Yuri Mitzkewich: Fall 2014

Yuri Mitzkewich, VO’s Southeast Outreach Coordinator, has traveled to 60 different schools this semester, handing out more than 52,000 Vegan Outreach booklets!

Juliette Martin and Yuri Mitzkewich at Tampa Bay Veg Fest
Above are Juliette Martin and Yuri at the 5th Annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest.

The take rate tonight at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee was good like I never had seen before, with me almost scoring my first 100% handoff night – all perfection but for one guy refusing a booklet. Most though were extremely friendly and curious, giving me a good feeling that most would at least be giving their Compassionate Choices a good read.

The highlight came near the end when I met April [shown below]. She told me it was a leaflet she’d gotten a few years back that got her to go vegan! A mom of two, she eventually got her husband on board, and now – from that one leaflet way back – her whole family’s veg! Such amazing feedback to hear – I won’t in a hundred years ever get tired of hearing people tell me that!

—Yuri Mitzkewich, 11/19/14

April at USFSM

Just one Vegan Outreach booklet can create ripples of change for the animals: Donate to VO by December 31 and double the impact of your donation!


Vic Sjodin: Fall 2014

Vic Sjodin, VO’s Senior Outreach & Strategy Coordinator, has leafleted 60 different schools this fall, handing out more than 43,000 Vegan Outreach booklets!

Vic Sjodin, Gary, Elaine Vigneault, and Ed Miller at UNLV

Earlier this semester, Vic (above, left) teamed with Vegas Veg activists to leaflet the University of Nevada, Las Vegas:

A HUGE, just massive day for this school; great team effort. Together we raised the one-day school record here from 1,450 to 3,290!

Some highlights: I met Brian [below, left], a freshman who read Your Choice and asked for more information on how to make the switch – boom – Guided and encouraged. Shortly thereafter, I met Zack [below, center], a biochem major who had been veg-curious before; he read a booklet and we had a long conversation – boom – going vegan, he said! And Elaine [Vigneault, above] met John, who had already stopped eating pigs and cows and is now working on eating fewer chickens; and Nicole [below, right], who now wants to go veg!

Huge thanks to Elaine for getting local folks out, and for all her efforts to promote veganism locally. Elaine is not playing around and can move some serious lit!

We saw many reading our literature. I’m extremely happy that together we were able to reach so many fertile hearts and minds.

—Vic Sjodin, 10/14/14

Brian, Zack, and Nicole at UNLV

Through December 31, your fully tax-deductible donation to Vegan Outreach will create twice as many new vegetarians and spare twice as many animals from suffering!


One Million Leaflets!

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By Jon Camp

We at Vegan Outreach are proud to announce a special milestone! For the first time in our storied 20-year history, we have reached over one million college students in a single semester with the plight of farmed animals!

For the fall semester of our Adopt a College program, over one million of today’s youth were personally handed a Vegan Outreach booklet. We reached students in 48 of the US states, as well as throughout Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Italy.

This was not an easy task. It involved activists putting in thousands and thousands of miles on the road, standing day after day on their feet for hours on end in all weather conditions; and in the case of VO’s Canada Outreach Coordinator, Kristin Lamy, getting stuck in Buffalo for multiple days during a snowstorm.

We’re always hearing from individuals who have gone vegetarian or vegan as a result of our hard work — individuals who never thought much about their food choices and who are now actively working to create a better world for animals, thanks to getting a Vegan Outreach booklet

This accomplishment has been a team effort, and it came about thanks to the legendary dedication of VO’s tireless outreach coordinators and volunteers, the great animal advocacy organizations we team up with, and our thoughtful and generous donors who make this work happen in the first place.

Thanks to everyone who played a role in this historic milestone on behalf of animals!


New Merchandise!

We are now carrying a bunch of fun new items to help you show your vegan pride and spread a compassionate lifestyle!

Bumper Sticker – Choose Compassion

Measures 9″ x 4″

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$2 | Purchase from Order Form

Bumper Sticker – Chicks Dig Vegans

Measures 9″ x 4″

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$2 | Purchase from Order Form

Bumper Sticker – Cruelty Sucks Go Vegan

Measures 9″ x 4″

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$2 | Purchase from Order Form

Bumper Sticker – I Heart Vegan Outreach

Measures 9″ x 4″

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$2 | Purchase from Order Form

Bumper Sticker – I’d Rather Be Leafleting

Measures 9″ x 4″

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$2 | Purchase from Order Form

Bookmark – I Heart Vegan Outreach

Double-sided, measuring 6″ x 2″

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$1 | Purchase from Order Form

Bookmark – Chicks Dig Vegans

Double-sided, measuring 6″ x 2″

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$1 | Purchase from Order Form

Magnet – I Heart Vegan Outreach

Measures 4.75″ x 2″

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$1 | Purchase from Order Form

Sticker – White VO Logo

Measures 3″ x 3″

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$1 | Purchase from Order Form

Sticker – Black VO Logo

Measures 3″ x 3″

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$1 | Purchase from Order Form

It’s Easy to Start Eating Vegan

IETSEV Rebecca

by Rebecca Gilbert

A beginner’s guide to help you start eating vegan:

  • Easy egg and dairy substitutions
  • Plant-based protein sources
  • Sample meal plans and tasty, easy-to-make basic recipes
  • Tips for navigating social situations

$14.95 | Purchase from Order Form

Vegucated

Three People. Six Weeks. One Challenge.
Best Documentary 2011 – Toronto Film Festival

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More info.
$15 | Purchase from Order Form


Vegan Girl Scout Cookies!

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By Toni Okamoto

Vegan Girl Scout Cookies exist! But sadly, not everywhere. The Girl Scouts use two baking companies: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie. The two companies are broken up geographically and serve different counties. If your county serves Little Brownie Cookies (you can see on the box), then you have the option of Thin Mints, but if you have ABC Baker Girl Scouts you have four delightful, delectable, delicious options!

It’s hard to know whether your local troop has all the vegan goods, but you can try giving them a call or reaching out to them on social media. There’s also this nifty tool to help you locate cookie stands nearest you: http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookies.asp

The four vegan options available from ABC Bakers are: Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades and Thanks-A-Lot.

Only about a month before you see cookie stands popping up near you! I can’t wait!


Giving Tuesday

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By Lisa Rimmert

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. There’s been a lot of focus this past weekend on shopping. Today, dubbed Giving Tuesday, let’s turn our attention toward spending money in a different way: donating to a cause we care about!

Donate $20 (or more!) to Vegan Outreach today, and we will send you a complimentary copy of Rebecca Gilbert’s book, It’s Easy to Start Eating Vegan!” Your donation will help Vegan Outreach print and distribute more vegan literature and inspire more people to go vegan in 2015!

Give because you care. Give because it feels good. Give because you want the book! Whatever your reason, your spending today will prevent the suffering of farmed animals.

Thank you!


Senator Cory Booker Goes Vegan!

By Toni Okamoto

Great news! Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey announces that he will try to be vegan through the holidays! Not only is he trying his hand at veganism, he is also participating in activism by challenging his favorite ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s, to create a non-dairy option. Sign the petition here!

You can send him a supportive tweet @CoryBooker, or comment on his Instagram @CoryBooker.

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Excerpts from ABC News, November 25th, 2014, A Vegan Thanksgiving With Cory Booker:

“Though the 45-year-old politician has been meat-free since before he was Newark mayor, this is the first time he’s excluding dairy from his diet and vowing to stick to it. During a question-and-answer session on the site Reddit, Booker admitted going vegan once before, but caving in quickly.

Already three weeks in, the senator, re-elected earlier this month, tweeted that he loves his “vegan experiment” and he’s learning a lot. He also has been re-tweeting recipes.”


Donate $20 Today and Receive a Copy of “It’s Easy to Start Eating Vegan!”

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By Lisa Rimmert, Donor Relations Manager, Vegan Outreach

As Rebecca Gilbert’s book title says, “It’s Easy to Start Eating Vegan!” And you know what else is easy? Donating $20 to Vegan Outreach today and receiving a complimentary copy of the book!

IETSEV RebeccaDonate at least $20 today or tomorrow, and with your book, you’ll get practical tips from Gilbert, like:

• Easy egg and dairy substitutions
• Ideas to stock your vegan pantry
• Plant-based protein sources
• Sample meal plans and tasty, easy-to-make basic recipes
• Tips for navigating social situations

The book is a terrific resource for your transition to a plant-based diet, and your donation to Vegan Outreach is a terrific way to help spread the vegan lifestyle to many others!

What could be better? Well, since you asked… Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, so your $20 will become $40! A gift today will double your impact for farmed animals, and get you a copy of “It’s Easy to Start Eating Vegan!” to get you started on your journey to a plant-based diet!

Promotion ends Tuesday, Dec. 2 at midnight Pacific Time. Dollar-for-dollar matching on all donations ends December 31st.

Donate by Clicking Here



True Thanksgiving Turkey Facts

By Toni Okamoto

While compiling my own list of True Thanksgiving Turkey Facts, I was surprised to find this well-done infograph by Business Insider.

Turkeys live very sad lives before they are slaughtered at the young age 3-5 months old. You can help by choosing compassionate alternatives. Try planning a cruelty-free Thanksgiving with our Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Menu!

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*It appears there is a mistake in this infographic regarding 1 million turkeys being boiled alive. Based on 2013 USDA slaughter statistics, 614,062 chickens and 16,996 turkeys are drowned in hot water. But the idea is the same — eating turkeys leads to many of them being scalded before drowning.