Enewsletter

This issue sponsored by Vegan Essentials.

Notes from Vegan Outreach

Activist Profile: Susan Rattenbury

Continuing our series of profiles, here are some excerpts from Susan Rattenbury's:

What made you decide to start leafleting?

Two things inspired me to leaflet: The Vegan Outreach E-newsletter, with the stories at the bottom of each, and reading "A Meaningful Life." Then someone posted to our local discussion group a leafleting "event" in the city and I thought it was time to give it a try. My big regret is not starting sooner. I was hooked immediately. As far as nervousness, the best cure for me is to start leafleting as soon as I get to the location. I leaflet the first person I see and it's all downhill from there. It's kind of like a diving board; the more I hesitate, the harder it is.

What was your most positive leafleting experience this year and why?

Positive encounters represent the vast majority of interactions I have when I leaflet. Some highlights include meeting the President of the Social Justice Club at Hayward, who is incorporating animal rights into their semester calendar. I also have probably met at least one student per school visit who said they did a class presentation on factory farming.

What would you say to individuals hesitant about leafleting?

1. Read this Adopt a College web page.
2. Find a partner and set a date, time and place to go.
3. Don't worry about having to answer questions or engage in conversation (unless you want to).
3. Leaflet the first person you see.
4. And keep this estimate at the forefront: "We convince about 5 students to go vegetarian for every 200 booklets we hand out."

Read the entire profile here!

Bonus: Dan Kuzma

"I accomplished two goals this summer: finished a 100 mile race and raised money for Vegan Outreach. I learned a lot through this experience. Through all of the countless hours I spent running, I feel I was able to do something positive for the animals while enjoying one of my favorite sports. I combine my running with activism, and it definitely works. It's quite simple: I wear a shirt that says VEGAN, and that catches people's attention. It is apparent we have been making progress, because I notice a lot more people who are familiar with veganism. Thanks to all of you for your support and your work for the animals!"

Product of the Week

Brian: I would like to recommend the Smart Balance omega peanut butter. It tastes great, has omega-3 fatty acids, and is labeled as vegan.

Send your nominees for Product of the Week to product (at) veganoutreach (dot) org; previous products can be found here.

Feedback from Our Members

Leafleting at Hawthorn Street today, I had many great encounters:

• An older woman said to me as she walked by, "It's very good. I've already read it."
• A girl said, "I'm already vegan. I'm glad you're doing this."
• A guy (whom I had given a pamphlet to 30 min earlier) said, "Thanks for being out here."
• A guy took a Why Vegan, and the girl he was with looked at it and said, "I love these!"
• A man with a little girl (I think she was around 4 yrs old) came up to me. The man said, "She's vegetarian and she'd like to have one of your pamphlets." I gave her a GCFE. She looked up and gave me a very cute smile. :)

-Jessica Dadds, Portland, OR, 8/12/07

I had been loosely following the Hallelujah diet before I received your pamphlet in DC. The pamphlet really motivated me to be more strict with my food and to get totally off meat. I had originally started the diet just for nutrition reasons. I had no idea that there was such a thing as factory farming and I'm 45 yrs old! So the word needs to get out.
-RN, Pasadena, MD, 8/13/07

At the Boston Warped Tour, I gave an EIYLM to this one girl, and she came back and asked excitedly if she could help pass them out, and I said, "Yes, I have a whole box over there" and pointed. She grabbed some and quickly went off approaching people and handing out the pamphlets as she disappeared into a crowd. It's always great when you randomly meet someone who wants to help out.
-Dan Holbert, 8/12/07

After leafleting the Warped Tour stop there, I left Pittsburgh today feeling more accomplished than I have in any single day of leafleting in the last several months. The kids were surprisingly pumped to get brochures, the place was crawling with vegetarians. I met so many veg*ns and so many kids who were already familiar with the material, via college leafleting or other Warped Tour dates or videos and websites. Despite my absolute exhaustion and my extreme sunburn and the fact that my clothes were filthy, I was glowing when I left at 8:00 pm because I ran out of booklets. Everybody who does this work is absolutely amazing.
-Jenna Calabrese, 8/8/07

Thank you for your truly great pamphlets. I have started holding Kind Food stands in malls in my area (Cape Town, South Africa) and the response has been very positive. I believe that everything you do in America affects the rest of the world, so keep at it.
-Karen Johnson, 8/12/07

After leafleting at the Galleria Mall, Eugene Khutoryansky noted that, among the many vegans he met, one was from Nigeria. "She was very VERY happy to see me passing these pamphlets out, and she talked to me at great length. I asked her if it is hard to be a vegan in Nigeria, and she said no. I also met another vegan today from Argentina."

Stewart Solomon adds: "When leafleting the Rock the Bells concert, a pedestrian said, 'No thanks. I got one of those in Columbia. I'm vegan.'"

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