Enewsletter

This issue is brought to you by TheVegetarianSite.com:

Notes from Vegan Outreach

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Darina Smith reaches out to another University of Utah student.

Link of the Week: The Power of One Booklet

“I got the pamphlet and quickly leafed through it. This is the point when I throw most of this stuff away – I figure it doesn’t hurt to at least look at whatever someone feels strongly enough about to stand there and hand out, but it’s almost always worthless to me.

“With this one though, I couldn’t bring myself to toss it. I wanted to bring it home to show Erin, and to be able to look through it again. It made me feel horrible about the way I ate. And in some strange way, I was happy that it made me feel so bad.”

Read the full article.

Products / “Recipes” of the Week

Five easy vegan desserts, by Ginny Messina.

Send your product of the week to product (at) veganoutreach (dot) org; previous entries here.

Notes from All Over

Lightning Round

• NHL’s Most Feared Pugilist Is Vegan
• Replacing Eggs with Flax (use Earth Balance instead of butter)
• VO Activists Make Spay/Neuter Benefit Vegan
• Via DawnWatch:
  • Factory Farms and Antibiotics
  • Factory Farms and Water Pollution
• Via Vegan.com:
  • Harvard Crimson: “Inspire Students to Eat Less Meat”
  • Egg Producer Attempts to Subvert Prop 2
  • New Egg Industry Propaganda

Notes from Our Members

Jera Petersen changes – and saves – lives at Washington State University; below, a student at Southeast Missouri State studies a booklet handed to her by Rick Hershey.

Thank whoever did the pamphleting for Vegan Outreach down here (at Washington State University). I was really pleased to see my students reading the pamphlets carefully.
—LS, Pullman, WA, 9/19/09

The Chicago Hopefest was fun and very effective. The crowd was made up of Hispanics and African Americans, a lot of high schoolers and people under 30. Everybody wanted the booklets, and what was amazing, once people flipped through them, many came after me, and asked for more for their other family members.
—Darina Smith, 9/8/09

I am very happy I ran across your website. I just would like to say thank you for promoting veganism in a way that does not point fingers and advocate any type of negativity. I read your essay regarding anger and humor, and it really inspired me to stay strong, stop brooding, and achieve my goals in animal rights and veganism. My empathy and compassion will change others’ minds if I stay focused, thoughtful, and humble.
—BL, 9/15/09

I recently got your booklet at my college and have become vegetarian immediately after reading it. I was so impacted by Even If You Like Meat that I would like to help distribute copies to as many people as possible.
—VC, 9/20/09

Back at high school hangout Sugar Land Town Square, one girl told me she has now been a vegetarian for one week since getting Why Vegan? from me last Saturday. Another girl told me that her mom has now been a vegan for four years after having received Why Vegan? And again, lots of kids told me that they will now definitely try to become vegetarians.
     Incidentally, the girl who has now been vegetarian for one week initially told me last Saturday that she loves meat way too much to ever give it up, and she didn’t want to take any pamphlet from me on the grounds that even the Compassionate Choices pamphlet was too graphic for her to look at. However, she came back to me a few hours later, saying that she had changed her mind, and really does think she needs to stop eating animals. So, she took a Why Vegan? and a Guide. Tonight, we saw the results.
—Eugene Khutoryansky, 9/4/09

It was a fun time at CUNY Queens College. I had this conversation with a student who was with his group of friends:
     Me: Info to help animals?
Him: But I eat meat.
     That’s why you should read this.
I like meat, and don’t want to have to see that.
     I used to eat meat too, but this is a really serious issue and I think you should take a look at it.
I saw one in English class already.
     Have a nice day (as he was running away with his friends).
Within a minute, the entire group returned to me and every last one of them requested a booklet! “Ok we’ll read these.”
—Eileen Botti, 9/10/09

At Southeast Missouri State, I heard from about 12 vegetarians and seven other students who were trying to reduce their meat consumption; I gave them all a Guide. Many of those seven had received an Even If from me in the past. One vegetarian RA asked for ten for her dorm.
—Rick Hershey, 9/10/09

Lots of good interactions today at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. One guy came back after reading the Even If to say, “I’m a big meat eater, but this is horrible. They shouldn’t be treating animals this way.” He thought meat from “happy farms” would be better, but acknowledged that those animals would ultimately reach the same fate. He left talking about changing his diet.
—Fred Tyler, 9/11/09

A few years ago, a guy yelled at me at the University of Colorado, Boulder, saying Vegan Outreach was sending the wrong message asking people to consider veganism. By the end of the year, he approached me and apologized for his behavior. Since then, he always gives me a thumbs up or thanks as he passes by. While leafleting there today, he came back once again to say how much he’s changed his diet. It’s funny that this man who had the harshest words for me initially has done such an about-face.
—Barbara Bear, 9/4/09

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