Outreach Coordinators Who Inspired Us This Fall

Our community outreach coordinators work tirelessly to engage and educate the public about veganism. At the time of this writing, they had signed up over 100,000 people to our 10 Weeks to Vegan in 2019 (in addition to over 40,000 more online)!

Their work is incredible—but tough! We’re happy to celebrate them and the message of compassion they spread. Below are our top 10 most prolific outreach coordinators as of early December. Let’s take a look at the great work they accomplished this fall!

Brian Chavez


Brian started doing outreach with Vegan Outreach in 2017 and has traveled all over the U.S. to spread veganism. He uses his unique style to have meaningful conversations with students about veganism, and as a result, obtained 5,597 10 Weeks to Vegan signups this fall. This semester, he set the US record for the number of signups in one day—348! He also handed out 13,354 booklets at 42 different campuses!

Saurabh Sonkar


Saurabh holds multiple outreach records. He holds the world record for virtual reality views in a single day and at a single event, and was this semester’s top leafleter in India, handing out 18,070 booklets! On top of that, he signed up 3,882 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan.

Miguel Marron


Miguel received a Vegan Outreach booklet at his college, then started an animal rights club, volunteered for Vegan Outreach, and is now an employee. He recently celebrated his 15th “veganniversary,” and we’re celebrating that he signed up 3,735 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan and handed out 11,014 booklets in the northwestern U.S. this semester!

Ethan Blake


Ethan’s past volunteering for Vegan Outreach led to several of Vegan Outreach’s biggest days showing virtual reality videos to students. Now employed as our Midwest Community Outreach Coordinator, Ethan continues to impress us with his dedication. This semester, he got 3,247 10 Weeks to Vegan signups and gave out 9,978 booklets at 53 different colleges!

Emmanuel Marquez


In addition to supporting outreach by numerous volunteers in Mexico, Emmanuel showed virtual reality videos to 653 people—bringing his total to more than 6,500 over the past two years! He also signed up 3,201 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan!

Perla Anerol


Perla reached more than 80,000 people in just her first year of working with Vegan Outreach. Now in her second year, she continues to engage thousands of students in central Mexico. This fall, she received 3,101 10 Weeks to Vegan signups and handed out 8,560 booklets.

Ben Gardner


Ben joined Vegan Outreach this semester and quickly wowed us with his hard work. His extensive experience in project management and community organizing makes it no surprise that he gave 5,593 booklets at 38 schools and got 3,019 10 Weeks to Vegan signups this semester!

Aravindan V


Aravindan has the second highest 10 Weeks to Vegan signups world record for a college campus in one day, giving four presentations to over 600 students and receiving 471 signups! In total this semester, he got 2,756 signups and gave out 8,207 booklets.

Ben Umholtz


Ben visited 36 colleges, among other events, this fall in the greater Ohio area, signing up 2,680 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan!

Sam Tucker


Active in various grassroots efforts from a young age, Sam massively ramped up our reach in Australia and New Zealand over the previous four years. He’s reached 400,000 students in his time with VO. As he’ll soon be returning to school, this was Sam’s final semester with Vegan Outreach—he distributed 9,355 booklets and received 2,477 10 Weeks to Vegan signups. We’ll greatly miss Sam and thank him for his incredible dedication!

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

If you want to honor these activists and see Vegan Outreach do even more for animals next year, please consider making a donation by December 31st. It will be matched dollar-for-dollar for twice the impact!

Hostel Chain Zostel to Launch Vegan Options at Eight Locations in India and Nepal

Zostel

Zostel, one of the largest hostel chains in Asia, will serve vegan food options at cafeterias in eight of its locations: Agra, Jodhpur, Rishikesh, Udaipur and Varanasi in India, and Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal.

We initiated a partnership with Zostel as part of our Green Tuesday campaign, which aims to help institutions reduce animal-based foods in favor of vegan options. Expanding on the success of Zostel’s November 2018 launch of vegan options in its cafeteria in Agra, the initiative aids people with varied food choices.

“Zostel has always been about letting individuals make their choices and follow their hearts,” said Dharmaveer Chauhan, Co-founder and CEO of Zostel. Chauhan continued, “With the help of Vegan Outreach, we provided our chefs and the community with information about vegan food and its preparation. Being able to offer such options to travelers from all over the world would never have been possible without the Vegan Outreach team. We are thrilled for this initiative and look forward to continuing this campaign towards sustainable travel while unlocking the world for everyone to experience as they desire, freely and fearlessly.”

This menu change at Zostel’s eight locations will result in more plant-based foods being accessible to thousands of people.

“Globally and in India, people are adopting a vegan diet as a healthy and sustainable alternative for themselves and the environment,” said Richa Mehta, India Campaigns Manager for Vegan Outreach. “This initiative by Zostel will not only cater to numerous vegan tourists travelling in India, but also set a milestone for the inclusive and sustainable hospitality industry.”

Hyderabad Trekking Club Goes Vegan to Reduce Environmental Footprint

Starting in September, Hyderabad Trekking Club (HTC), one of the most popular trekking and travel companies in India, will only provide vegan food during their treks to reduce their environmental footprint. The company organizes over 220 treks across India for nearly 8,000 people every year.

We initiated a partnership with HTC as part of our Green Tuesday campaign, which aims to help institutions reduce animal-based foods in favor of vegan options. Animal agriculture is one of the largest contributors of human-made greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water pollution, and air pollution. Worldwide, meat and dairy production uses 83% of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“While connecting people to the wonderful nature, we try to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible,” said Srikanth M, cofounder of HTC. “Going vegan is one of the best ways to reduce our environmental impact on the planet!”

“Globally and in India, institutions are reducing their use of animal products and choosing plant-based foods to fight climate change,” said Richa Mehta, India Campaigns Manager for Vegan Outreach. “This initiative by HTC will encourage people to think about the impact of their food choices on the environment.”

About the Green Tuesday campaign
Green Tuesday Initiative is a new campaign by Vegan Outreach to help institutions reduce their environmental footprint by making small changes in the food they serve. So far, we’ve collaborated with ten institutions in India.

Outreach Coordinators Who Wowed Us This Spring

The spring semester was full of exciting change and success. Along with continuing to leaflet and show virtual reality videos, we shifted our focus to signing people up for our 10 Weeks to Vegan program which our surveys have shown to be very impactful.

The dedicated community outreach coordinators below inspire us with their incredible work for animals. They’ve spread a message of compassion to hundreds of thousands of people, making a huge impact in bringing us closer to a vegan world.

Let’s take a look at the great work they accomplished this past spring!

Brian Chavez


Brian [above, middle] started leafleting with Vegan Outreach in Southern California and has traveled all over the U.S. to spread veganism. Brian uses his unique style to have meaningful conversations with students about veganism, and as a result, obtained a whopping 8,907 10 Weeks to Vegan signups this spring semester. On top of that, he also handed out 20,996 leaflets and showed 228 virtual reality videos at 43 different campuses!

Miguel Marron


Miguel received a Vegan Outreach leaflet at his college, then started an animal rights club, volunteered for Vegan Outreach, and is now an employee. While he’s busy celebrating his quickly approaching 15th “veganniversary,” we’re celebrating that he signed up 3,888 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan, handed out 33,965 leaflets, and showed 329 virtual reality videos in the northwestern U.S.!

Perla Anerol


Perla reached more than 80,000 people in just her first year of working with Vegan Outreach. Now in her second year, she continues to engage thousands of students in central Mexico. This spring, she received 3,734 10 Weeks to Vegan signups, handed out 18,231 leaflets, and did 488 virtual reality showings.

Saurabh Sonkar


Saurabh has a talent for getting volunteers from outside of the animal rights movement involved in our work in India. He was this semester’s top leafleter, handing out 72,118 leaflets! He also did 2,361 virtual reality showings and signed 3,305 people up for 10 Weeks to Vegan.

Nzinga Young


Nzinga believes a vegan lifestyle has countless benefits for human and nonhuman animals and works to promote these benefits to people from different backgrounds. For example, this spring she tabled at an event for artists in New York where everyone was so blown away by the Impossible Burger that everyone who tried it signed up for 10 Weeks to Vegan! Those were just a few of her total of 2,714 signups this spring.

Stacy Shepanek


Stacy does it all—from leafleting, virtual reality showings, coordinating community events, and presenting to hundreds about veganism throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. This spring she leafleted to 8,728 people, did 235 virtual reality showings, and got 1,762 10 Weeks to Vegan signups.

Jackie Va


Jackie [right] does outreach in California through organizing a variety of engaging events to provide information and encourage others to adopt a vegan lifestyle. Her enthusiasm and knack for engaging people helped her sign up 1,553 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan and hand out 3,661 leaflets this spring.

Emmanuel Marquez


In addition to supporting outreach by numerous volunteers in Mexico, Emmanuel Marquez showed virtual reality videos to 867 people—bringing his total to more than 5,000 over the past two years! He also handed leaflets to 27,375 people and got 1,527 10 Weeks to Vegan signups.

Ben Umholtz

Ben volunteered with Vegan Outreach in the past and became an official employee at the start of this spring semester. He already made a huge impact in the greater Ohio area during his first semester with VO, signing up 1,452 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan and distributing 29,125 leaflets.

Victor Flores


While managing our Community Events department, Victor also did his own outreach in New Mexico and Texas. He handed out 2,997 leaflets and signed up 1,363 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan. In addition to this, he also organizes community meals, feeds vegan food to those in need, holds restaurant events, and has convinced some businesses to add vegan items to their menu.

Steve Erlsten


This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning our GOAT—Greatest of All-Time—Steve Erlsten! Steve began leafleting in an official capacity for Vegan Outreach in the fall of 2013—and he hasn’t stopped since! He became VO’s greatest leafleter this past spring semester, having personally handed out over one million pro-veg leaflets and adding 19,275 to his total this spring. Congratulations, Steve, and thank you for your dedication!

These activists’ work is far from flashy—they wake up early, lug heavy boxes, and remain on their feet for hours at a time. We’re happy to be able to celebrate them any chance we get. Thank you for helping us do so! And thank you, of course, to the donors whose generosity made this work possible!

We Need YOU at Winter Jam in 2019!

Kick off the new year by helping animals!

Find a Winter Jam concert in a city near you, and Vegan Outreach will provide the tools you need for a great evening of volunteering.

Sign up and you’ll receive a package of pro-veg leaflets, Primal Strips vegan jerky to hand out, and sign-up sheets for our 10 Weeks to Vegan program. Armed with these tools, you’ll go to Winter Jam and spread the message of compassion towards animals!

Winter Jam is a traveling Christian concert festival that attracts thousands of young people who are friendly and very receptive to our message. You don’t need to be Christian to leaflet the events.

As a token of our appreciation, 20 volunteers who gather the most 10 Weeks to Vegan sign-ups will receive a free Vegan Outreach t-shirt!

Check out the dates below to find a Winter Jam concert near you. Peak leafleting time is from 5–7 pm, perfect for volunteers who can’t make campus leafleting events during the day.

Leafleting is more fun with friends, so share this info with yours and help us recruit!

Contact Sara at [email protected] with questions and to reserve your spot.

January 11, 2019 — Jacksonville, FL — Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
January 12, 2019 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
January 13, 2019 — Mobile, AL — Mitchell Center
January 17, 2019 — Evansville, IN — The Ford Center
January 18, 2019 — Grand Rapids, MI — Van Andel Arena
January 19, 2019 — Columbus, OH — Schottenstein Center
January 20, 2019 — Charlotte, NC — Spectrum Center
January 24, 2019 — Council Bluffs, IA — Mid-America Center
January 25, 2019 — Des Moines, IA — Wells Fargo Arena
January 31, 2019 — New Orleans, LA — Lakefront Arena
February 1, 2019 — Birmingham, AL — Legacy Arena at BJCC
February 2, 2019 — Lexington, KY — Rupp Arena
February 7, 2019 — Peoria, IL — Peoria Civic Center
February 14, 2019 — Reading, PA — Santander Arena
February 15, 2019 — Pittsburgh, PA — PPG Paints Arena
February 16, 2019 — Cincinnati, OH — U.S. Bank Arena
February 17, 2019 — Ypsilanti, MI — EMU Convocation Center
February 23, 2019 — Greensboro, NC — Greensboro Coliseum
February 24, 2019 — Norfolk, VA — Scope Arena
March 1, 2019 — Bossier City, LA — CenturyLink Center
March 2, 2019 — Oklahoma City, OK — Chesapeake Energy Arena
March 3, 2019 — Austin, TX — H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
March 9, 2019 — Louisville, KY — Freedom Hall
March 15, 2019 — Columbia, SC — Colonial Life Arena
March 17, 2019 — Southaven, MS — Landers Center
March 21, 2019 — Augusta, GA — James Brown Arena
March 22, 2019 — Raleigh, NC — PNC Arena
March 23, 2019 — Charleston, WV — Charleston Coliseum
March 24, 2019 — Greenville, SC — Bon Secours Wellness Arena
March 28, 2019 — Ft. Wayne, IN — Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
March 29, 2019 — Indianapolis, IN — Bankers Life Fieldhouse
March 30, 2019 — State College, PA — Bryce Jordan Center
March 31, 2019 — Cleveland, OH — Wolstein Center

5 Million Vegans

Adult US Vegans

In May, the Vegetarian Resource Group released the results of their Harris poll estimating the number of U.S. adult vegetarians and vegans (1). Rather than asking individuals to self-define their eating behavior, they classified vegetarians and vegans by asking people to identify foods they never eat.

The poll found that 4% of U.S. adults are vegetarian (including vegans) and 2% are vegan. Applying their results to the U.S. adult population shows that 5.1 million adults consider themselves to be vegan (2). This is up from VRG’s 2016 poll which estimated 3.7 million U.S. adults to be vegan (3). Between polls, the adult U.S. population increased by about 3.5% while the U.S. adult vegan population increased by about 37%.

References

2. How Many People Are Vegan?

2. US Population by Year. Found U.S. adult population to be 254,000,000 as of December 2018.

3. The Vegetarian Resource Group Asks in a 2016 National Poll Conducted by Harris Poll

 

Buffalo Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Buffalo Mac n Cheese
@jonimarienewman

We’ve been sharing the details of Vegan Outreach’s nation-wide Vegan Mac Down competitions the past few weeks, but now it’s time to dish out the really good details—the winning recipes of each competition!

First up is Vegan Mac Down L.A. winner, Joni Marie Newman. Joni pleased the judges’ with her Buffalo Mac-n-Cheese creation—and I think it’s going to win over your taste buds, too!

Be sure to follow us in the coming weeks as we share the other winning mac and cheese recipes! And in case you’ve missed the Vegan Mac Down excitement, check out these recent editions of our weekly E-news—August 30 and October 4.

Buffalo Mac-n-Cheese

Yields 4-5 servings.

   Pasta

  • 1 pound large elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup riced or finely chopped cauliflower

Cheesy Buffalo Sauce

  • 1 1⁄2 pounds peeled red potatoes, cubed
  • 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight or boiled, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup unsweetened soy milk, more as needed
  • 1 cup of your favorite hot sauce
  • 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1⁄2 cup refined coconut oil, melted
  • 1⁄2 cup vegan sour cream
  • 1⁄2 cup vegan cream cheese
  • 1⁄2 cup vegan butter
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Salt to taste

Crunchy Topping

  • 1 sleeve Ritz-Style Crackers
  • 1⁄4 cup (28 g) vegan parmesan cheese—such as Follow Your Heart or Go Veggie
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 2 cups crushed dill pickle potato chips

Optional Garnishes

Directions

  1. Prepare macaroni according to package instructions. Set aside.
  2. Add potatoes to a large pot of water and boil until very tender. Drain and return to the pot.
  3. Add remaining cheese sauce ingredients to the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree until silky smooth. Add additional milk a tablespoon at a time to get to your desired consistency. It should be smooth and creamy, not gritty or clumpy.
  4. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  5. Add cooked macaroni and cauliflower to the pot of cheese sauce. Stir to combine.
  6. Spread mixture into a casserole dish.
  7. Add crackers, parmesan, and butter to a dry food processor and pulse into crumbs.
  8. Sprinkle topping in an even layer all over the top of the mac and cheese. Finish off by topping with crushed potato chips.
  9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven.
  10. Drizzle with Blue Cheese and serve with celery sticks, if desired.

Joni Marie Newman is a vegan chef and ten-time published cookbook author. Her work has been featured in VegNews Magazine, Mother Jones, The Oregonian, and many other publications. She is the founder and contributor to JustTheFood.com and can be reached on all of her social media accounts—Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—@JoniMarieNewman.

Top Indian University to reduce milk usage by 14% in cafeterias

LPU

Students at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar—one of the largest private universities in India—worked with Vegan Outreach and the school administration to change the cafeteria menu. The new menu will introduce two non-dairy beverages and reduce the use of dairy milk by 14.3% in the next six months!

This change will not only make a big impact by reducing the suffering of dairy cows in India but also help the environment and make afternoon tea more enjoyable for the residential students. The students approached Vegan Outreach to bring its Green Tuesday Initiative to the campus in Jalandhar which has the world’s largest residential capacity with over 30,000 students.

The Green Tuesday Initiative is a new campaign by Vegan Outreach to help institutions in India reduce their environmental footprint by making small changes in the food they serve. So far, Vegan Outreach has collaborated with six educational institutions in North India. Help us reach even more institutions by making a donation by May 31st—it will be matched dollar-for-dollar for twice the impact!

If you’re a student or a working professional in India, please write to us at [email protected] to bring the Green Tuesday Initiative to your campus or company.

Doris Schneeberger

Doris Schneeberger at Nicholls State

Continuing our series of activist profiles, today we interview Doris Schneeberger. For a few weeks this spring, Vegan Outreach was lucky to have Doris join Yuri Mitzkewich on his tour across the southern states. By the time her internship was over, she had passed out 17,668 booklets! Thank you, Doris, for using your time in the United States to make a difference for animals everywhere.

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I’m from Austria, where I live in a village on the countryside.

What got you interested in animal rights and veganism?

I’ve always loved all kinds of animals and I’ve always been a philosophical person. After high school I studied philosophy and focused on animal ethics. I wrote my PhD thesis on possible future Universal Declarations of Non-Human Animal Rights.

The misery of non-human animals in our society bothers me every day. The way humans treat (especially) farm and lab animals is horrifying and deeply unjust. Many of those who have woken up out of the Matrix, and are now able to see that what we do to fellow beings is an atrocity, feel the need and obligation to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

I’m deeply grateful for each and every animal rights advocate who works towards a better world for all sentient beings on this planet. Every one of them is a multiplier, their influence and existence as an example for others are highly important for the moral advancement of humanity, which is vital for a peaceful future and the preservation of the integrity of our planet and its natural resources that all of us depend on.

Moral progress includes less unnecessary harm, violence and injustice and more peace and respect for the life and welfare of others. Those who are the most vulnerable and powerless are in need of the greatest protection.

It feels great to be a vegan. Everyone who distances him- or herself from the unnecessary exploitation and killing of fellow beings that the production of meat and animal products entails is another human who doesn’t participate in the human warfare against other animals. Veganism is a vote against speciesism, and a vote for peace, non-violence, justice and the protection of our planet instead.

How did you get involved with Vegan Outreach and leafleting?

I saw Vic Sjodin’s talk last year at the International Animal Rights Conference in Luxembourg. My impression was that he was a humble, honest, down-to-earth and friendly animal rights activist, and that’s how I first got to know a little bit about Vegan Outreach. I spent two months at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, as a visiting researcher writing a paper about my thesis in February and March of this year. I was looking for meaningful activities for animals which I could get involved in here in the US and I found out about possibilities of volunteering with Vegan Outreach. I contacted Vic and he was truly welcoming. I just finished traveling the southern states with vegan superhero Yuri Mitzkewich for a few weeks, leafleting at universities and colleges.

On this journey, I was not only able to gather experience on how to advocate for animal rights effectively, I also got to see parts of the US I would never have seen otherwise and met and learned from a lot of great and inspiring people who are involved in working for animal rights.

Do you have a favorite leafleting moment to share?

I’m always thankful if people take some time to talk to us a little bit—it’s really interesting to hear people’s opinions on the topic. You get a better idea of how people think and where they’re coming from, which allows you to adjust your approaches to make your advocacy more effective. The most valuable situations are probably those when people take the brochure, walk past you and then return a few minutes later to ask questions. I also like it a lot when the leaflets spark conversations about the issues revolving around eating meat and animal products among groups of students. After all, our main objectives are to provide information and get people to rethink old mindsets and make better decisions in the future.

What do you do for fun when you’re not leafleting?

I love sports, nature and music. I’m really eager to improve my skills and myself in all kinds of directions and enjoy beautiful moments and times whenever they present themselves. I try to do something meaningful and learn and grow every day. As a social animal, I like spending time with human and non-human friends daily.

Can you tell us one of your favorite vegan products to share with our readers?

I love all kinds of vegan products—it’s hard to pick one actually. I especially love cooking and eating vegan dishes for and with friends as it’s an easy and enjoyable way to gather and spread knowledge about tasty and healthy vegan products and dishes. Even if there are a few products one especially enjoys eating, diversity is crucial in a healthy vegan diet: firstly because you thereby make sure you consume all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals your body needs; secondly because you can enjoy and continue to learn about all the manifold magnificent products and dishes a wholesome vegan diet entails; and thirdly because others also see the healthiness, deliciousness and diversity of tasty and healthy vegan dishes.