Congratulations to The Pollination Project’s Unsung Vegan Heroes award winners, including VO’s John Oberg and Yuri Demott Mitzkewich!

Check out the heroic work going on to create a better world for animals: www.ThePollinationProject.org/unsungveganhero

By Lisa Rimmert, VO Director of Development

Kim Gonsalves is an enthusiastic donor to Vegan Outreach, as well as a fantastic volunteer. As a mentor in our Vegan Mentor Program, she provides one-on-one guidance with her mentee’s transition to cruelty-free eating. Kim also helps with office work and copy-editing, and I can safely say she is one of my favorite people to know. Meet Kim!

Tell us about yourself, Kim.

I have a husband, a 10-year-old son, and two tripod chocolate labs. I have a severe sweet tooth and like to bake any and all types of vegan treats (my specialty is chocolate chip walnut brownies). I am an avid movie buff and enjoy all movie genres. Three of the most important movies in my life are Out of Africa, Hannah and Her Sisters, and The Thin Man series with William Powell and Myrna Loy. I love games and puzzles of all kinds (jigsaw, crossword, crypto-families, et al.). I am passionate about language structure, words, etymology, and grammar (don’t judge me). Last May, I received my M.A. in Linguistics and am currently looking for work as a teacher of TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages).

Share with us the story of how you became vegan.

I had always loved animals and considered being vegetarian since college, but I thought it would be too hard. Eventually I became good friends with someone who was vegan and her dietary life was so easy (and tasty, which I knew from many dinners at her house and going out to dinner together). About a year after I met her, I took a 3 week road trip, on which I had steak almost every night. I didn’t feel very good after most of the meals so when I came home, I decided to stop eating beef. This vegan friend was there for me as I continued to I eliminate more animals from my diet. She gave me a lot of support, for questions about nutrition and how to veganize certain meals. For me, it was making the connection between how I felt about animals and the choices I was making. Once I made that connection, it was easy for me to simply live by my values.

How did you first get involved with Vegan Outreach?

I first got involved with VO through a vegan friend of mine. She had leafleted for VO.

You do so much for animals by donating to VO! What inspires your giving?

I’m inspired to give when I hear the stories about how people go vegan after getting the real story about how animals are treated and those who make the connection between compassion and their diets.

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

I would advise someone considering adopting a vegan diet to keep in mind your reasons for wanting to go vegan. Some people don’t have any vegans in their life and that can make it difficult to maintain a vegan lifestyle. However, if one remembers one’s reasons they made the choice in the first place, it makes being vegan very easy. Also, take your B-12. 🙂

Finally, share with us your absolute favorite meal.

This is a hard question; it’s like asking me for my favorite movie. It’s tough to pick just one. My favorite meal that is made for me is the vegetable and bean soup my mother-in-law makes whenever I see her. My favorite meal that I make at home is simply lightly pan-fried tofu with spices, mashed potatoes or rice, and broccoli. My favorite meal at a restaurant is The Big Rig from Watercourse in Denver (available at weekend brunch only).

Thank you, Kim!

By John Oberg, Director of Communications

At Michigan’s most difficult school to leaflet, we set the all-time record for not just number of booklets handed out in a single day, but also for the most activists involved — NINE! Each day this semester has been a record-breaker (first at Wayne State where we set the all-time MI record, which we just broke; then at EMU where we did the second-biggest day ever in MI). I’m so thankful to have such a solid crew of reliable and committed activists here who are willing to drive long distances and spend hours outside reaching students with the plight of today’s farmed animals.

Despite the University of Michigan having a lower-than-usual take-rate for a school in this state, we still reached a ton of students, and many were interested in getting involved with this work. We also met a ton of vegetarians and vegans and folks who gave us encouraging words like “Thank you for doing this!”

We also had a special guest celebrity appearance from author and journalist, Will Potter! He just began his fellowship at U of M and stopped by to hand out a few booklets. What a guy. And what a day!

Go, Team Michigan!

(click image to play video)

By Toni Okamoto

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, it is HOT in Sacramento! I’m talkin’ about 100+ degrees hot. It is required to have a good deodorant! In addition to the hot weather making me sweat, I’m also training to join a dance company, training for a marathon, and cross-training with yoga … which puts my total hours of weekly exercise somewhere over 20. It would be criminal at this point in my life to live without a good quality deodorant!

That’s why Michelle Cehn from World of Vegan and I set out in search of the perfect cruelty-free products to make you smell good all day long! Watch the video to hear about our favorites!

You can find out more information about the products here:

Nubian Heritage Indian Hemp and Haitian Vetiver with Neem Oil 24 Hour Deodorant

Herban Cowboy – Deodorant Dusk

Let us know YOUR favorites in the comments below!

The fantastic folks over at Vaute designed four shirts whose sales will benefit Vegan Outreach. $5 from the sale of each top will go to VO!

The shirts are $35 each and are all sustainably printed in Brooklyn. They were designed by Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart and illustrated by Jessica-Joan Causing.

Eats His Veggies Tank

Eats Her Veggies Tank

Eats His Veggies T-shirt

Eats Her Veggies T-shirt

Get yours today and spare animals from suffering while you shop!

By Jon Camp, Executive Vice President

Great news! Aramark, a food catering company serving over 500 college campuses, will be dramatically expanding its vegan menu. Some of the new options include Vegan Home-Style Pancakes, Butternut & Black Bean Chili, Sesame Noodles, and an assortment of vegan desserts.

This change comes amidst increasing demand for vegan options. According to Scott Jahren, Aramark’s Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Development, “Based on Aramark’s propriety customer feedback platform and dining surveys, the number of students interested in vegan options has continued to steadily increase over the past several years.”

Thank you, Aramark! And thanks to all of you who continue to get out there and do outreach to today’s college students — your work is playing a vital role in these exciting changes we’re seeing.

As part of our ongoing How Do You Vegan? blog series, this week Vegan Outreach’s newest Outreach Coordinator, Lori Stultz, conducts an interview with her grandfather Joe Stultz, who went vegan last year at age 90! Read on to learn about Joe, who proves you are never too old to try something new!

Describe your lifestyle a little so we can get to know you better.

I am a 91 year-old, healthy, happy vegan. I live by myself in an apartment complex designed specifically for retired individuals like myself. I have low-vision (I am what they call “legally blind”) due to a degenerative eye disease called Macular Degeneration. Despite the difficulties my low-vision creates, I live independently and maintain a social and active lifestyle.

How long have you been vegan?

About one year.

What made you decide to go vegan?

Last summer my granddaughter, Lori, sent me CDs and DVDs that had information on the widespread animal abuses that take place today. These were abuses I was not aware of, I quickly decided that I did not want to take part in those torturous acts.

It was very easy for me to transition into a vegan diet because preparation of meat-free meals was simple for me. Having low vision, I need the easy meals that I can I fix for myself. In adopting a vegan diet I did not have to deal with the grease or muck that comes with preparing and consuming animal products. Dicing potatoes, opening up cans of beans and bags of frozen vegetables, and throwing it all together in a crock pot requires little to no clean-up, and that was a huge selling point for me!

What were the easiest and hardest parts of going vegan?

The easiest part of going vegan was the meal preparation. It has gotten to the point where I just don’t have to think about my meals anymore! Knowing that I was making an impact for animals also made going vegan very easy.

The hardest part about being vegan is when I got out to restaurants with a big group of friends and they all order pizza and hamburgers. Fortunately for me, I have a friend who chooses to abstain from alcohol, so when we go out to eat, she and I like to remind each other of the importance of our choices; we are simply saying “no” to foods and drinks that are not in line with our values.

Why do you want to contribute to this series?

The short answer, I chose to contribute because my granddaughter asked me. I take a great deal of joy in it, though, because outside of discussing veganism with Lori I am not presented with many opportunities to talk about why I eat what I eat. I like to tell my friends about my vegan lifestyle, but most of the time they do not ask many questions.

What does a normal week of eating look like for you?

Because of my low vision, my meals are quite simple. In the morning, I like to eat a couple pieces of whole wheat toast with a glass of soy milk or bowl of Cheerios with soy milk (I enjoy having a bowl of cheerios for lunch sometimes, too).

For lunch, I like to have a couple slices of whole wheat bread with vegan cheese slices in the middle. I will eat that alongside a big glass of soy milk. And, on occasion, I will heat up a veggie burger or a veggie hot dog, but, quite frankly, my hunger is satisfied just as well with a vegan cheese sandwich!

For my evening meal, I dice up potatoes and dump a few cans of beans and frozen vegetables into my crock pot. I do this earlier in the day and let it sit for a few hours until the potatoes are cooked and I am hungry for dinner. I pour myself a glass of soy milk and enjoy eating a hearty helping of healthy carbs, protein, and veggies!

What tips can you give to a person who identifies with your lifestyle to make eating vegan easy, fun, affordable?

The crock pot is a useful tool to make various types of protein/carb/veggie combinations. The different meal combinations you can put together using canned and frozen food are inexpensive and easily accessible. And, I personally think it is fun because there is very little clean-up and/or preparation needed to make good, healthy meals.

What is your favorite thing about being vegan?

For starters, my favorite part of adhering to a vegan diet are all the health benefits I have experienced since making the transition. I lowered my overall cholesterol levels from 300 mg/dL to 160 mg/dL. I am no longer on the blood pressure medication I was taking when I was consuming meat and dairy, and the inflammation in my joints, which was causing a notable amount of pain at night time, lessened significantly. Overall, I do not have to worry about my health as much I see my friends worrying about theirs.

Another one of my favorite things about being vegan is that it is inexpensive. Since I have gone vegan, I am not buying as much food because the meals I am making are keeping me feeling fuller longer. Overall, I am eating less quantities of food then what I was eating when I was consuming meat and animal by-products.

I also like knowing that I am a part of a very important and necessary movement that is growing and is going to improve the world on so many levels.

photo by IGP Photos

By Toni Okamoto

On Saturday afternoon, I had the privilege of watching our very own office manager, Josie “Colt 45” Moody, dominate the rink in the last bout of her derby season. Although I’ve always known that she was serious about her sport, it was incredible to see her fierceness and determination in action.

Josie is a great representation for veganism, demonstrating maximum endurance and strength on a plant-based diet, in such a physically demanding contact sport. Congratulations Oakland Outlaws on your tough win, and thank you B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls for making Vegan Outreach the beneficiary of your raffle proceeds!