at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Sector 10 Dwarka:

The response was great. Kids were approaching to take leaflets by themselves. They had doubts that cows’ milk is not a healthy option; I tried to answer all of their queries. A few kids also shared their stories about the animals they love.

On April 11, Pooja handed out over 1,200 booklets at Sri Aurobindo College:

The guards were super helpful and genuine. At times they stopped the students who missed the leaflet.

I met Kavinder, who came back from the metro station after reading the leaflet and said, “I liked the content—I would like to volunteer.”

A guy named Prince said, “I never knew that animals had to stay in such pathetic conditions.… I won’t be able to eat chicken anymore.”

While leafleting metro stations in Delhi, Pooja met Priya Chauhan (below, far left), who helped leaflet on the spot and would like to volunteer in the future, and Gyalpo (below, right), a vegetarian student who was happy to get some booklets to give to his meat-eating friends.

Support Vegan Outreach’s work by taking part in our Team Vegan matching challenge: Through June 30, all donations up to $200,000 will be matched, dollar for dollar, doubling your impact for the animals!