Enewsletter

News/Updates

New Brochure Holders

We now have stock of plastic brochure holders, which can either stand on their own, or be hung on a wall.

Activists around the country have had great success in reaching many new people by displaying Why Vegans and/or Vegetarian Livings at co-ops, natural food stores, libraries, book and record stores, coffee houses, restaurants, and other locations. Often, when asking permission, an employee or manager will agree to monitor the display and keep it stocked!

Order booklets and/or holders

I wanted to say thank you once again for all the great work you guys are doing with vegan education. I think that having your group as a resource is greatly helping the vegan community. I recently have been leaving copies of Why Vegan? in my college library in the free materials section.
TH, Clifton Forge, VA, 4/4/03

Thank you so much for your effort to raise the conscious awareness and compassion of people everywhere!
I became a vegan 10 years ago...then became lax in my diet, and over time ate dairy...then most recently chicken and eggs and such. I saw your pamphlet at a display at the public library; the pictures of the animals alone sent tears streaming down my face, and I was brought back to why I became vegan in the first place. It is difficult for me at times (I am a single mother on a limited income) and I just cannot afford to buy completely vegan foods...there are times that my crackers may have whey or something in them. I am doing the best I can. But I have given up eggs, any kind of meat, dairy cheese...etc. I have shown my friends your information as well, which has had an immediate and severe effect on their choice in foods they eat. I have encouraged them, if they really want to eat meat...to buy free-range eggs, turkey, etc.
Thanks for helping me back. Go veggie!
EC, Lawrence, KS, 4/4/03

 

Two News Items For Advocates To Consider

Meat Consumption at Record High

"Now more than ever, America is a Nation of meat eaters. In 2000, total meat consumption (red meat, poultry, and fish) reached 195 pounds (boneless, trimmed-weight equivalent) per person, 57 pounds above average annual consumption in the 1950s. Each American consumed an average of 7 pounds more red meat than in the 1950s, 46 pounds more poultry, and 4 pounds more fish and shellfish."

It's Not Easy Being a Vegan

"A reader called to say that 20 people from his church all went on a vegan diet two years ago. Several had specific health reasons, ranging from arthritis to diabetes. Others just wanted healthier lives.

"Today, only one – Linda Allen, the associate pastor of Cuyahoga Falls Church of the Nazarene – remains steadfast to the diet.

"'It's so difficult, that for me, I have to pray and ask for God's help,' Allen said."

New Yorker Article on Ingrid Newkirk (pdf)

"In 1994, according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, seventy-three percent of pigs raised in America were on small farms, and twenty-seven percent were on large industrial farms; by 2001, those figures had been reversed."

A B12 Experience

JC, In Tucson, AZ

The following is from a vegan in the Philippines who contacted Vegan Outreach when he started having shaking in his hands. We advised him to take vitamin B12, after which the shaking disappeared. His experience reinforces the need for vegans to take vitamin B12 (if you haven't already, please read this article), and it emphasizes the need for an organization like Vegan Outreach to spend the time and money needed to promote nutrition among vegans. Please consider a donation to Vegan Outreach to continue our efforts in this direction.

I'm 29 years old, and was born and raised in the Philippines. I live in the Manila metropolitan area. In Manila, we have access to pretty much any food that you might in the U.S. We have (local and imported) dairy products, candy bars, corn chips, breakfast cereal, etc. The common diet here is omnivorous. Unlike Asian countries where Buddhism and Hinduism are prevalent, the Philippines has a strong Catholic background (300 years of Spanish colonization can do that). Hence, our diet is rather meat-oriented. Vegetarianism is an alien concept to the majority.

I started becoming lacto-ovo vegetarian in 1992 (quit pork first, then beef in a month, then chicken in about 5 months, then fish several months later). I finally went vegan in 2002. I noticed I was shaking in my hands around November of 2002 and contacted you soon after. After taking your advice (of 1000 mcg/day of Solgar vitamin B12), the tremors went away in a matter of days.

From EE, Philippines, 4/16/03

PETA Sign Equates Pig with Lamb

"Eastbound travelers on Interstate 40 see the message on a 36-foot-wide billboard just north of Wilmington: 'He Died For Your Sins. Go Vegetarian.'

"The words end next to a 12-foot-tall image of a squinty-eyed pig."

PETA to Hold Regional Helping Animals Conferences

in Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, and Birmingham.

Experts Link SARS Origin to Livestock

"As the death toll from Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome continues to build, experts say the disease is likely to be connected to the mutation of a virus among China's livestock - specifically, the country's birds."

Chickens, Chippers Not Made for Each Other

"You probably missed the story out of California over the weekend about the egg ranchers who fed thousands of live chickens into wood chippers to destroy them. [T]he local district attorney decided not to prosecute the ranch owners, Arie and Bill Wilgenburg of Ward Egg Ranch near Escondido, on animal cruelty charges. This came as a considerable relief to the Wilgenburgs, who said they were only doing what industry experts had advised them, but it really ticked off the folks at the Humane Society of the United States, who thought they should have figured out a nicer way to do it.

"This reminded me of my late father-in-law's aversion to chicken. He absolutely wouldn't eat it.

"Under questioning, it turned out that his attitude dated to when he was a boy growing up on a farm near Beecher, where it was his job to bring in the chicken for Sunday dinner. This required going out to the chicken coop, grabbing a live bird and wringing its neck. The birds didn't appreciate it, and neither did my father-in-law.

"I don't know if neck-wringing is considered a humane method for euthanizing a chicken, but I can tell you I've talked to a lot of people over the years who did it.

"Neck-wringing, however, wouldn't have been of much use to the Wilgenburgs, who needed to get rid of some 30,000 unproductive but otherwise healthy hens. They couldn't transport the hens to the facility that normally takes care of their chicken-killing because of a quarantine necessitated by a poultry disease that's making the rounds these days in California."

CA's Millennium Restaurant Changes Location

Feedback

I passed out a lot of Why Vegans at a high school heath fair, and the kids were really into the graphic pictures. I warned them, and that made them want the Why Vegan even more!
I said it this way, "Well, be careful because the photos are graphic and I don't know if you should see it." The rebellion kicked in, and, except for a girl who was already vegetarian because of the animals, not one person turned one down!
MM, Marietta, GA, 4/18/03

I would like to tell you I am very thankful for what you do and the encouragement that you have given me.
I have been a vegan for 8 years now. I never had support from my family. But with your help and support I know that my decision is right, and I want you to know that no matter how hard things are for you, you are greatly appreciated.
AL, 4/5/03

The information I've received from VO in the past has been tremendously useful. I know so many folks who have, since reading Why Vegan, modified their lifestyles a great deal. It's truly a ripple effect. Thank you for all of your help. VO has served as a wonderful resource for me whenever I encounter someone eager to learn.
CQ, Lexington, KY, 4/1/03

Why Vegan has been a lifesaver for me the past years.
SM, Portland, OR, 4/1/03

A fast-food junky diabetic friend of mine was so moved by your outstanding Why Vegan booklet and Peta’s holiday 2002 Animal Times that she decided to quit eating animals. Since then, she’s become quite a vocal activist! Thanks for making it so much easier to reach people like her!
KM, Cathedral City, CA, 4/1/03

I was able to take some time today and read through some of the content on this site. How wonderful! I have been vegetarian for 5 1/2 years and vegan for just over 1 year. Your essays "Tips for Spreading Veganism" and "Activism and Veganism Reconsidered" were some of the most interesting, well reasoned, and inspiring animal welfare content I have read in quite some time. Thank you.
LO, 3/25/03

Vegan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the suffering of farmed animals by promoting informed, ethical eating. All donations are tax-deductible. Vegan Outreach POB 30865, Tucson, AZ 85751-0865