Enewsletter
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Enewsletter • June 9, 2004 | ||
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"The war cry has
been 'all or nothing' with the almost inevitable
result being nothing."
How Why Vegan? Changed My LifeIn the few days of summer left before the start of my junior year of high school, I happened upon a table set up by Northwest Animal Rights Network outside of Bumbershoot (the Seattle Arts Festival). For some reason still unknown to even myself, I stopped by and was given a Why Vegan? (Let me tell you that at this time, there had been a bumper sticker on my van that read: "Vegetarian: Primitive Word for ‘Lousy Hunter’." Previous to this, I had tormented my younger niece since she had become vegetarian at eight years old. I had even made fun of my vegetarian girlfriend.) When I was walking toward the car with some of my friends, they tried to take the literature from me and throw it on the ground. But I held it firmly in my hands. That evening, I sat at home reading through the Why Vegan? It disturbed me, and at first I thought, "Perhaps I will eventually stop eating meat." As I read more and more of it, I resolved to go vegetarian sooner, until I got to the end. With tears running down my cheeks from seeing the horrible images and reading about the truth of how animals are treated, I decided that I was vegan. I excitedly told my girlfriend (who was at first shocked and then jealous that I "out-vegged" her). I scratched off every word except "vegetarian" from my bumper sticker. Over the next few weeks, I was afraid to tell my dad or my friends, but after a while of not eating any of the dishes my dad made, he asked why I wasn't eating. I finally told him I had gone vegan. He eventually went vegan, too! My vegetarian niece became vegan, my girlfriend became vegan, one of my friends who used to make fun of me has gone vegan, and since my dad remarried, my stepmom is nearly vegan. My mom learned to make vegan food for me. My stepdad had a heart attack recently, and his doctor advised him to give up almost all meat and dairy. So he eats an almost completely vegan diet, and I help him with food recommendations and nutrition information. Now my girlfriend and I co-coordinate the Tacoma, Washington-based animal rights group -- Tacoma Veggies -- and the University of Puget Sound campus group, UPSTART. Picking up that Why Vegan? has profoundly changed my life, and the lives of those around me, and I wonder what might have happened if I hadn't gone by that table. The moral of the story: One person CAN make a difference. BS, WA, 5/27/04
Support Viva!USA and Vegan Outreach by Eating Great Vegan Food!NV Vegetarian Restaurant is holding another benefit for Viva!USA and Vegan Outreach. The food is typical of many Buddhist vegetarian restaurants and reasonably priced. We want to make sure we support one of the only vegetarian restaurants in the Sacramento area. On Thursday, June 24, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, NV will split 20% of all sales between Viva!USA and Vegan Outreach. This is a great way to enjoy some excellent food and donate to animal rights groups! Because they want to be prepared for whatever crowd may show up, please RSVP to us beforehand if you know you will be attending. Please be aware that last time, most everyone came at once so there was kind of a long wait. That could possibly happen again – but the company during any wait will be worth it. : ) We hope to see everyone there! Jack Norris | www.veganoutreach.org
Matt Ball Talk / Chicago EarthSave potluck Sunday, June 27thWould you like to be a more effective advocate for animals? Or, are you simply interested in moving closer towards a vegan diet? Come to EarthSave Chicago's June potluck and hear Vegan Outreach co-founder Matt Ball -- along with Anne & Ellen Green, Joe Espinosa, Jon Camp, Nick Altmann, Danielle Marino, and others talk about reducing suffering in the world, why we should promote vegetarianism, humor, and much more! For more information, please see the Chicago EarthSave website, or send email.
Vegan Advocate Selected for "The American Candidate""Friedrich said Monday that appearing on the show is outside his comfort zone, but that he's doing it because he believes 'animals deserve to have their interests considered. I do appreciate the opportunity to be a face for animal rights, a face for PETA, and a face for compassion for all animals.'"
Ten Seconds to Feed AnimalsThe Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than 10 seconds to go to their site and click on "feed an animal in need" for free. This doesn't cost you a thing (and they don't ask for your email address).
Mercy for Animals Library Display Program
VegGuide ContestMake vegetarianism easier for all, win a prize!
New Pictures AvailableFrom Amey Mathews.
Member Feedback[While leafleting, a] young DePaul student
came up to me and let me know that she had picked
up a Why Vegan? at a college feed-in
a few months back, and she subsequently got
back into vegetarianism because of the brochure
(she had been veg before, but had given it up).
Moreover, she said that her friend decided to
try going veg that day as well; they have both
been veg since! Two more individuals that have
been influenced by the Adopt
A College program! Kudos to Danielle
Marino on this list for initially setting up
that feed-in! Please, if it is at all possible, pass along
to the author of the story of "How Why
Vegan Changed My Life" which ran in
the e-newsletter
on 6/2/04 ("SC, Canada, 5/27/04")
how excited I was to read his/her story. It
is my story, too! Thanks to Vegan Outreach,
I have finally come into my own true self and
have found my work & purpose. I was delighted
to see myself mirrored in this wonderful story.
Thank you!
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