Selected Recent Feedback

Katie reports Emily immediately went vegan after receiving a booklet last semester at Queensborough Community College.

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México is a small campus, but the outreach was amazing. We each grabbed an entrance, and everybody in or out got a booklet. Israel also left a few booklets fanned out at the front desk in the library and on an info booth; we saw one student grab one, show it to her friend, and read it cover to cover. We saw many other people reading the booklets cover to cover in the main square. Never seen such a reception!
     Outreach in Mexico has been overwhelmingly successful thus far. Many, many conversations with people who have been immediately impacted by the power of the literature. Prior to our arrival, I had apprehensions (riddled with excitement, of course) about pioneering Vegan Outreach’s work here in Mexico. The response, however, has transcended all my expectations. Even today, after distributing a booklet to a young woman, I immediately heard her say, “Hay que ser vegetariano!” (You gotta go veg!) And this is certainly not the first statement of this kind that I’ve heard.
     Israel has been an indescribably amazing host and fantastic activist. His family has kept us well fed with delicious vegan Mexican food and tropical fruits.
     Bienvenidos a la revolución, amigos!
—Jeni Haines & Vic Sjodin, 2/9/12

Nikki sends this picture of Ashley, who got a booklet six years ago at Laney College and has been vegan since.

Freezing cold turning to sleet, but we had a fabulous day at CUNY Lehman College. New leafleter Meghan joined me before her classes at Bronx Science High School, and then Lisa showed up. We met so many vegans and vegetarians, handing out a bunch of Guides! Lisa made a new leafleting contact for us and also spoke with one girl who had veered away from vegetarianism but is now going back.
—Katie Pryor, 2/16/12

Fantastic day of outreach with Johanna, Matt, and Jenny at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo! A number of students requested more information to get on the vegan path. Other great interactions included a 1-week vegetarian who seemed a little lost about what to eat, how to get enough protein, etc.; a nutrition major who has been thinking about going veg and who wants to get involved with our outreach; a professor who is interested in having Matt come to speak to his class. I had a worthwhile conversation with a guy who initially thought human overpopulation was the main problem. I told him about the 9+ billion land animals in the U.S. who are unnecessarily brought onto the planet each year and how resources could be saved if we didn’t raise them to eat them. When I gave him a Guide, he took it enthusiastically, started paging through it and said, “This is just what I needed!” I also gave him tips on tasty veggie meats to try. He made his veg pledge so earnestly and was so grateful for the info, it just made me smile.
—Barbara Bear, 2/17/12

Such a positive day of outreach at Gateway Community College! Small school, but I reached over 500 students. Several leafletees expressed outrage at the atrocities of factory farming, and one woman even began crying and pledged to go veg on the spot.
—John Oberg, 11/21/11

At the University of New Hampshire, one student exclaimed, “You just changed my life!” I also overheard a woman tell her friend, “This [booklet] will be perfect for the paper I am writing.” Later, a different student also mentioned writing a persuasive paper against factory farming, and she thanked me for the information. An ag student came over and asked me for a leaflet. He said it is interesting and good information. He called the system “messed up.”
—Lana Smithson, 11/28/11

Jonathan Hussain (L) answers questions at Fresno City College.

At St. Louis Community College, one vegetarian student said they were blessed by my presence and thanked me for being out there in the cold. A vegan instructor invited me to give a presentation to her class. One student asked me what he could eat if he didn’t eat meat. Another student said that she found the booklet disturbing and was going to reduce her meat consumption. I heard from a student who is giving a presentation on factory farming to her class tomorrow. I gave her 25 Even If You Like Meat booklets for her class.
—Rick Hershey, 12/1/11

Amazing take rate at Estrella Mountain Community College – I was there an hour before I got my first “no.” Phoenix was amazing, too; together, we reached over 700 students. One man took a Compassionate Choices early in the day, and came back hours later to talk with us. He told us that it only seemed reasonable to stop consuming animals. I gave him a Guide and he seemed really excited!
—Kirby Mauro, 11/30/11

After Westmont College, I reached nearly 1,300 students at UC Santa Barbara. Within my first 15 minutes, Connor biked up to me saying his booklet tipped the scales for him this morning, and as of that second, he’s a vegetarian. Too cool! Gave him a Guide. A German teacher stopped back to say how sad the information was. We chatted about sustainable changes and how we’re all a part of the system – good or bad.
—Nikki Benoit, 12/1/11

Brian reports that since getting a VO booklet three years ago, this College of Marin student and his girlfriend have been veg.

At East Tennessee State, an athletic dude took a booklet, sighed, and said, “This is so discouraging.” I asked him what was discouraging about it and he said that it’s so sad reading about animal suffering, because animals are so innocent and helpless. I told him that I agreed that it was very sad, but the purpose of the booklet was to be encouraging, that we could see something bad, do something good, and play a role in rectifying the situation. He agreed and thanked me for the information.
Later, a woman came up and asked about religion. I said our group consists of devout Christians, followers of other belief systems, and some who weren’t men or women of faith. I went on that the great thing about this cause is that it is – and should be – embraced by people of various political and religious beliefs. Moreover, I didn’t think a merciful God would have given animals the capacity to feel pain if they were intended to spend their lives in the conditions that they now spend their lives, and that our current treatment was definitely not good stewardship (a term she appreciated and that resonated with her). We discussed a number of other things such as Matthew Scully, the Garden of Eden being essentially vegan, etc. She appreciated my points, knowledge of her faith, and my hearing her out. It was a productive conversation.
—Jon Camp, 12/1/11

At Fresno City College, another veg-on-the-spot!

Leafleting Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move talk was spectacular! A mostly African-American crowd leaving the church; we were literally surrounded by a sea of hands asking for literature, with some people coming back for a booklet when they realized what we were handing out.
—Jeff Boghosian, 2/11/12

Yesterday was our first day of taking farmed animals’ plight to Mexico. Jeni and I were joined by our host Israel, and we reached 400 students at the local high school, Escuela Preparatoria de Texcoco. To my pleasant surprise, we found massive interest in the booklets. Saw dozens reading between classes or walking and reading. One student came back to us and said he wanted to volunteer and get involved; we put him in touch with Israel. Another student came back and said this was really crazy, he has been thinking of going veg for a while and now he will. Another professor or teacher expressed interest, and we spoke to him for over 15 minutes.
Today: What a day! We reached 2,200 at Metropolitan University, and met around 15 people who explicitly told us they were vegano or vegetarian. A truly ridiculous number of people were reading as they walked to and from lunch. Saw a girl on the back of a bike with long seat holding herself on with legs while both hands had booklet open and pressed against her boyfriend’s back and she read as they slowly cruised down the walkway. Many showed us the booklet hours later, several asked for more to show friends, and many more came back to get the booklets when they found out we were distributing them.
Great conversations, too! Adriel stopped by and we spoke to him for a few minutes til we handed him off to Israel; they spoke for 45 minutes, he wants to get involved locally and I asked if he wanted to help and boom, instant activist. He stayed and reached 250 students with ¿Por qué vegetariano?
—Vic Sjodin, with Jeni Haines, 2/8/12

Another Fresno City College student whose life was changed after being handed a VO booklet.

From a recent batch of Guide requests:

A guy handed me a booklet at school, so I read it. I’m glad I did, otherwise I would have probably never known the shocking facts. Thank you!
—KJ

I saw a booklet about the cruelties of factory farming by chance. It changed my life.
—EP

Was handed a booklet at Disneyland, and haven’t eaten meat ever since, trying to do even better than that. :) Thank you.
—GB

I was on campus and was handed a booklet. I always wanted to go vegan I just never knew how to get started. Thanks so much!
—JP

Received a booklet from a friend about a year ago. Loved it! Inspired me to become vegan. :)
—HW

Lori, Lisa, Mike and I had a very productive day at Foothill College, where we reached a record 1,623 students (including handing out an amazing 92 Guides). The take rate was excellent, and almost everyone was friendly. I had conversations with omnivores who were interested in becoming vegetarians, and vegetarians considering becoming vegan. One woman said she’d probably be vegan, but she enjoys baking too much to give it up. She honestly didn’t know she could bake without eggs and dairy! I was delighted to give her a Guide and let her know there are plenty of vegan baking cookbooks and websites. Another student wanted to know how becoming vegan had impacted me personally. I probably made him late to class with that one. :-) Another person thanked me for being there. I left feeling really positive!
—Diane Gandee Sorbi, 11/1/11

Jackiie DeLexa Cano answers questions at the College of the Sequoias.

Citrus College is amazing. This campus never fails to produce at least one new vegan with each visit. Today’s was named Laura, and she was in only one of the three “spark flying” conversations I had!
—Nikki Benoit, 11/14/11

Great interactions at the University of West Georgia; e.g., as I was leaving, a student told me she became vegetarian because of a VO booklet someone handed her. I gave her a Guide.
—Rob Gilbride, 11/14/11

Love when you meet someone new to veganism while leafleting and they are super stoked to meet another vegan. It’s a good feeling to know that just by meeting them you helped solidify their veganism.
—Aaron & Kate, 2/10/12

Superb take rate and friendly students at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Even most faculty and staff took booklets. Amazing conversations, too. I told many students my story about how I became vegan and that I made the change primarily for animals, many of whom suffer from the moment they are born until the day they die in the industrialized food system. One faculty member took ten booklets to put on display in his office. Another faculty member who took a booklet earlier in the day passed by again and thanked me for the info.
—Brandon Becker, 11/14/11

Nikki sends this picture of Brittney Montana, who went vegan last year after receiving a VO booklet, and is now a leafleter (here at the College of the Desert).

Jessica, Leslie, Diane, Danielle (making her leafleting debut), and I reached over 2,000 students at City College of San Francisco – what a great vegan posse! I then gave a talk at Sonoma State. The presentation went on for an hour and after I was finished, the professor talked to the class about for a minute while I packed up. She asked the class how many would be willing to do Meatless Mondays, and about ¾ of the class raised their hands. I also found out that one of the most inquisitive and supportive students in the class grew up on a ranch. He was the one to pipe up and say that small farms are not the solution because of the amount of demand we have as a nation. He also said he’s worried about going to his grandparent’s cattle ranch this week. “It’s going to be weird being around the animals.”
—Brian Grupe, 11/15/11

Brian reports: “Corey got a booklet years ago and went veg. He then got another booklet this August at UC Berkeley and has been vegan ever since.”

A post to the Adopt a College email list:

Sometimes my posts from the road don’t list many details, often because I’m tired after a day of driving and leafleting and because I’ve actually gotten used to how positive leafleting is. I’ve gotten used to the surreal drop in antagonism over the years, the large number of students who thumb through the booklets and tell me this is an important issue, the large number of kids who tell me that the booklet really got them thinking, that they’re now vegetarian or vegan (often as a result of our work), etc. The most important change is often the silent change – individuals mulling over new ideas and figuring out how to go forward with the moral conflict that has been brought to their attention. So while it would be exciting to say otherwise, a lot of this work is just getting out there, getting the right materials in the right hands, and letting individuals think through these things on their own terms – which they do.
As always, I can’t thank you donors enough for your trust in this work, your smarts to realize this is important work that changes society, and your dedication in working a steady job and setting aside funds to help ensure a brighter future for animals. And as I’ve said before, traveling a lot can be physically and emotionally taxing. But it’s a lot easier to keep my spirits high when my inbox is continually flooded by outreach reports from all of you on this list who really walk the walk and use your limited time to push the ball forward for animals.
—Jon Camp, 11/23/11

Absolutely fantastic acceptance rate at Bakersfield High School and Bakersfield College. At the college, a guy stopped to tell me that he had gone veg after getting a booklet from us at the Warped Tour a few years ago. He now has a two-year-old daughter and she has never eaten meat! Two lives changed from one brochure! Another guy was listening to our conversation and came up to me afterwards and said he had done a fast recently, specifically cutting out meat. He also had a 15-month-old daughter (random!) and her nutrition is a top priority for him, so he got a Guide as well. Very cool to have these two conversations back to back.
—Brian Grupe, 2/6/12

Cristina Cruz answers questions from a South Texas College student.

I was leafleting on the sidewalk at Morehouse College (a private school), when a man named Mr. Walkins asked me what I was handing out. I explained what it was and he said, “I went to school here with Martin Luther King. Come on campus, he wouldn’t mind. No one will bother you, you are with me. I know people.” He was waving at people, shaking hands and smiling at folks as I leafleted a bunch of students (a high school crowd, too). He even leafleted a few students as well.
—Rob Gilbride, 11/9/11

I got tons of thank yous at CUNY Hostos, with students waiting for the booklet when I couldn’t get to them in time. Many people who passed the first time only to request the information from me on their way out. Others asked for an extra copy to take home to their children or other family members. One professor stopped and told me that he showed the film Food, Inc. in his classroom. After speaking to him, he spoke to one of his students right in front of me, telling her about the horrors of factory farms. One lady didn’t take a booklet at first but stood and spoke to me about how much she loved her dog. I explained to her that I love dogs, too, but my love doesn’t stop there. After I explained to her why I am vegan, she took a leaflet and said she would read it, consider it, and even share it with her son.
—Katie Pryor, 11/15/11

Tina, Mary, Jamie, John, Jennifer, and I reached nearly 1,500 more students at Northern Illinois University. One woman said that she went vegan after getting a VO booklet last semester – sweet! One of Jennifer’s friends took the booklet after she gave him a hard time for turning her down; he contacted her that night and asked for more info on how he could start a vegetarian diet. Awesome.
—Jon Bockman, 11/15/11

Crystal Gordon takes advantage of warm weather at Central Michigan University.

Cold but excellent day at Harold Washington College – very receptive students. Within minutes, a vegan woman thanked me for the work. A couple students asked about volunteering. Others stopped with questions about the booklets, or said they care about animals and told me they are interested in moving toward vegetarianism. One girl told me proudly she just went veg a month ago. I ran out of booklets at 1:50, having only been able to bring 1,000 with me on the train.
—Leslie Patterson, 11/16/11

At Heritage University, I spoke with a Yakima tribe student who said some powerful things about how he sees industrial farming (it’s a nightmare). Other students listening in as he spoke. Coolest conversation I’ve had in a while.
—Caleb Wheeldon, 11/15/11

Met over a dozen vegetarians / vegans at the University of Minnesota, where Mike, Sen, and I reached over 1,900 students. Also met a woman who went veg after getting a VO booklet before. This was Mike’s first time leafleting. He did an excellent job and had a good take rate. He said at first he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do it. He tried it and immediately saw how easy it was to get leaflets into students’ hands. We can definitely expect more from him in the future.
—Fred Tyler, 11/14/11

At Miami Dade’s InterAmerican Campus, there were many moments I wished I had a camera, as many students stopped in their tracks to read the booklets. Most seemed to be seeing this information for the first time, and so I’m sure many today gave consideration to animals in a way they had never before. Always such a great sight to see!
—Yuri Mitzkewich, 11/22/11

Emily Vanneman provides the animals a voice at Chico State.

At North Carolina A&T State, Markie got a booklet from me earlier in the day, read it, and came back and asked if there was any volunteering he could do. I asked if he wanted to help me leaflet the campus and he gladly agreed. Another student came back to say he got a booklet earlier in the day and was converted. I heard other comments from those who said it was “sad” or “interesting”; I was able to offer a Guide to many of them, as well as to others interested in learning more or already vegetarian or vegan. I had a long conversation with a student who said she had lots of friends and extended family members who were vegetarian or vegan but still wasn’t sure whether she wanted to make the change. We talked about the sentience of fishes, vegan substitutes, living in a non-vegan society, “happy” animal products, etc. She left with a Guide.
—Brandon Becker, 11/19/11

Daniel went veg after getting a booklet at Cal Poly Pomona last semester.

Tyler, Jenna, Frank, Mike, Austin, Steve, and I reached 700 young people in only 45 minutes at the Chinatown Parade. Even telling people it was a booklet about animal cruelty, I know we could have reached a lot more people if we had brought more booklets.
—Kenny Torrella, 1/29/12

I spent my lunch in front of John Jay College. One woman stopped dead in her tracks halfway down the block and read the whole thing right there. I brought her a Guide and spoke to her a bit. She seemed very surprised and concerned about the implications of her food choices. Another woman doubled back after receiving her booklet, asking for several more to give to the young people in her life.
—Lisa Hines, 1/27/12

At Portland State, Cobie, Nettie, and I met a ton of veg students who are excited to get things moving on this campus, including two women who hope to work with the school’s animal rights club, and others who would like to get leafleting for Vegan Outreach. I also met briefly with the campus environmental group, and gave them each an Even If You Like Meat, and left a stack of Guides for them. I also met the amazing Jessika, who has been using the 30 minutes between her classes to hand out booklets at PSU regularly.
Cobie met a man who wondered out loud how anyone could eat meat after reading our lit. We agreed!
—Caleb Wheeldon, 11/9/11

Another CSU East Bay student is engrossed in learning the truth, after getting a booklet from Brian.

Good interactions at Oklahoma State, where I reached over 1,000 students. One woman told me the booklet would probably push her to being veg. Reached almost 1,000 again today at the University of Oklahoma, with loads of good conversations. Met two soon-to-be vegetarians!
—Jeni Haines, 10/18/11

Cabrillo College was great! I met Macie last time there, and she ditched some class to help out. I presented to Jasmin’s high school animal rights group a few years ago and now she goes to Cabrillo. She also got out of class to help. There are tons of vegans / vegetarians, but more importantly, there are lots of students who are not yet veg but who are very interested in the material. Definitely had some great conversations.
Before hitting American High School, I had lunch with my friend and great VO supporter, Keyur. We are both nuts about being as productive as possible and like to read a lot about the subject. We chatted about this at lunch and I have since been motivated to develop a new strategy to be as productive as possible with my time.
Today at Cal State East Bay, I handed a VO booklet to my 300,000th person. It was an awesome feeling. I like that if someone asks me what I’ve been doing the last four years I can point them to my Adopt a College profile and they can see where I’ve been and what I’ve accomplished.
—Brian Grupe, 11/4/11

Emma Tamayo spreads sunshine and compassion at UC Davis.

So very worthwhile to leaflet at the Chandler-Gilbert Community College! Michael, Marisol, and I encountered many awesome, receptive students and reached 750+ in such a short amount of time. Also a number of already veg. Fantastic! I very much look forward to reaching out to more students on this campus. Such a great experience!
—Veronica Soto, 1/19/12

Kara, Tiana, Javier, Vic, and I brought our positive attitudes and smiles to UC Berkeley, and the rewards were great! Despite the cold and rain – and it being a Friday – we reached over 1,000 students. I met a young man who received the brochure last semester and has significantly reduced his meat consumption. We had a quick chat and he was excited to receive a Guide. Vic met a young lady who read the whole Even If You Like Meat booklet and said she is going to go vegan!
—Brian Grupe, 1/20/12

An incredible day at Bronx Community College, where I reached over 800 students! I saw so many students reading the booklet and met numerous people who were interested in finding out more information, which I gave them! One girl said she has been meaning to try to go vegan. One student wanted more booklets for a paper he was doing. Another student wanted more booklets for a presentation she was doing on this topic. It seems like at almost every school I encounter students who are not only learning about factory farming, but are also presenting this information to their classmates! Amazing.
—Katie Pryor, 11/3/11

A woman at the College of Southern Idaho asked me for a copy of Compassionate Choices, having seen other students with it. She was in Future Farmers of America, and we had a nice chat about how awful factory farming is. She plans to be veg once a week now.
—Caleb Wheeldon, 10/31/11

Christine at Chaffey College: “I got one of those last semester. It changed my life.”

Reached over 2,000 more students at Rutgers. I met a nice young lady who got a booklet last year, is veg and now heads up an animal rights campus group. She said that “most people just don’t know,” as was the case with her.
—Casey Constable, 11/14/11

Quick but good leafleting at the University of Chicago, where one of the vegetarians let me know that it was getting a booklet from us in the past that moved her to stop eating meat.
—Joe Espinosa, 11/4/11

Great week in Canada with John, Ali, and Dave, where we reached 11,152 students at the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, York University, Ryerson University, and the University of Toronto!
—David Coman-Hidy, 11/5/11

Reached 2,150 students at Towson University, Howard Community College, and CCBC Essex. We met so many students who are already veg, including three who went veg from receiving a leaflet last semester, two of which are now vegan.
—Aaron and Kate, 11/4/11

After reading the booklet he got at the MLK parade, this man told Nikki, “Yeah, we wouldn’t like being abused and eaten, either.”

Wendy and I had 80%+ reception rate at Southern Connecticut State. A biology professor accepted one, took five steps, turned back, and asked for a bunch to give at the biology department. Katie and Melissa received pamphlets on their way to class, and came back when it was over to help.
—Eitan Fischer, 11/8/11

Cassandre joined me at the University of South Carolina, and we reached 2,100 students. I gave a talk that evening that was well attended and well received. I’ve been floored by how little antagonism I receive these days and how much interest there is for this issue. The times they are a-changin’!
—Jon Camp, 11/9/11

Teresa and I met many vegetarians at the University of Hartford, where we reached 1,482 students. Great, great discussions, including a professor interested in having us speak to his class. Best part was when a group of four students said they had already received a booklet, and I asked what they thought. One of the girls turned back and said she just turned vegetarian!
—Karen James, 11/8/11

Leslie Goldberg with new friend at CSU East Bay.

Tonight, I went out with a few HSUS employees and interns. I told one intern what I did (college leafleting) and she let me know that she was handed a VO booklet back in 2006 at the Auraria campus in Denver. She not only went vegan as a result of it, but is now heavily involved in activism and is looking to do it full-time. Viva VO!
—Jon Camp, 12/30/11

Better acceptance than I expected at the University of Illinois, Chicago, where I reached over 800 students. Heard from 15 vegetarians and six vegans. I was pleased to see a wide range of students were receptive to my request to help stop violence, including many very large athletic guys. Also heard from a student who let me know that getting the booklet from me two years ago inspired her to drop meat.
—Joe Espinosa, 1/10/12

While reaching 400 students at the University of British Columbia, I met one student who said it was a VO booklet that got her to go vegan!
—John Sakars, 1/12/12

Awesome at Bellevue College. I chatted with a young African-American woman who I’d met on my last visit. She immediately ran up to me, talked about the Christian Vegetarian Association booklet I had given her, and how she was working on going veg. Then today, after leafleting Seattle U, I was in the Starbucks across the street and heard two students discussing their booklet. I chimed in and encouraged them to look up even more information online.
—Caleb Wheeldon, 1/11/12

Yvonne LeGrice makes the animals’ case at Pasadena City College.

Spectacular day with Theo at Sacramento State! We were joined by Emma, a new vegan we had met Tuesday at Sacramento City College. She took to leafleting like a pro, and had many positive conversations with interested folks. Two members of Sacramento Animal Rights also joined us. I had one of the most positive, intense conversations of the semester with a young lady I saw reading the booklet three different times. I finally stopped her to ask her what she thought, and we spent the next 15 minutes talking about everything.
Today, I can’t even describe the feeling I had while walking to my car after reaching over 900 students at Sierra College! Progress by tremendous leaps and bounds at this school in the past four years! Great conversations with interested and aware people; got a massive hug from a young lady who loudly proclaimed that she was vegan and loved me.
—Brian Grupe, 10/31/11

Thanks to Jeff for getting us permission to leaflet Phoenix College, where Kirby and I met with 80–90% acceptance and reached almost 1,500 students. I spoke with a woman who expressed her love for animals. She was given a Guide and was quite moved. I also reiterated that utopian farms don’t exist and going veg isn’t as extreme as it seems – it’s simply applying values she already has to her eating habits.
—John Oberg, 10/31/11

Matt Zavortink reaches out for the animals at UC Davis.

811 students at the University of Nebraska, Omaha got Even If You Like Meat booklets; also handed out 12 Guides, including some to vegetarians interested in veganism. One guy came back and asked, “Do the pigs have it the worst? Cause I can stop eating pork.” When I told him that chickens and pigs had to endure the worst cruelties, he said, “OK, that’s something I can work with.” We talked about how he could start transitioning to a more plant-based diet. I gave him a Guide – he was excited to try some new meal ideas.
—Fred Tyler, 11/1/11

Mike and I had some good reactions yesterday at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. One of our friends from the Green Club said she heard a girl in the cafeteria discussing the booklet with her friend, proclaiming, “Well, I’m going vegetarian now.” Talked to two older men who initially made jokes about chicken fingers when they received a Compassionate Choices, but then opened up more as I kept a friendly tone while talking to them. One of these guys then said, “Well, keep up the good work and I’ll remain sympathetic to your cause.” A step forward for them! Another guy held up the booklet and smiled at us as he walked away, “I totally agree with this!” We also met a student who wants to help us hand out booklets.
—Jenni Moody, 11/2/11

Spoke to a bunch of vegans, vegetarians, and loads of interested people. Great conversations with cat / dog people. One of the vegetarians I met told me she went vegetarian because of getting a Compassionate Choices leaflet!
—Chris Parrucci, 11/3/11

Lisa Towell helps a Stanford student learn how to lead a meaningful life.

Good talks at the University of Delaware, where we reached 3,400 students. One student that we leafleted came back to us later in the day and said she is going to try vegetarian. Another student said he went vegan after reading a Compassionate Choices last semester!
—Aaron and Kate, 11/3/11

After we reached 1,625 students at the University of Texas, Arlington, we took an amazing field trip to the unbelievable vegan cafeteria at the University of North Texas in Denton. The food was absolutely amazing, and there are beautiful and inspiring pro-veg messages decorating the walls. I seriously could not believe it. (Huge variety of delicious cooked foods meant I didn’t even look at the salad bar; two types of vegan pizza, one with pesto and one with Daiya; vegan rice krispie treats and soft-serve ice cream…incredible.) The UTA students hooked up a dinner tour and meeting with their dining services folks, who are incredibly helpful and kind and willing to work with students and other school cafeterias to help them get more vegan options. I asked him how it happened that UNT now has an all-vegan cafeteria, and he said it was really because students were requesting it. When you meet supportive students in your outreach, I encourage you to mention to them the importance of filling out comment cards, meeting with the dining services and organizing with other students to get more vegan options. If they can do this in Texas, they can do it wherever you’re leafleting.
—Nora Kramer, 11/3/11

A shopper is engrossed in learning the truth after getting a booklet from Nikki.

Nine of us reached 2,440 more people at Phoenix’s Art Walk! Several people said, “Your booklets already made me veg!” Another couple wanted to start leafleting with us. Michael joined us for the first time. He recently went veg after having to re-roof a factory farm for work. He said the things he saw were so traumatic he had to take the rest of the day off and instantly went veg.
—Rachael Plotts, 1/6/12

Theo and I set records at both Sacramento City College and Franklin High School – nearly 2,500 students reached today. I had so many conversations at SCC, insanity. We’ve made such progress at this school in the last four years. I remember whole days of never meeting even one vegetarian; today we met close to 40 vegetarians / vegans and even more on their way towards it.
—Brian Grupe, 10/26/11

The University of Mississippi was one of the most positive leafleting experiences I’ve ever had! The response was wonderful, and I met so many people who were genuinely interested in our message. I even got invited to go speak to a food policy class, so I jumped on the opportunity and had an amazing conversation with the students. Students were so engaged that I ended up speaking for more than twice my allotted time in order to answer all the questions. The professor is really interested in Vegan Outreach, even though he comes from a family who raises cows for beef. I had such great feedback, and when I left, everyone was profusely thanking me for coming to their class and telling me how much they loved hearing about these issues. Seriously, it was one of the most productive, proactive conversations I have ever had.
—Jeni Haines, 10/26/11

At Foreman High School, I had a chat with one of the deans of the school, who also happened to head an “animal club.” She took booklets to distribute to the club and in class. A most worthwhile morning!
—Jon Bockman, 10/26/11

Nikki Benoit reports, last Wednesday at Santa Monica College, Mario went veg on the spot, and then helped change more lives!

Can you guess the topic I chose for my persuasive speech? It went really well, talked for about six minutes about animal cruelty on factory farms. I held my kitchen knife up and said if you wouldn't take this knife and slice the throat of a cat or dog then ask yourself, why do it to 27 chickens a year when there are vegetarian versions that are just as good, protein-packed (earlier there was a bodybuilding classmate telling us to eat more chicken), and available at virtually every grocery store? I’ve already had one-on-one conversations with 5 of the 19 other people that were in class yesterday, so of the 14 other people in class, all but two eagerly took a Guide and VegPhoenix restaurant guide! About a month ago I did my informative speech on factory farming, and it turns out my professor has been vegetarian since!
—John Oberg, 10/27/11

Lisa and I had an amazing day at Queensborough Community College, where we handed out 1,567 booklets (including 17 Guides). Spoke with many interested students, including three specifically interested in going vegan, and three others interested in helping leaflet.
—Katie Pryor, 11/1/11

Very high reception rate at Indiana University at South Bend. An older student said getting a booklet from me last year moved him to stop eating meat.
—Joe Espinosa, 11/1/11

Whoa! Unexpected delights at Cornerstone University and Calvin College! Hanna happily mentioned going vegan after getting a booklet last year from me. One student asked: “Are you from Vegan Outreach too?” and gave me a big hug. He had also hugged and thanked Mara earlier. At Calvin, I was stopped by an assistant pastor; we talked for maybe 20 minutes. He said a few people were disturbed by the pictures, so I had to whip out the instant classic, “If it’s not good enough for your eyes, why is it good enough for your stomach?” He surprised me and asked for booklets for his reading group.
—Vic Sjodin, 10/28/11

Joyce Gibbler answers questions at CSU Stanislaus.

Pretty cold day at Idaho State. One woman called me a blessing in disguise, as she has been thinking about going vegetarian. I gave her a Guide and the address of the local natural food store, as well as the name and address of a local diner with a good veggie burger. A young ecology student told me he has been thinking about his diet’s impact on the planet but that he loves steak; so I encouraged him to try being vegan except for steak, which he said he’d try. I also spoke with two students who declared that they were going to try Meatless Mondays and skipped off to see what the dining hall had coming up. So cool!
—Caleb Wheeldon, 10/28/11

Northeastern Illinois University was awesome! The students were very receptive, hardly any negative comments, and lots of good conversations. I talked to one guy who used to be vegetarian who said he wanted to get back into it since his mom is more veg-friendly now. Danyelle had a good conversation with a professor, and one professor yelled back to me while walking away: “Thank you, I’m about to lecture on this!” I also connected with two different people from the campus radio station who both expressed interest in interviewing me, so that was great.
—Kenny Torrella, 11/1/11

I just got your fantastic booklet from a young man at school today. What was contained within shocked and disturbed me, and really opened my eyes. Thanks a lot – you’re really reaching out to stomp ignorance.
—ES, 12/16/11

Cici Ellis opens another heart at the University of Texas San Antonio.

An amazing day at CUNY York, where Chris and I reached over 1,400 students. Many people came back and asked for a booklet, or copies to give to friends. We saw countless students reading the booklets as they waited to cross the street. We also received plenty of kudos for being there.
—Katie Pryor, 10/25/11

At Glendale Community College, John, Kirby, and Anon had amazing conversations with folks and one of the best days for outreach this fall in the Phoenix area – nearly 2,000 more students reached. Several people pledged to go veg and countless more said that they are going to reduce their meat consumption.
—Jeff Boghosian, 10/28/11

At the University of Houston, my brother Marc and I reached 1,377 more students; I will return home without a single booklet! In the last four weeks, with amazing volunteer help, 26,107 students were given a booklet at 20 different schools. Thanks a million to everyone on this list who housed me and leafleted with me.
Also, I can’t thank you donors enough. VO’s work isn’t the most glamorous, but neither are most of the things that ultimately do the most good for others, and you understand this. When I started working for VO, I was the sole traveling leafleter. It’s been amazing to watch our program grow with each passing year, to the point that we’ve got multiple people on the road at any given point, at the very least hitting about every state each semester, saturating many of them. There are so many more students we need to reach, but we’ve come a long, long way, totally due to your unwavering devotion to this work.
Lastly, thanks so much to everyone who plugs away, week after week. I draw so much inspiration from all of you. Leafleting for hours on end, traveling long distances, using vacation days, not always knowing what type of people we’re going to be dealing with but being strong and having faith in a better world and getting out to reach out to people anyway. This is not easy, it can be exhausting, but you do it because you know that there is a great injustice going on and you’re willing to give your all to help right this wrong. The world is so much better because of your tireless work, and I have the utmost respect for all of you.
—Jon Camp, 10/26/11

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