By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development

Tamara McFarland is a longtime supporter of Vegan Outreach who plays a big role in our annual Team Vegan campaigns. She also volunteers as a mentor in our Vegan Mentor Program, which connects knowledgeable vegans with people looking to go vegan or take steps in that direction. Let’s meet Tamara!

Tell us about yourself, Tamara.

I’m married with two kids, ages 4 and 9, plus three dogs, two bunnies, one duck, and an assortment of rescued chickens. I love to garden in the summertime, knit in the wintertime, and spend time at the beach year-round.

Tell us about your business.

I operate McFarland Designs from my home studio. I make handmade custom wedding and engagement rings with an ethical/fair-trade/recycled emphasis. My studio is solar powered and I donate 5 percent of my gross sales each month to various charities (including Vegan Outreach each Spring). I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram – I’d love to connect with more vegans on any of those platforms!

Share with us the story of your vegan journey.

Despite having been vegetarian for about 10 years previously, I had honestly never considered the cruelty that was inherent in dairy and egg production until I met my dear friend Jennifer Raymond around 2001. Through her example and gentle but honest explanations, I felt that I had no choice but to embrace veganism – it was so inline with everything I valued. I have been vegan for nearly 15 years now with absolutely no regrets! Becoming vegan back then was a little more challenging than it is now, and it definitely forced me to become a much better cook, which is a skill I appreciate every day. In more recent years, I feel that by having opened my consciousnesses to veganism, I became more receptive to learning about (and acting upon) other issues such as labor exploitation, environmental issues, dirty mining, and circus abuse, so it really has played a huge role in the person I have become in adulthood, and in how I am raising my children.

How did you first get involved with Vegan Outreach?

Hmm… I don’t remember what the catalyst was – just that it has been many years! I’m sure that I found VO by researching charities doing effective outreach for veganism – you are the clear leader in that regard! I have leafleted at local colleges a few times and found all of my interactions with VO over the years to be just great.

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

It’s easy to become overwhelmed, depressed, or demoralized when you become aware of the overwhelming cruelty in the world. For me, being able to continue moving forward in my own life without becoming completely paralyzed with sadness is only achievable when I feel like I’m working towards the solution. Being involved with VO is a big part of how I do that.

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

1. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try! Most likely, like me, you will never look back, and find yourself feeling physically and emotionally better for it.
2. Find a vegan friend or mentor. It’s so much easier with help.
3. Do what works for you. If embracing the vegan meat and dairy analogues makes it better for you, do that! If you feel best on a totally whole foods diet, do that! And don’t feel bad for how you make veganism yours – no matter how you do it, you’re doing more for animals, the planet, and your own health than 95% of the population and that’s something to feel good about!
4. Don’t think of veganism as an exercise in achieving purity or perfection, and don’t let others reduce it to that in conversation with you. Do the best you can, but know that it’s impossible for any of us to completely eliminate our impact on the environment, and therefore, on animals. All we can do is our best.

Finally, share with us your absolute favorite meal.

Just one??? It’s too hard to choose!!! When I’m eating out, I love to order spicy potato tacos at Mexican restaurants (and who can beat the simple perfection of chips and fresh guacamole?), or all varieties of veggie sushi (bonus points if it contains avocado and/or nut butters).

At home, a few of the things that have been big hits for my family (and omnivorous guests) include Cold Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan (Vegan With a Vengeance), Lasagna Americana (Everyday Vegan Eats), homemade sushi, and various versions of enchiladas (vegan sour cream is mandatory!). My #1 crowd-pleasing dessert is the Fruit Tart I have on my blog – though I also make a mean chocolate cake.

Thank you, Tamara!

By Alison Leyton Mercer, VO Supporter and Volunteer

“A vegan and a CrossFitter walk into a bar. I only know because they told everyone within two minutes.”

I’ve heard variations of that joke multiple times from colleagues at my job. Since becoming vegan 2 ½ years ago, in my non-vegan work environments I’ve been known as the vegan, our vegan, and, the one that gets me every time, the vay-gun. I feel like I’ve heard every joke, question, and comment. I was recently told in jest by an older gentleman that works in my office suite that the only way he can make sense of me liking tofu is that I’ve been brainwashed. I’ve lost count of the amount of times colleagues have asked me if I’ve visited the local zoo, and when I responded one time by saying I’m not a fan of zoos, the person looked at me baffled and asked if I don’t go because I don’t like animals.

If you see blood trickling from my tongue it’s because I’m biting it so hard to stop myself from saying something rash. I wind up smiling and not saying anything to people that make these types of remarks because I’m looking at my reflection in the mirror from 2 ½ years ago. I used to be a patron of both the zoo and aquarium, and before eating a vegetarian diet I used to eat chicken at most every meal. How can I pass judgment on my coworkers who do the same things I used to do just a few years ago?

I’m a professional fundraiser in the higher education setting and a large part of my job is cultivating relationships with supporters of the university. I always tell people that I’m not only in the business of raising funds, but I’m also an expert apologizer. If someone calls me, upset that they received an unwanted solicitation, I have to put on a face and be cordial for the sake of the organization. This is undeniably parallel to what I have to do when coworkers talk to me about veganism – I have to be irrefutably kind in order to be the best advocate as possible for the animals.

One time at a student event, the organizers served a buffet-style lunch. I had a dry salad with fruit and steamed veggies – not the most appealing meal, but I made it work. One of the students went back for seconds and when he sat down at the table with his plate of food that looked exactly like my lunch, a faculty member from across the table said, “What are you – vegetarian?!” The student responded by saying that he was not, but that he wanted to fuel up on some fruits and veggies. I jumped in and asked politely, “Even if he was, is that such a bad thing?” It got the conversation going and we wound up talking about Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, a documentary that the faculty member watched not long before our conversation, and surprisingly he was interested to know more about me being vegan! I’ve learned that sometimes it’s the most defensive people who crave information on changing their ways with food.

Truthfully, I haven’t always had this kind of demeanor toward people’s unkind, judgmental comments. Confession time: I used to be an angry vegan and even though it was short lived, I will not let myself go down that dark and lonely path again. Dr. Melanie Joy truly changed my life when I saw her presentation on carnism a few years ago. She helped me realize that we can only plant seeds of the truth that will hopefully inspire others to make a change in their own lives.

I’ve applied Dr. Melanie Joy’s philosophies to my everyday work life. I’ve come to realize it’s the small steps of change that are going to make the most positive impact. For instance, the women in my department at a previous job participated in Meatless Mondays and shared photos with me of vegan dishes they cooked for themselves and their families, which led to one of them trying tofu for the first time. That’s not all: I’ve also recently suggested to someone at work to try Field Roast, prompting her to buy it that same day – and she absolutely loves it! She keeps telling me the different dishes she’s making with it and all I keep thinking is that’s an animal’s life that is spared when she opts for Field Roast instead of meat. Not to mention, I’ve made vegan cookies, pumpkin bread, and pasta salad for my office mates before and the food gets gobbled up within a few hours of being in the office kitchen. These are just a few examples, and I encourage you to find your own cases of hope for the animals in your non-vegan workplace – I know they are out there if you just search a little.

I’ve put together a few tips below on how to thrive as a vegan in a non-vegan workplace so we can all continue to plant seeds to grow a beautiful, compassionate world.

1. Volunteer: Leafleting for organizations like Vegan Outreach, as well as doing other types of outreach outside of work is a great outlet for vegans, and is one of the most effective methods of advocacy.
2. Donate: One of the best things you can possibly do for the animals is donate money to animal protection organizations. Your donations cover the costs of programs and outreach that spare millions of animals a lifetime of suffering.
3. Advocate through food: Bring in your favorite vegan dish to share with coworkers to show them how easy and delicious vegan food can be. Be sure to print out the recipes so they can make it themselves!
4. Educate: Open up dialogue in a natural, unforced way. Being a resource of information for people when – or even if – they are ready to hear it tends to be the best way to reach out to coworkers.
5. Manage stress: Be sure to take care of yourself so you can be the best advocate as possible for the animals. Exercise, eat healthy, and do something fun during your free time to relieve the stress that occurs from the workplace.

By Jon Camp, Executive Vice President

When Nicolas Tomas, a Vegan Outreach volunteer and Cal Poly Pomona student, had his First Amendment rights to leaflet on campus severely restricted, he took matters into his own hands. With the help of the Foundation For Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), Tomas filed a lawsuit against his school to get full access to leaflet. On July 23, a settlement was reached, and Cal Poly Pomona agreed to restore the First Amendment rights for all its students and pay Nicolas $35,000 in damages and attorney’s fees. Thank you, Nicolas, for defending animals and standing up for our First Amendment rights!

Only one day remains to purchase this one-of-a-kind, limited edition shirt design by FLOAT – For Love Of All Things.

$8 from each shirt purchased goes to support Vegan Outreach and our grassroots outreach for animals. We’re more than halfway to our goal of raising $1,000, and we need your help to get there!

Order your t-shirt or tank top now and be one of the only people to sport this design, which puts farmed animals right next to companion animals, showing that all animals deserve compassion.

Order now before time runs out!

By Victor Sjodin, Director of International Outreach

On Saturday night, June 13, Vegan Outreach held a fundraiser with nearby supporters of Vegan Outreach at Board Member Yvonne Legrice’s house in Pasadena, California. It was great to meet so many people who sacrifice for the animals and who comprise Vegan Outreach. It is really amazing to know that all the good Vegan Outreach does is because of thousands of people giving what they can to be a part of something greater. Together we are strong and an engine of social change.

There was great food and lots of socializing. Jon Camp and Jack Norris briefly spoke about what’s been going on with VO: how we are expanding to other nations, reaching more students than ever with well over a million college students reached again this spring, and the success of the new Compassionate Athlete Booklet (85,000 have been shipped out). Our new Mexico program is on pace to reach 380,000 students in its first year. Our vegan mentor program has over 200 people mentoring so far, we are getting thousands of people writing in and saying they are going vegan because of our booklets, and the new booklet designs for Your Choice and Compassionate Choices are getting a phenomenal response from students.

Kimberly Moffatt spoke briefly about what it’s like to volunteer with VO and why she does it, “I know a few hours of my life can change several dozen students lives forever.” Several attendees expressed interest in leafleting.

Jack then introduced me to speak and surprised me by saying, “and Vic Sjodin is our new, from this day forward, Director of International Outreach.” That was moving for me, as expanding our work for the animals is a life mission of mine. I spoke about how, when asked who I work for by campus security once, I answered that I work for animals trapped on factory farms. I spoke about how each booklet is not really a piece of paper to me, but a gift – an invitation to a greater consciousness, to health, to less cruelty, to sustainability, to being part of the solution.

Lastly, we asked for help in getting new programs off the ground, and the attending VO members were very generous of heart and wallet for the animals. With more funds, we are close to expanding to Europe and South America. It was a great evening on all accounts and I felt a sense of unity – that we are all united to do what we can to bring veganism to a world that desperately needs it. Thank you for being a part of Vegan Outreach! Upward, onward and plant ward!

Here’s a peek of what went on:

The 2015 Mad City Vegan Fest in Madison, WI was an amazing event. The place was packed which is pretty impressive for a state known for it’s dairy consumption.

By Kassy Ortega, Outreach Coordinator

Since June 19th, five folks from Vegan Outreach and The Humane League have been traveling the country handing out thousands and thousands of leaflets promoting vegan eating! Since the night we hit the road to present day (less than halfway through), we have already reached over 114,000 individuals with a message of compassion.

Of the hundreds of thousands we have reached, here are a few who have let us know their lives have been changed:

Autumn (above) received a booklet from the crew at our Orlando date. The date completely rained out, but we kept leafleting. While leafleting at Jacksonville, my tourmate José Elias handed Autumn a booklet. She enthusiastically told José her family is vegan, and that she has received the booklets before in the past. She proudly let us know the booklet we handed her in Orlando has inspired her to finally go veg! It made leafleting in a near-hurricane totally worth it!

JD received a leaflet two years ago and read through the entire pamphlet. Six months after he read our pamphlet, he has stopped eating animals entirely!

Rick and his daughter received a Vegan Outreach booklet last year at Warped Tour and let us know that as a result, they both went vegetarian!

Hundreds of requests for our Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating have been pouring in as a result of the team’s relentless leafleting. If youd like to be a part of this effective work and join us for a Warped Tour date in your city or be notified of Vegan Outreach in your area, please email [email protected]

By Toni Okamoto

On July 8th, the ban on wild animals performing in circuses will take effect in Mexico — making them the 29th country to pass this national ban. The ban includes tigers, elephants, zebras, lions, baboons, and camels. The penalty for continuing to use them as entertainment is $225,000!

There are currently an estimated 3,500 animals who will be affected by the ban, and the Mexican government is now working on finding adequate placement for retiring animals.