Wow, it’s November! Here in Colorado, that means it’s getting chilly outside. I don’t know about you, but Fall weather like this makes me want to curl up under a blanket with a good book and a yummy hot chocolate.
The only question is: how do I get vegan marshmallows for my hot chocolate without leaving my cozy cocoon? The answer: The Vegetarian Site!
For the month of November, The Vegetarian Site is donating 10% of sales to Vegan Outreach, to help us reach more people with pro-veg booklets and info about vegan living!
So order some vegan marshmallows (like Spiced Pumpkin Dandies), whatever else you need – or want! It’s for a good cause! – and start hibernating. I’ll see you in May.
A research division of the World Health Organization announced on Monday that bacon, sausage and other processed meats cause cancer, and that red meat probably does, too.
The report by the influential group stakes out one of the most aggressive stances against meat yet taken by a major health organization, and it is expected to face stiff criticism in the United States.
The WHO findings were drafted by a panel of 22 international experts who reviewed decades of research on the link between red meat, processed meats, and cancer. The panel reviewed animal experiments, studies of human diet and health, and cell mechanisms that could lead from red meat to cancer.
You can read the WHO’s press release by clicking here (PDF).
Win a free one-on-one Vegan Mentor Session with Jamie Kilstein, comedian, cohost of Citizen Radio, and coauthor of #NEWSFAIL. With Jamie’s mix of humor, compassion, and insight, we know you’ll find this session both helpful and hilarious.
Complete the form below by next Friday, Sept. 11, for your chance to win!
Photo: Buddy, a two-year-old vegan pup, adopted from Safe Harbor Lab Rescue by Kim Gonsalves.
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).
Photo: Kim’s vegan treats
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).
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!
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:
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.
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.
