By Josie Moody, Vegan Outreach Office Manager

When I first became vegan four years ago, it was after meeting my boyfriend, Mitch, who had been vegan for over 17 years. I felt so lucky to have someone in my life that I could ask all sorts of questions, from what he ate to how to handle specific situations I found myself in.

For me, having a vegan partner made it especially easy to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I considered Mitch my Vegan Guide. Sometimes, as vegans, it’s pretty obvious what you can eat, or substitute, or what you can tell someone who doesn’t understand why you don’t eat animals. But sometimes it’s not, especially in the beginning.

I went vegetarian a few years before becoming vegan. When people would ask me why I didn’t eat meat, the only thing I could say was that I felt weird eating animals. I felt like that wasn’t an easy enough reason to understand. However, years later, I know that it’s a perfectly acceptable answer. As a vegan, you don’t have to know everything there is about veganism  (or vegetarianism, or reducing your consumption of meat). All you need to know is that you don’t feel right eating animals, and that you don’t have to.

That’s why I’m so grateful to help out with Vegan Outreach’s Vegan Mentor Program. Launched earlier this winter, this program pairs up people who either want to eat fewer animal products, become vegetarian or go vegan with people who are already vegan.

The majority of vegans out there likely didn’t have a lot of support when they wanted to make this particular change in their lives. Though they weren’t afforded this luxury, they can use their knowledge and experience to help more people become vegan. To me, the best part of this is that people who are seeking mentors are already open-minded—they know what goes on in factory farms, and they want to make a difference. But they have a lot of questions and fears—What will I be able to eat? Will I be hungry all of the time? Will it be hard? What if my family doesn’t support me?

The good news is the number of vegans and amount of resources is growing daily. There are websites, new food products, meet ups, and more … all dedicated to veganism! We’d like to ask you to participate in this trend by either signing up to be a vegan mentor, or, if you’re looking for support yourself, as a vegan mentee. Just take two minutes to complete the brief form, and we will work to pair you up with your match as soon as possible.

If you’re interested in signing up as a mentor, please click here: http://staging.veganoutreach.org/mentor-questionnaire/

If you’re interested in signing up as a mentee, please click here:  http://staging.veganoutreach.org/mentee-questionnaire/

If you have any questions about the Vegan Mentor Program, feel free to contact Josie Moody at [email protected] or Lisa Rimmert at [email protected]

We’re very excited to introduce our newest booklet, The Compassionate Athlete.

VO’s Outreach Coordinators often receive questions from college students who are interested in going veg but concerned that vegetarians and vegans cannot excel at sports or build muscle. The Compassionate Athlete addresses these concerns by highlighting many vegan professional athletes and giving some eating tips and a meal plan. We expect The Compassionate Athlete to be used similarly to ourGuide to Cruelty-Free Eating – by keeping a handful on hand any time we leaflet for when we run into athletes.

We’d like to give a special thanks to Kassy Ortega, Vegan Outreach’s Washington, DC Outreach Coordinator, and Chris Guinn, The Humane League’s Atlanta Director, for this idea and for their hard work on the booklet! We’d also like to express our gratitude to all the athletes who took the time to provide us with pictures and quotes: Austin Aries, Ed Bauer, David Carter, Robert Cheeke, Mindy Collette, Mac Danzig, Seba Johnson, Holly Noll, Rich Roll, Bianca Taylor, Marcella Torres, Derek Tresize, Torre Washington, and Mike Zigomanis.

You can order The Compassionate Athlete from our order form and download a PDF from our Booklet PDFs page.

Welcome to the first “Supporter Spotlight” post! In these new monthly blog posts, we will shine a spotlight on our members, whose hard work and generosity truly enable the work of Vegan Outreach. Let’s peel back the curtain and get to know some of these champions for animals, starting with Jessica Silva.

Jessica, tell us about yourself.

After studying journalism at the University of Maryland, I worked as a science writer for the US Department of Agriculture. Over the course of a 30-year career, I have enjoyed being a writer, editor, teacher, and tutor – always part time so I could be home with my kids too. Now I enjoy spending many hours in the gym every week, getting strong and staying physically fit.

I am 51, but, because of rigorous workouts and a healthy vegan diet, I feel better, younger, and more alive than I did when I was 25. I am beyond blessed that my husband and two grown children, Alex and Crystal, are all vegan and that we are very close.

Tell us about how you became vegan.

At age 7, while walking to a Girl Scouts meeting with three friends, I asked them rhetorically why we eat cows and not dogs. It just did not make sense to me. Both were living, breathing animals with the spark of life inside of them. Both want to breathe the air, feel the warm sun on their faces.

During childhood, I never could stomach eating meat unless it was masked into, for example, a hot dog or pepperoni. Then, when I was 19, I was shown in a dream a cow going down at slaughter. I stopped eating cows and pigs immediately, then chickens and turkeys two years later. I finally let go of fish in my mid 20s.

It wasn’t until I saw undercover footage of abused cows and chickens on Facebook that I realized that dairy and eggs cause as much suffering as, if not more than, actually eating meat. I went vegan in October 2012.

Giving up ice cream was the hardest! I felt like I was addicted. You could find me in the ice cream aisle, lingering outside the case as I considered buying a pint or two “just this once.” I had to picture the mother cow, tethered interminably to her concrete and metal stall. I was able to walk away when I saw her sad, defeated face in my mind’s eye.

How did you first get involved with Vegan Outreach?

I met VO workers at a VegFest and learned I could help educate others through leafleting. I was hooked immediately.

Why do you support VO?

It is imperative that as many people as possible go vegan quickly – for the sake of the animals, as well as our shared Earth. Vegan Outreach has the machine in place to disseminate this information to a large number of people quickly. And they target the right audience – mostly young, open-minded people who are ready for this kind of important change. VO has a no nonsense approach to a huge problem, and they utilize resources efficiently and wisely.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone considering vegan eating?

Talk to other vegans – a lot! Going vegan can seem daunting at first. Most vegans are more than willing to help you as you navigate meal planning, eating out, dealing with skeptical friends and family, “getting enough protein,” etc.

Finally, share with us your absolute favorite meal.

Any Asian dish with tofu and veggies! I love Thai coconut basil curry, stir fry, Kung Pao tofu, etc.

Thank you, Jessica, and thank you to all our wonderful supporters!

By Toni Okamoto

We all remember when the King and Queen of Hip Hop tried their 22 days of veganism, right? Well, it turns out that Beyoncé loved the vegan challenge so much that she is hoping to make it easier and more accessible by launching an all vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, non-GMO meal delivery service.

This is HUGE for the animals! Beyoncé’s resources are endless, and her influence on her fans is impressive. We’re feeling positive that with this kind of exposure, veganism has officially arrived in mainstream culture.

Click here to check it out for yourself: http://www.22daysnutrition.com/vegan-meals

Happy Birthday to THREE employees of Vegan Outreach! Donate $10 or more today, February 2, in honor of Jack, Breege, and Sarah, and we’ll send you a coupon for a free Tofurky product*!
www.VeganOutreach.org/Donate

*Offer only available in the U.S. Coupon will be snail mailed to you.

By Toni Okamoto

I’m currently training for a marathon and I’m in the market for new shoes. Could this pair be the winner? If you have any feedback in running with the vegan Asics, please share in the comments below!

Excerpts from Kicks on Fire, January 17th, 2015, Asics Gel Lyte 5 Vegan – Navy / Burgundy:

“Now adorned in an appreciating colorway of Navy and Burgundy, the silhouette flaunts a vegan composition which is essentially a microfiber material that is specifically designed and used as an animal-friendly substitute. The upper boasts a mixture of mesh, [faux] leather and suede draped in the respective palette, while resting atop a crisp White midsole and a stark Blue outsole to complete the aesthetically pleasing design.”

Vegan protein?! Jack and his short little pal know about protein! And for the next two days – through Thursday, Jan 22 – a $10 donation to VO will get you a coupon for a free protein-packed Tofurky product!* www.VeganOutreach.org/Donate

*Offer only available in the U.S. Coupon will be snail mailed to you.

Order a Sofritas burrito on Monday, January 26th and get a free veggie burrito voucher! Give it a try and let us know what you think about them!

By Toni Okamoto

Far too often, cats are mistaken for having a selfish, bad attitude. Masha would like to prove that misconception wrong. When she found a baby on the cold streets of Russia, she kept him warm until she had the chance to alert human passersby of his presence.

I love all kitties and I think they’re all wonderful, but if you’re skeptical about their awesomeness…read more about Masha’s story below:

Excerpt from NY Post, January 15, 2015, Hero Cat Saves Baby From Freezing to Death:

Masha, a long-haired tabby cat, saved the life of a baby abandoned in the streets of Russia — after she climbed into the box he was discarded in and kept him warm, health officials said.

“The baby had only been outside for a few hours and thanks to Masha … he was not damaged by the experience,” a hospital spokesman told Central European News.

The whiskered hero even meowed to get the attention of a passerby.

“She is very placid and friendly, so when I heard her meowing, I thought that perhaps she had injured herself,” said Obninsk city resident Irina Lavrova. “Normally she would have come and said hello to me. You can imagine my shock when I saw her lying in a box next to a baby.”

By Toni Okamoto

We’re sad to announce that California has taken a huge step back by overturning its ban on the sale of foie gras.

It is more important than ever for us to continue spreading veganism, since we obviously can’t rely on laws to protect animals.

Excerpts from The New York Times, January 7th, 2015, Judge Overturns California Ban on Foie Gras:

Foie gras is back on the menu in California. A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a state law barring sale of the fatty duck or goose liver, ending a ban that had lasted more than two years.

Animal rights groups have long decried foie gras, which has traditionally been produced by force-feeding ducks and geese, as inhumane. And in 2004, California became the first state to outlaw it; the ban took effect in 2012.

Many chefs across the state, who had lamented the loss of a favored ingredient and led protests against the ban, exploded in celebration after the ruling was announced. “We are freaking out,” said Jon Shook, one of the chef-owners of Animal in Los Angeles. “The person who buys our foie gras called us from the courthouse crying with happiness.”