Selected 2012 Feedback
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The
Vegan Outreach team serves as a vital cog
in the rapidly expanding vegan movement. Smart,
smiling, happy, healthy and fit people on university
campuses handing out a colorful booklet carefully
designed to inform but not offend – it’s
a winning formula. The sky’s the limit.
Their ultimate success will come when there
will no longer be any demand for their booklets,
because everyone has already read it and changed
their lives.
—Jonathan Balcombe, author
of The Exultant Ark
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| Above: A University of Arizona student reads a booklet from Dawn. |
Thanks to your support, I
was able to reach over 16,000 students and dozens
of staff and faculty members this past fall
semester as a volunteer. I have been involved
with Vegan Outreach since 1996, and remember
handing out the first version of the Why Vegan?
booklet at festivals, tabling events, and stoplights.
(Yes, stoplights.)
As an increasing
number of people eliminate or reduce their consumption
of animal products, I have found it all the
more important to hand out booklets and help
people identify veganism with a friendly face
who can answer their questions and offer advice.
And it’s because of your generosity that this
is possible, and why 1996’s thousands of booklets
has burgeoned into batches of hundreds of thousands
of booklets every semester. College cafeterias
are more vegan-friendly than they were when
I went vegan in 1995, and professors are increasingly
assigning papers and projects on vegan eating
and animal advocacy, no doubt in part because
of Vegan Outreach’s influence.
The impact we’ve
made as a group is changing the way that people
view animals and I thank you for supporting
such a results-driven nonprofit.
—Dawn Ratcliffe, excerpted from
her
semester report
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This fall, volunteers and I got
to 75 schools, and while I personally
distributed over 43,000, the two dozen or so
volunteers were the real backbone of the semester.
Together as a team we reached a grand total
of 91,669 students! Truly amazing!
It was a special
semester for me, personally, marking 5 years
with Vegan Outreach and a 400,000-booklet lifetime
total! Just one example of how this is making
a difference:
I remember doing Los Medanos College in 2009
and meeting no vegetarians or vegans. We met
close to 10 today, and many students mentioned
the movie Food, Inc., learning about this issue
in a class, being aware already, etc. Love to
see measurable progress like this.
Thanks for your
generous support of Vegan Outreach! We wouldn’t
be able to do it without all the amazing volunteers
and donors who believe in our work.
—Brian Grupe, excerpted from
his
semester report
| Above are Brian and some of the amazing volunteers who joined him this semester (from left): Soleil Mckirdy, Rashmi Abeysekera, Kitty Jones, and Jessica Carroll. And below are “some happy customers” in the Social Movements class at Berkeley City College where Brian delivered a presentation earlier this semester. |
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What a great semester of outreach!
Thank you so much for making it
all possible and being a part of Vegan Outreach.
As a part of the
Vegan Outreach team, I feel really privileged
to be on the pavement every day as a voice for
the innocent animals trapped on factory farms.
I work hard knowing that I am just one point
man of a whole team of VO members who sacrifice
to make this outreach possible.
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| Above: After getting a booklet from Vic this month, the Edinboro University student on the right said, “I’m going to become a vegetarian,” and her friend on the left said, “I love pigs – I can’t eat animals that are treated this way.” |
There were highlights every day, but one special
day happened at Oakland University, north of
Detroit. In two hours, four separate students
came up to me and said they were never going
to eat meat again. I spoke to each for a while,
and each got the comprehensive Guide to
Cruelty-Free Eating (which really helps
kick-start eating vegan if it is new). Another
student at Oakland said they would go back to
being veg, and others that they would reduce
their meat consumption. Amazing! If you told
me 5 years ago to go and make 10 people go veg
by 3 pm, I would have been bewildered. Yet every
single day, many are choosing to go veg from
getting our booklets. It really is amazing!
Our seeds are
growing every day. Thank you for not forgetting
the plight of so many innocent animals, and
making all these wonderful things happen each
day. With your continued support, every day
brings us closer to a compassionate world.
—Vic Sjodin (above), excerpted from
his
semester report
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Mounting evidence of progress! Our
society’s shift toward justice is palpable.
People are ripe for the truth! This past 6 months
proved how much awareness is growing among the
masses. People care about animal suffering –
and they no likey that it’s happening.
Southern California’s
outreach kicked off this fall with our first
ever intern: Kassy Ortega. Kassy brought vibrant,
new, enthusiastic energy to the turf. Twenty-seven
volunteers joined us (half were repeat helpers!)
to promote compassion throughout this entire
semester. All total, 96,458 southern Californians
were directly infused with tools for transformation
at 85 different colleges and high schools! Many
of these helpers were on-the-spot converts,
like Amir from Irvine Valley College [below].
Working at the
scale of the problem, and with the real-time
urgency it needs, requires this on-the-ground
outreach YOU support. Whether it’s pounding
out booklets, contributing to the creation and
distribution of said booklets, providing support
for those who tour the lands directly – EVERYTHING
we do depends on you. By supporting our efforts,
we can push forward and help ensure this chapter
on insanity sees its final days.
—Nikki Benoit (left), excerpted from
her semester report
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| Casey snapped this pic of a couple who wanted to go veg after getting booklets from him in Times Square! |
Accompanying a donation to the Matching Opportunity:
You guys do such amazing work. When I’ve given money to [other groups], I’m
not sure where it’s going, but with you I know
it will be put to good use. Thank you so much!
—RH, 11/26/12
Students
at the University of Central Oklahoma were receptive today,
coming up to ask about being vegan, eating
more vegan fare, etc.
A group of young
women interviewed me for their class project.
One of them said, “I can tell that you
love your job.” I do. Even though being
on the road is no easy thing, and there are
some sacrifices made for such, I’ve been so
grateful to have been able to do this work for
so long. At the end of each day of leafleting,
I feel that it really counted, and that the
world is a better place because of the leafleting.
I hope that all of you who do this outreach
feel the same way about your work. As always,
thanks to the donors who provide
us leafleters the opportunity to do this fun,
effective, and fulfilling work!
—Jon Camp, 10/9/12
Big
changes at Eastern Connecticut State since I first came here a year ago. Met 8 vegans and
20 vegetarians; 21 students signed up to start
a club on campus, 9 of them want to leaflet, and 17
want to get better / veg food into the cafeteria!
One student who signed up is the president of
the food justice committee on campus, and would
like me to come in to speak. Another student
said, “You won’t want to hear this, but
I found one of the pamphlets you handed out
last semester laying on the ground.” I
asked what he did with it? He said he read it
and turned vegetarian! Serious progress has
been made on this campus!
Was great to have
Julia’s help at the University of Connecticut,
where we set another record. The very first
student I spoke with said she received
a Compassionate Choices from me last semester
and went vegetarian! Another student said he
received a booklet from me in the past and cut
out almost all of his consumption of animal
products. Another one said he had been vegan,
but had difficulty only two days ago, and ate
chicken, which he missed eating. We talked,
I gave him a Guide, and
he said he would try again! Three different students asked me
for an interview, and one interviewed Julia.
After receiving
a booklet from Julia, a young man came to me
and asked, “What can I do?” I talked
with him about his compassion, and asked him
to reduce his consumption of animal products
to save lives and reduce suffering. He said
he would definitely do that. He and 12 other
students gave me their email info, and want
to join the Veg Huskies group on campus!
—Karen James, 10/9/12
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Previously
at Barry University, I would meet 2 or 3
vegetarians, but today: 14! The conversations
were also off the charts. Many, many students
overjoyed to get the info; high fives, and a
bunch even thanking me for being there speaking
out for animals. Also great too was a pair of
teachers coming back to talk to me…one of
them taking booklets to use for his class to
focus on for a class discussion! A-mazing! A
really incredible and inspiring day of outreach
today. Feeling so blessed right now to be a
part of this important work!
—Yuri Mitzkewich,
10/16/12
Kassy
and I hit pay dirt at MiraCosta College and San
Diego Miramar. Amazing interactions! Kassy got
a fist bump and thank you from an older woman
who needed this push-by-booklet for her veg
transition. Got the motivation (and Guide) she
needed! Then we met Krista [left], who’d strayed from
her former veg life but – because of finding
a Compassionate Choices in the library
– is back on track!
—Nikki Benoit,
10/15/12
A
new record at Coastal Carolina University, and
good conversations. One woman really wants to
get involved with an animal group after her
experience working for the Stouffer’s
division of Nestlé in Gaffney, SC. Her job required
that she go to the slaughterhouse and although
she purposely avoided the killing floor, the
horrible smell and knowing what went on there
was enough to make her do research on her own
and move toward a cruelty-free lifestyle. Met
so many other interested people I ran out of
Guides.
—Dawn Ratcliffe,
10/11/12
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Diane
and I were able to really saturate Skyline College – set a new record, too. I met three
separate students who said they would be changing
their diet after reading the booklet. So awesome.
Also gave my card to a young lady interested
in volunteering, and she has already emailed
me!
So grateful to
have Diane, Mike and Jessica with me at De Anza
College – we set another new record –
over 3,000 students reached! Met tons of compassionate
people – so many great stories. When
I was taking a quick break to eat a sandwich,
a gal stopped dead in her tracks (had just received
a booklet from Jessica) and I was watching her
thinking, “Go back and talk to her!”
and she totally turned around and went and chatted
with Jessica! Jessica also reported that a police
officer stopped and chatted with her about how horrible
animal abuse is.
Crushed the record
at Bakersfield College! Jose from Colombia
stopped to help out, and he’ll be getting more
booklets to hand out in the future. After reading the booklet, a woman [below] said, “You
just changed me” and committed to go veg. Another woman told me
her sister had gone veg a year ago after getting a leaflet
from me on campus. At least 10 students said
they would try and go veg one or two days a
week. I met more vegetarians and vegans than
I ever have at this school, and overheard many discussions being sparked
by the booklets, including a few closet vegetarians coming out to their
friends: I’d give some booklets to a group and one would say to
the friends, “I’m a vegetarian”
and they’d be like, “What?! Really?”
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Today, after starting
in the dark and getting a nearly 100% take rate
at Fresno High, Jon and I absolutely dominated
Fresno City College – new record by 300 booklets
(reached 2,531 students for the day). I saw
sooooo many people reading the booklets
and tons of people stopped to talk. We met a
woman [above] who had gone vegan from one of our booklets
after Jonathan leafleted her in August, awesome!
Also got a number of people’s emails who
are interested in being a part of Jon’s
meetup group.
—Brian Grupe,
10/16/12
Great
day at Lehman College – two more volunteers
from this adventure and a professor would like
me to speak to his philosophy class!
—Katie Pryor,
10/11/12
Great
day at SUNY Cortland and Tompkins Cortland Community College. Two women
said they were gonna go veg; a guy told me he was gonna go full vegan.
Saw one woman reading cover-to-cover with mouth
agape; gave her a Guide.
—Vic Sjodin,
10/11/12
I
could get away with a later start at work today, so I stopped at Oak Park High School. Can’t
wait to do this again soon – it feels
so rewarding afterwards!
—Darina Smith, 10/12/12
Tina,
Sandi, Tyler, Mary, John, Jamie, and I all
had positive interactions at Northern Illinois
University, where we reached over 3,000 students!
Heard from a lot of vegans, way more
than past experiences, which gives me hope that
we’re making a difference out here.
—Jon Bockman,
10/10/12
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| Above: James DeAlto (left) makes his leafleting debut, working alongside veteran AACer Brandon Becker (right) at NCSU. | ||
North
Carolina State was James’ first day of leafleting, and
he did great! We reached 2,481 students. One student said she saw the
movie Food, Inc. and was looking for “humane” animal
products but, after some research, found out
that Perdue and other large corporations were
tricking people with these labels. She gladly
took a Guide. I made sure to get Guides into
the hands of nearly everyone who said they were
vegetarian or vegan or got a booklet
earlier and were affected by what they saw.
I heard a student tell her friend, “This
[booklet] is what made [another friend]
go vegan.” Another student told his friend,
“If you look at that, you will not want
to eat meat again.”
—Brandon Becker,
10/16/12
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| Students are riveted to Even If You Like Meat at Kwantlen (above) and Trinity Western (below). |
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The
veg-curious people were out in droves at the
SLO farmers’ market! One college student gave
me every excuse in the book, ending with, “But
I like eating meat!” Much to my
surprise, he came back a couple hours later
and said, “I’m a changed person!” He
went on to tell about how his grandfather forced
him and his brother to hunt birds when they
were young, and he suddenly remembered how it
affected him to pluck the feathers from the
warm body of a quail whom his brother had shot.
Then he enthusiastically said, “I want
to be your apprentice, I want you to teach me
how to do this!”
—Barbara Bear,
10/11/12
I
was at Whatcom Community College for only 90
minutes, but of the ∼275 people I met, 15–20
were vegetarian / vegan! In fact, these kids
were so thirsty for this stuff that I got into
conversation after conversation – this led
to slightly smaller numbers, but great interactions.
Met people who wanted to get involved, students
who were happy I was there, and plenty of folks
that were all-around supportive.
Amazing interactions
across the border in Canada! Just a few examples
from the University of Fraser Valley and Trinity
Western University: Met a previous 2-year veggie
who gave up because of her nonsupportive mother,
but was really excited about getting a Guide.
Another said the Even If You Like Meat is pushing
her over the edge; she got Guided.
Met a former vegan who had gone back because
it’s “too hard around here.” He seemed
to really want to try again, so I Guided him.
Lastly, and highlight of the day, I handed an Even If to a woman [bottom right] who sat down on a park bench
near me while I leafleted. Early on, she asked,
“This is real?” After about 15 minutes
of reading it, she told me, “This is great.”
She was very happy to get a Guide.
Good outreach
today at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, University of
British Columbia, and Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Although the day started out
gloomy, had a big free-speech win, and I reached
my 200,000th person with a Vegan Outreach booklet.
I have to give
a sincere thank you to all of the activists
that are a continuing inspiration, and to the
donors that make this grassroots, straight-to-the-people
form of activism possible. It is so rewarding
to be able to witness firsthand not just the
sadness that runs over people when they read
about the treatment of today’s farmed animals,
but their consideration that this is cruelty
they don’t need to be supporting. Thank
you for making this kind of outreach
a reality.
—John Oberg,
10/12/12
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| Above: Compassionate Choices is studied at Victor Valley and Taft. | |
Kassy
and I set new records at Victor
Valley and Barstow Community College! An ag
student asked for extra booklets so he could
show his class. Boy oh boy, is he in for a surprise!
Two more records today! And on the way
from Cal State Bakersfield to Taft College, we were
at a dead stop because of construction traffic,
and Kassy [below] leapt from the car to leaflet the
stopped cars! When we got to Taft, one of the
first people said, “Oh, you just gave me
one on the highway! Great idea!!”
—Nikki Benoit, 10/11/12
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Still can’t believe how
many vegans / vegetarians I met at College of
the Redwoods. So awesome. Chatted at length
with a new mother who had gone back to eating
meat when she got pregnant but was now thinking
of going veg again. Very productive chat. There
are at least two classes on campus that are
requiring students to do projects on this; many
students commented that the booklet would be
a good resource. An ag professor told me how
important it is that I am getting this information
out to students.
—Brian Grupe, 10/3/12
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| Charlotte Naufahu (above), Kathy McCrary, Jeannie Trizzino, Karri Sorrenti, Brian Grupe, and Roxana of CFAR handed out 2,450 VO booklets at Chico State on 9/26/12 – a new one-day record for Chico! |
Four
never-before-leafleted schools
today: SUNY Canton, SUNY Potsdam, Clarkson University,
and St. Lawrence University. Good interactions,
including one woman at Potsdam who said, “I
have to go veg now,” and her friend encouraged
her, “Yes, I’ll help you!”
—Vic Sjodin, 10/9/12
I
love Winston-Salem State. Too
many great conversations to share but highlights
include a conversation with a woman who is legally
blind (can read leaflet very close up) and was
thrilled to get a Compassionate Choices
and Guide, as she is interested in
going vegetarian. I recommended that she try
some of the frozen Gardein chicken and she happily
told me that she had tried one of the Gardein
meats from Whole Foods and really liked it.
A student with
the sustainability group talked to me about
helping him come up with ways to promote vegetarian
eating and we exchanged contact info. Complimented
the recycling worker who was emptying the recycling
bins with lightning speed like I did back in
the day; after chatting for a minute, it turns
out that he is moving toward a vegetarian diet
and appreciated the booklets.
Central Piedmont
Community College is always a great place. Talked
to a woman who read the booklet and said that
it was pretty compelling; after a couple of
minutes chatting, she said, “It looks
like you have a new convert” – a bonus,
since she has two kids. Had a conversation with
a future vet student who feels hypocritical
since she still eats animals. I told her to
start by going vegan one or two days a week
and then build on that. I’m pretty sure
that she’ll be at least a vegetarian.
—Dawn Ratcliffe, 10/5/12
At
the University of Tampa, one religious
professor was covering the topic in class, so
I gave her 30 to distribute. I also heard from
three students who said they discussed it in
class.
—Jeff Boghosian, 10/8/12
Patti
and I reached 800+ students at
Augustana College. After reading the booklet,
one student came back and said, “It’s good
literature. I feel like it’s very accessible,
even for people who might not want to think
about this sort of thing.”
—Sen Holiday, 10/9/12
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| On 9/24/12, Jon Camp reached 1,450 students at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. A highlight was meeting Kayla (above): “She had a vivid dream about animals last night, and it led her to thinking about the way we treat animals. Getting the booklet sealed the deal in terms of how she would resolve those thoughts; she was going veg as a result.” |
Met
many vegetarians and vegans at
the University of Cincinnati. One woman told
Phil she had a booklet stuck on her refrigerator.
One told me she hadn’t eaten meat since she
had been handed a booklet previously.
—Kevin O’Connor, 10/9/12
In
my short time at Governors State, three
students stopped by to say they remember me
from two years ago, and the booklet changed
the way they eat. Wonderful!
—Jesse Trombley, 10/8/12
I
always have a great time leafleting Appalachian
State – just a ton of great feedback. For example,
a student said, “I support you fully. What
a very logical and constructive way to make
change.”
—Rob Gilbride, 10/10/12
Chris,
Mikael, and I got lots of feedback
at Oakton Community College. Sometimes we think
that people already know what happens, but these
students were truly shocked by how animals are
treated, and many were willing to make changes
to stop it. We had many great conversations
with students who were at various stages of
change.
—Leslie Patterson, 10/10/12
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| Natasha Kotey (above), Logan Narcomey, and Jon Camp reached another 2,000 students at the University of Oklahoma on 10/11/12. |
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Reached 1,750 students at Oklahoma State, and I probably spoke with more ag students than during all the leafleting over the last year combined. Some of the main points I always hit are:
- Nowhere in our booklets do we say that farmers are bad people, and we focus on the suffering caused by certain standard agricultural procedures rather than on random acts of malicious abuse.
- I fully realize that what we do to farm animals is done for the sake of efficiency, not to purposefully cause pain to animals. But what we do for the sake of efficiency causes pain to animals.
- By no means do we claim to be morally pure. By living, I contribute to suffering; I’m trying to make our very imperfect world a bit less imperfect.
I was pretty amazed
by some of the constructive discussions I had.
Some of these ag students gave me more respect,
courtesy, and open-mindedness than I sometimes
get from those in the vegan and animal advocacy
community who disagree over certain tactics.
—Jon Camp, 10/8/12
At
Western Washington University,
Andy and I heard lots of morale-boosting feedback,
like “Keep up the great work, I appreciate
what you’re doing.” Also heard from a professor
who yelled to us, “Because of YOU I ate
a vegetarian lunch!” Another non-veg student
raved about how good soy chorizo is. One student
said, “My friend got one and I read it
all the way through. It was awesome.” Another
said, “Read it. Liked it. Thanks.”
Each got a Guide.
At Edmonds Community
College, met a kid named Ryan [right] who was so impacted
by the booklet that he came back and we talked
for about 15 minutes, after which he seemed
convinced to give vegetarianism a try.
At the University
of Washington, I leafleted Angel early in the
day, and he came back and helped leaflet for
a couple of hours. One woman said she had been
saddened by seeing a chicken truck driving by,
so was happy to see us out there; and I made
sure to Guide her. Another interaction: “Oh,
thanks, I got one this morning.” “What’d
you think?” She replied loudly, “I
think I’m gonna stop eating meat!”
South Seattle
Community College was also great leafleting.
After I handed one student a booklet, she said,
“I stopped eating meat because I got one
of these. No more meat for me!”
—John Oberg, 10/5/12
Accompanying a recent donation:
I don’t have the time
to leaflet, but I know you do quality work and
I feel comfortable giving you money with the
knowledge that you would use it more effectively
than I possibly could. Thanks.
—JB
There aren’t any words to
describe how awesome you guys are. You are my
inspiration. I love every living animal on this
earth and haven’t eaten them ever since I was
6, I’m 13 now. I appreciate everything you do
and all of your hard work, it takes really good
people to do what you do. You will always have
my support.
—PS, 11/27/12
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| Above are Macie Rivera, Brian Grupe, and Jasmin Marie Valdez at Cabrillo College, where they set a new one-day record for the campus this fall! Also this semester, Brian handed out his 400,000th VO booklet!! |
I can’t believe
how many vegetarians
I met at Shasta College – so
cool! I met a solidly built athlete who said
he’s tired of explaining to everyone that
he gets plenty of protein and can still be fit
eating veg. I encouraged him to stay strong
and remember that we gotta “kill ’em
with kindness,” for lack of a better of
expression. Encouraged / Guided
a gal who wants to go from veg to vegan, as
well as a number of other people who had either
tried veg or wanted to do more veg. Also got
amazing feedback at Shasta High School,
including: “Wow dude, this is crazy.”
“Yeah man, this is messed up, thanks.”
Southern Oregon
U is one of my fav schools of all time. Not
only are there TONS of vegetarians / vegans,
there are just so many open-minded people willing
to rethink their current choices. I could write
extensively on all the great talks I had with
people but let’s just say that today was
great.`` Many people let me know they had read
the booklet and a record number of people (∼20)
told me to keep up the good work / thanks for
being out here / I’m glad you’re
doing this, or some variation of a statement
like that. A warm and fuzzy day.
—Brian Grupe, 10/1/12
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| One of the 1,000 students reached by John Oberg at Spokane Community College on 9/25/12. |
Solid day of outreach at
Washington State – handed Even If You Like Meat
to 2,534 students, and gave out 37 Guides
and 4 AMLs.
Met a ton of vegetarians and vegans; great feedback,
and several students wanted to get involved,
so I’ll be putting them in touch with each other.
One guy said, “After reading that, I’m
never eating chicken again. Maybe that’s just
a gradual step, but I can’t eat chicken any
longer.” Just knocked his suffering footprint
down to about 1% of what it was, whoop whoop!
Later, a woman told me, “Oh my god! I read
that earlier and it’s like the saddest thing
I’ve ever read!” At the end of the day,
I got a text from my CouchSurfing host, also
a student at WSU: “In class, we were writing
about things we were passionate about. The girl
I exchanged lists with had written down ‘animal
rights’ because of the booklet you gave her.”
Today, reached
over 1,300 students at Columbia Basin College,
Whitman College, and Walla Walla U. Great conversations
and feedback, including:
“I had no
idea the meat I ate was like that.” (I
Guided him, and as he walked away, he held
it over his head as if in solidarity.)
“Yes, I got
one and it made my stomach turn.”
“This is
terrible. It ruined my day.”
Also gave a Guide
to a former vegetarian – hope she’ll
come back!
—John Oberg, 9/27/12
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Receptivity was way up
at USC, even though it was 100 degrees. Robb [Curtis, right]
and Jessica joined me and Kassy, and we reached
2,000 students.
Today, while Kassy
held the fort at UC Riverside, I headed over
to University of Redlands, perhaps the most
ready campus I’ve ever been to: Daiya cheese
and Tofutti sour cream – I am not kidding you!
The third person I leafleted was the student
AR group prez – he’s planning to host events
and have me speak soon.
—Nikki Benoit, 10/3/12
While leafleting Washington Park,
I ran into an acquaintance who
works at the University of Cincinnati. She mentioned
that UC’s “Free Speech Zone” has been
declared unconstitutional by a federal judge.
And a recent campus poll found that 10% of the
students considered themselves veg or veg-friendly,
and 30% would like more veg options on campus.
The student group is using this to improve the
choices available.
—Kevin O’Connor, 9/29/12
Was joined by Angelica
and Devon at the University of Florida, and
we reached 700 students, despite the rain and
much competition. Devon said that in her dorm,
6% are vegan and another 6% are vegetarian.
—Jeff Boghosian, 10/3/12
At Linn-Benton Community
College, one student pointed to the booklet
and said, “That’s why I went vegetarian.”
Other people stopped who wanted to help animals.
One guy yelled out that he was using the booklet
for a report in class.
—Nettie Schwager, 10/1/12
At Chemeketa Community
College, I met a young man who said his wife
had gone vegetarian because of the booklet;
a man who asked how one goes about eating properly
as a vegan, after reading the booklet he had
received today; two people who have tried vegetarianism
in the past and wanted nutrition information
to help them try again; and a young man who
asked many good questions before saying he’s
likely to change his eating habits.
—Cobie deLespinasse, 10/2/12
 |
 |
| Above: Mikael Nielsen sends along these pics of Pauline Lombardo (left) and Livia Moy (right) providing a voice for the animals at DePaul University. | |
Pauline and I reached
nearly 600 students at the University of Chicago.
One girl said, “You got me already, I am
a convert!” A man from China said he received
the leaflet and was planning to reduce his meat
consumption as a result and to share the information
with others. Also, the construction workers
were quite receptive – a couple of them told
me they were interested in going veg!
—Leslie Patterson, 10/3/12
 |
Livia, Pauline, Diana, Shanti [Aiyer, right],
and I had a great day at University
Center. One student stated, “No more chicken!”
I told him he picked the best place to start
and that cutting out eggs and chicken meat would
have a huge impact on reducing the suffering
of these animals. I also had a nice discussion
with a woman and her boyfriend. Seems she had
been a vegetarian and her boyfriend made her
stop. Apparently, the boyfriend did not have
a clue how badly the animals are treated. I
think the woman is on her way to becoming a
vegetarian again, and he is going to reduce
his meat consumption.
—Mikael Nielsen, 10/3/12
At Austin Peay
State, I
chatted with an ag student who lives on a beef
farm. We were very cordial with each other.
She told me she has an uncle who’s vegan, and
she’s had tofu in dishes (and likes it). Moreover,
she agrees that today’s chickens don’t lead
good lives, and that even on the small farms,
there are things that go on that aren’t always
ideal for the animals. This conversation was
a sign to me that as more people (even ag students!)
get to know likable vegans, and try good vegan
food, they’ll be more open, and less hostile,
to our ideas.
—Jon Camp, 10/4/12
 |
|
| Jon Camp met Rebecca (above) at Vanderbilt University: “She got a booklet from us when we were on campus two years ago, and has been veg since. It’s another reminder to those of you doing or financially supporting this work that your efforts are changing hearts and minds.” |
Anne
and I had a very memorable day
at Northern Arizona University, where we handed
out all the booklets we had left in only about
an hour. Lots of good feedback, plenty of “Awesomes”
and “Right ons.” One woman skateboarded
up and said, “Are you with Vegan Outreach?”
Turns out she had wanted to get involved, so
I gave her some booklets, and we had a great
chat.
—Matt Ball, 10/3/12
One
guy at SUNY Plattsburgh immediately
asked, “Vegan Outreach, right?” I
said yes. He shook my hand and said, “Good
to see you! I’ve been vegan 4 years now!”
—Lana Smithson, 10/1/12
At
Dowling College, the first person
who I handed a Compassionate Choices
to turned around and said, “This is from
Vegan Outreach? Are you with Vegan Outreach?”
When I said I was, she explained: “It is
because of them that I turned vegetarian 15
years ago!” We talked, I gave her a Guide,
and she signed up to be the advisor to any student
AR / veg group on campus! Oh YEAH! Over the course
of the day, six students exchanged emails to
start a group.
For World Farm
Animals Day, Wendy, Eitan, members of the Yale
Animal Welfare Alliance, and I reached over
1,200 students at Yale. Met more vegans than
vegetarians. One woman was horrified by the
booklet, and said she would stop eating animals
and products 5–6 days a week as a start!
Good day at Gateway
Community College and Quinnipiac University.
One guy said he just bought a deli! We talked,
I gave him an Even If and a Guide.
He read them, came back out, and said that he
would like to try to have more veg options at
his deli, and in the cafeteria at school! Two
other students stopped to chat and vowed to
reduce their consumption of animals.
Today, Susan and
I reached over 1,100 students at the University
of Hartford. First guy we met said he went vegan
6 years ago, in 7th grade! We met dozens of
vegetarians, and about a dozen vegans…one
who said she went vegan after getting a Compassionate
Choices from me last semester, and two
who said they went vegan after we leafleted
them at the Warped Tour in Hartford in July!
One guy said he was vegan when he lived in Portland,
but now he is not, because it is not so easy
here. Gave him a Guide, and he said
he was going to try again! We got 24 emails
of students who want to start a campus group!
—Karen James, 10/3/12
 |
Kendra, Lacey, and I reached nearly 3,000 students at Cal Poly Pomona. One student took the booklet, smiled, and said, “What, you want me to leave the matrix?” Had professors stop to take extra booklets for their classes, including one who teaches nutrition. Said numerous students in her class are vegan – woohooo!! Heard from four vegans and lost count of the vegetarians. They were also serving veggie dogs at their “Hot Dog Caper.”
 |
Alexandra [right],
Vietly [above], Jessica, and Kassy joined me for the first
day of classes at UCLA. The 4th booklet I handed
out was to a young woman who yelled, “Oh
yay, I was in Ms. Quesada’s class at Santa Monica
College, you gave a presentation there last
semester!!! I quit eating meat and am so inspired.
Thank you sooo much!!!” She hugged me and
thanked me profusely!!
—Nikki Benoit, 9/27/12
Jennifer
and I reached over 1,700 students at Long Island
University and the New York Institute of Technology.
One student was loudly moaning when she read
the Even If You Like Meat: “Oh no, no,
no. How can this be?”
One student said
his father is vegetarian, and he was curious
about what it was all about. Our discussion
and reading the Even If You Like Meat led him
to commit to cutting back on half of his consumption
of animal products, and signing up to help get
better food options in the cafeteria.
Another student said, “I got one. I like
meat. Don’t make me look at any more of this.”
I said that he must be a pretty compassionate
guy, or it would not disturb him so much. I
explained how I was there, and others around
the country go to campuses around the country,
to educate, and then reduce as much suffering
as possible. I asked him if he thought he could
cut back on his consumption of animal products
one day a week, then 2, then maybe more. His
eyes lit up, and he replied, “I can do
that!”
—Karen James, 9/24/12
 |
| Rick Hershey snapped this pic of Luella Berg handing out Even If You Like Meat at Southeast Missouri State. Luella has reached more than 3,350 students this semester! |
Tremendous
interest from faculty and staff members at Flagler
College, including one business ethics professor
who is going to talk about the Compassionate
Choices in his class, and an administrator who
was very happy to hear that students were interested
in the info. The bookstore manager even put
a stack of CCs at the checkout counter. One
student who sometimes falls off the veg wagon
said the booklet will get her back on track.
Two students said they got one last semester,
with one of them pledging to delve into this
issue and the other having already made changes.
Another student said he read the booklet and
wanted to know what he could do. I said he could
start by cutting his meat consumption in half
and then go from there, and he said that was
something he could do.
—Dawn Ratcliffe, 9/24/12
 |
At
Champlain College, a student who
had given up eating pork needed help giving
up the rest; he got encouragement and a Guide. During the first 10 minutes of leafleting at
St. Michael’s College, I overheard two different
students telling their friends, “This is
why I don’t eat meat!”
Today at the University
of Vermont, a guy let me know that he went vegetarian
after receiving a leaflet from me two years
ago! He’s not quite vegan yet but working on
it. He got a Guide and I got a photo
of him [left]. He said he wanted
to let me know that the outreach really does
work!
The day was good
with several good conversations. Unfortunately,
there were some students who set up a table
to promote the dairy industry. (Vermont loves
its dairy industry.) They even brought a little
calf with them on a leash. Students flocked
around the cute calf, took photos, etc. I’m
glad I was there to offer a deeper glimpse into
animal ag. I looked at the calf and silently
said, “I’m doing this for you, little one.”
—Lana Smithson, 9/28/12
At
the University of Kentucky, I reached over 3,000
students and had several conversations with
ag students. As I combated one student’s claims, I felt
bad, as her bottom lip started to quiver –
and quivered more intensively as the conversation
went on. She said that in her ag classes, they’re
accepting that practices such as battery cages
and gestation crates are going to eventually
be of the past, and current ag students are
preparing for different practices than go on
now. We parted on very friendly terms, shaking
hands, and genuinely wishing each other well.
Not all my conversations
were with ag students. I had a number of people
mention how sad the booklet was. And towards
the end, a young woman came up to let me know
that she was planning on going veg as a result
of the booklet. This is the third out of four
days where someone came up to me towards the
end of the day to let me know they were going
veg as a result of getting leafleted that day.
It’s been the nice cool drink at the end of
a hot day of toil.
—Jon Camp, 9/27/12
 |
| After getting an Even If You Like Meat, the PCC student on the left is going veg – and her friend seemed interested, too! |
Started
slow at Hostos Community College, but in the
end, Nathan and I reached over 1,000 students.
Amazing conversations, too! For example, two
women decided right then they were going to
go veg and get veggie burgers for lunch.
—Katie Pryor, 9/29/12
Paulette
made the long drive to meet me, and we had a
great day of outreach at the University of South
Carolina, Benedict College, and Allen University!
Many productive conversations. Paulette talked
with James who was very interested and had lots
of questions. Vaughn pledged to go vegetarian
and eventually vegan. Another student said he
used the booklet to write a research paper last
semester.
—Jeff Boghosian, 9/27/12
Thanks
to Javier and Lauren for leafleting with me
early on my trip. In three days, I was at Portland
Community College, Mt. Hood CC, Clackamas
CC, Chemeketa CC, and Lane CC. Too many good
conversations to relate them all. For example,
a former vegan whose doctor told him to eat
meat was happy to get a Guide with Jack’s nutrition information.
One woman said she had tried to be an advocate but had
burned out. I gave her an A
Meaningful Life and said I hoped she’d stay
involved. A young woman said she’s wanted to
go vegetarian, but her parents who she’s living
with are against it because they’re afraid it
will be bad for her health. I suggested she
show Jack’s nutrition information to her parents.
Talked with a
young man who used to live in a region with
a lot of chicken factory farms. He’s known people
who worked in the factory farms, and they tell
him about workers kicking the chickens and being
mean to them. Talked with a woman who works
as an inspector for large animals. I said I’d
like to know what she’s observed. She said,
“No, you wouldn’t.” She said the
videos are not like real life.
 |
A young woman [left]
told me getting the booklet in the past caused
her to go vegetarian! And after getting a booklet,
another woman [above] said, “That’s it. I’m going
vegetarian!” And at Lane, there were so
many vegetarians and interested people, I gave
out 98 Guides!
—Cobie deLespinasse, 9/27/12
Epic
day with Italia at Oakland University. Lots
of interest. Four separate students came back
to talk after class; all said they wanted to
go veg. Another who used to be veg pledged to go
back and got a Guide. Another woman mentioned
she had thought about going veg sometime this
year; we briefly chatted and she got a Guide.
Awesome day at
St. Clair College and the University of Windsor,
with much interest and interesting conversations.
An administrator gently pulled me by the shoulder.
To my surprise, he asked for a booklet and then,
with a smile on his face, directed me to the
free vegetarian barbecue!
—Vic Sjodin, 9/20/12
 |
The Montana State, Billings
students were more receptive, polite, and interested
than I ever could have imagined. I met a ton
of vegetarians and several vegans. Favorite
quotes of the day:
“Yes, gotta
help the animals!”
“It made
me cry for, like, five minutes.”
“I don’t
want one, people were reading it in class and
it made me want to cry.” (Guided her
and told her if it made her want to cry, then
to check out some of the veg recipes and meal
ideas in there.)
I had a string
of four interactions in a quarter of an hour
that made my day: I had a convo with a student
into death metal who was saddened by the
booklet, so I told her about Cattle Decapitation
(an all-vegan death metal band) and gave her
a Guide. Next, a guy, about 30, was
walking my way with hunting gear on and a baseball
cap that stated, “PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals.”
He actually commended me for being out there
and it was slow enough for me to start a short
dialogue with him – I made a joke about his
hat and stressed that we’re only out there to
raise awareness about how animals are treated
and to try and lessen animal suffering. We had
a friendly back-and-
 |
 |
 |
| Above (from left): A Montana State student reads Even If You Like Meat; Kat Campbell makes her leafleting debut at MSU; and two Montana Tech students read their booklets cover-to-cover. | ||
 |
 |
It was great to
have Kat [above] and Jennifer with me at Montana State;
it was Kat’s first time leafleting, and she drove
four hours to be there! We met one former vegetarian
who now will be going back. Best part of the
day was a guy named Danny who asked, “Hey,
are you the Vegan Outreach people? The work
you’re doing is really important.” He went
on to say he is going vegan after receiving
the booklet, so I snapped a pic of him [top of page] and will
be putting him in touch with others on campus
that want to get involved.
At Montana Tech,
I watched a couple sit down and read the booklet
cover-to-cover [above]. Also had a productive conversation
with someone who was opposed to fur; I commended
him for speaking out for animals, and gave him
a Guide.
In my 3-year history
of doing college outreach at about 75 different
schools across 11 states, I would say that the
University of Montana had one of the absolute
highest, if not the highest, number of vegetarians
and vegans I’ve come across. I even ran out
of Guides at one point; to give you
an example of how great the outreach was here,
a student named Trinity White Feathers, a wildlife
biology major, walked about a half mile with
me to my car just to get a Guide. I had many,
many students come up to me and tell me how
saddened and shocked they were by what they
read. Another student, Chelsea [right, top photo], walked up
to me, leaflet in hand, and stated, “This
is the saddest thing I have ever read. I was
tearing up in class.” We had an excellent
discussion and she seemed empowered by the idea
that she could make a difference.
Too many other
amazing discussions to fit here. For example,
I had a discussion with a woman [right] which ended
by her saying, “If people knew how animals
were raised, they wouldn’t be eating meat.”
I replied, “That’s why I’m out here.”
—John Oberg, 9/19/12
 |
| A University of South Dakota student stops in her tracks to read Even If You Like Meat. |
Black
Hills State was my last school
in the Dakotas. Favorite quotes:
“Hell yeah,
I hate animal cruelty!” on the first booklet
(pretty energetic guy for 7:30 am).
“Yes, I got
one. It’s terrible and sad.”
“Ooh, piggies!”
(admiring the Compassionate Choices
cover).
“This brings
back awful memories of an animal cruelty video
I saw.”
“Aww, aren’t
they so cute?!” (again, referring to CC).
“I got one
of those and it made me feel sad and depressed,”
(from a big, athletic-looking dude... he got
Guided).
A guy and his
friend took one and as they were walking away
I heard him say, “What? Do you see how
they’re treated?!” to his buddy.
Yesterday, I woke
up at 5:30 in Sioux City, Iowa and headed to
the University of South Dakota, Vermillion.
Had another good conversation with a hog farmer.
At the very least I hope this will remain in
his head as he makes his rounds in his dad’s
factory farm: “If you got on your knees,
looked that sow in her eyes, and asked her if
she wanted to be there, do you think she’d say
‘Yes’?”
—John Oberg, 9/14/12
Ron,
Jessica, and I popped over to
Portland State, where I noticed a large group
of what appeared to be middle school kids chaperoned
by a couple of adults. I decided not to approach
them (because of the adults), but when one of
them came near me, I automatically gave her
a booklet. She accepted it and took it back
to the group. Soon several more kids came to
me and asked for leaflets to read, and returned
again for more to share with their friends.
I watched them reading and discussing the leaflets
with each other and was reminded of how aware
and sensitive kids are to the vegan message.
When the adults rounded them up to leave, a
couple of them smiled and nodded and one gave
me a thumbs up as they walked past. It made
me feel good!
—Stephanie Lucas, 9/14/12
 |
|
| Hardworking Joe Espinosa gets a free hug while leafleting the Indianapolis Warped Tour stop. |
A
week ago, Kate and I took a quick
trip to Santa Fe Community College. Kate had
a student come up to her while she was leafleting
and say: “I got one of these booklets last
semester and it just changed my life.”
Today, we distributed
another 325, and got feedback from our previous
trip. Several students said they were cutting
back, and one said she was now vegan!
—JC Corcoran, 9/18/12
It
was awesome to have Joe at Michigan
State, where we reached nearly 2,400 students.
Joe is truly inspiring, a workhorse. With the
drive, this was a 15-hour “day off”
from his full-time job. It can never be overstated
what a dedicated ally and educator the animals
have in Joe.
—Vic Sjodin, 9/18/12
At
the University of Maine, an older
man (perhaps a staff member?) said he got a
booklet from me last year; he called it a “good
publication.” He claimed he doesn’t care
about animals, because he’s a “hunter and
all that,” but didn’t realize how disgusting
conditions are on factory farms. He repeated
“disgusting” a couple times and said
the booklet moved him, and he and his wife have
been eating less meat since then. After he started
talking to someone else, he came back to me
to get a booklet to give to that person. He
told me, “He needs to read this,”
as he put the booklet in that person’s hand.
It’s interesting that even though he said he
doesn’t care about animals, he and his wife
were moved to change their diet because of the
booklet.
—Lana Smithson, 9/13/12
 |
| Elaine Vigneault sends this pic of a Cal Poly student reading Compassionate Choices. |
Ed
and Elaine and Johanna joined
me at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – we reached
over 1,800 students! We met so many vegetarians
and vegans – we must be doing something right!
—Barbara Bear, 9/20/12
Darina
and I reached over 2,000 Hawkeyes
at the University of Iowa – a great school
to leaflet! Met tons of vegetarians, and the
campus seems pretty progressive, especially
considering that it’s located in Iowa. Had lots
of great conversations, and very few negative
exchanges. It was a great way to start the semester!
—Jon Bockman, 9/24/12
At
the Heart Walk, I met one woman who
had gotten a booklet from us at Valencia College
last week and is now interested in moving toward
vegetarianism. In general, offering “information
on vegetarianism” sparked quite a bit of
interest; many people turn around to get one
when they realized what it was. Another woman
commented that she needs to go back to being
a vegetarian.
—Dawn Ratcliffe, 9/14/12
The
students were very receptive at
Valdosta State University! I met two students
who had changed their diets since getting a
booklet from Lana last semester. Several other
people were asking questions about what
they could do. They’ll surely be looking more
into it. One was interested in donating online
too!
Today, Sally and
I reached 2,000 students at Georgia
Southern University! The students were extremely
receptive, and we had many great conversations.
For example, we talked to a former vegetarian
who now wants to get back on track. Another
person was a part-time vegetarian now interested
in going further. A good day!
—Jeff Boghosian, 9/25/12
Kassy
and I had a marathon 13-hour day
at Santiago Canyon College, Golden West College,
and Saddleback College! It was my first time
back at Golden West since being arrested there;
I was surprised that one of the officers involved
recognized me immediately. He excitedly told
me that he quit eating meat since arresting
me! He was ecstatic to get a Guide and thanked
me PROFUSELY for doing outreach! WHAAAA??!?!?
We also chatted with NUMEROUS enthusiastic students
eager to help!
—Nikki Benoit, 9/19/12
| Below: Kassy and Nikki’s marathon day included a lunch break at a strip mall, where they reached 26 more new people! |
 |
Went
back to Malcolm X College exactly
two weeks after being taken off campus in the
back seat of a police car. Happily, the First
Amendment is back in effect now!
Ran into a librarian
I had spoken with last time – he’s now displaying
Compassionate Choices in the library,
and was planning on attending Chicago VeganMania.
Met many other interested folks, including a
woman whose friend had gotten a booklet previously
– she was very interested in making changes.
—Mikael Nielsen, 9/20/12
 |
| Jennifer Greene sends this pic of Katie Pryor leafleting Nassau Community College, where they reached 1,350 students in September! |
Beautiful
and amazing day – Nathan and
I reached 1,300 students at Bronx Community
College. Nathan was also able to set up a humane
education class!
—Katie Pryor, 9/24/12
Met
so many interesting people at
Butte College – a very fun day! I spoke with
one woman who had slipped from being veg after
5 years because her partner and their family
have been giving her a hard time. She is going
to bring home the pamphlets and tell them how
important it is to her with new resolve. I talked
with another student who has been thinking about
trying veg but didn’t know where to start.
Now she does! Met quite a few veg / vegan people
and LOTS of people thanked me for passing out
the info and helping to raise awareness about
the issue. Very nice to feel appreciated.
—Brian Grupe, 9/27/12
Reached
over 2,000 students at East Carolina
University. Met many vegetarians and vegans.
One student said she went vegetarian after finding
a VO booklet on a cafeteria table nearly a year
ago: “This is the exact booklet that did
it.” She gladly took a Guide. Another student
said he was vegetarian and said the Guide was
“exactly what [he] needed.” A faculty
member said her daughter is trying to be vegetarian
and took a Why Vegan? and Guide
for her. I talked with one student who was moved
by the pictures into wanting to go vegetarian;
he got a Guide, and I also told him about the
ECU student group SOAR – he’s interested in
getting involved.
—Brandon Becker, 9/25/12
I
met more vegans than vegetarians at
Oregon State today, which is not uncommon for
me. Many people responded to my “Help animals”
with “Sure!” or “I love animals.”
I had supportive comments such as, “Keep
fighting the good fight” and “I support
you.”
—Nettie Schwager, 9/25/12
 |
|
| David Coman-Hidy reports: “Honoze, got a Compassionate Choices from us in downtown Boston a few weeks ago and that’s why he came to the veg fest and is now vegetarian! Booyah!” |
High
acceptance rate at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore,
and some enthusiastic responses. Then, at Salisbury
University, I had a productive chat with Tim,
a Christian. We discussed everything from matters
of faith; why I didn’t think it was feasible
to have a painless system of raising and killing
animals; my belief that animals aren’t our slaves
and that while their needs are simpler than
ours, they basically desire what we desire –
the ability to pursue the things that make them
happy and freedom from unnecessary suffering.
He seemed to get a lot out of the conversation,
and left with a Guide.
At Morehead State,
a number of ag students stopped. One was was
interested in a civil and engaging dialogue.
We talked for a good 10 minutes. I stressed
some key points with him, namely that I know
that what we do to farmed animals isn’t done
to be cruel (and thus, we don’t show pictures
of blatant cruelty, such as an animal getting
beaten), but because it is efficient. And the
practices, again, done solely for efficiency
(and I understand the merits of efficiency),
cause animals a lot of suffering. He heard me
out, thought I raised some good points, I said
the same of him, and we exchanged contact info.
And as I was really
giving my physical and psychological all to
today’s leafleting, I was very heartened when
a young woman walked by at the end of
the day, pointed to the booklet, and said, “This
changed my life! I wanna be a vegetarian now.”
She got a Guide.
—Jon Camp, 9/26/12
At the College
of the Holy Cross, one student looked at the booklet
I handed her and shouted, “Oh god…this is ruining my morning!” I
replied, “Just try to imagine how eating them ruins their lives!” Amazing conversations with a string of students at Quinsigamond Community
College. Jenny, the program assistant in the student center told
me that the booklet influenced her to go back to being a vegetarian.
A student informed me that everyone was arriving at class with the
pamphlets, so they had a whole class discussion about it! Another
student stopped to tell me the booklet was the best that he has seen
on the subject!
Ben and I had a huge day at Holyoke Community
College and Westfield State. As seems to be happening more and more,
I gathered names and emails of students who wanted to start a group.
It is great to put people together who might never have met each other.
One woman said she received a booklet from me already. When I asked her
what she thought, she said it was heartbreaking. She then saw a guy she
knew with one in his hand, and she told him sternly, “You better
read it, you will never eat chicken and feel the same way again!” He
sat down right away and read it!
—Karen James, 9/19/12
 |
South
Dakota State was ag school #3
this week, and it went as expected: amazingly!
Favorite quotes
of the day:
“What is
it? Church?” Me: “It’s info to help
animals.” Him: “Help animals? You
bet!”
“I got one
and I’m proud to say I haven’t eaten meat today.”
Me: “Here’s a Guide
with vegetarian recipes, meal ideas, and health
tips if you want to continue with it.”
Him: “Thanks, I might take you up on that!”
“Stuff like
that will put me out of business.”
One of those ag
students, Spencer, was actually great to speak
with – he knew his stuff so it made for good
conversation. After walking in circles around
him (literally, leafleting every student who
walked by), while having a 15-minute conversation
about factory farming, he shook my hand and
thanked me for “having a calm, educated
discussion about this.”
I actually met
several vegetarians at this ag school in the
middle of nowhere, including Luke [McCullough, above], who has
actually been vegan for a week and helped me leaflet
two class changes. He was a natural and is interested
in keeping this up at this school, as well as
possibly joining up for some Warped Tour-ing!
I met two other people who are interested in
getting active, and I’ll be putting them in
contact with each other.
At Augustana College,
two women [below] were sitting behind a fenced-off area
outside an academic building and called over
to a guy I had just leafleted, asking, “Hey,
what’s that guy handing out?!” He replied,
“It’s about stopping animal cruelty.”
One yelled back, “Oh, that’s awesome!”
On my way out, I asked if she and her friend
would like booklets. They gobbled them up, and
Kadyn [on the right] told me she’s actually vegetarian on her
way to becoming vegan. She THEN informed me
that she’s a senior, and she was originally
thinking about going to grad school, but now
she’s considering doing non-profit work and
is really interested in the work that Vegan
Outreach does. I gave her (and her friend, Mariya)
a copy of A Meaningful Life, got her
contact info, and parted ways with the school.
This was a result of chance on a leafleting
outing that I thought was nearly a waste.
Important lesson
learned: No matter if we hand out or donate
for 2,500, 250, or 25 booklets, the impact each
of us can have is astronomical.
—John Oberg, 9/12/12
 |
Yesterday
morning at my alma mater, Case
Western Reserve University, I leafleted my undergraduate
advisor, and he seemed interested in the issue,
though he did not recognize me. A staff person
walked by with a high school group following
her. She told me not to give them leaflets,
but I did offer them and most of the students
wanted them. She was mad, but I just told her
they had the right to the information if they
wanted it. A couple ladies also pulled their
cars over to see what I was handing out and
took leaflets. I love curious people!
Today was my last
day of vacation leafleting, so I got up at 4:30 am
to get to Bowling Green State by 8:50. Lots
of students stopped with questions. I spoke
with three Obama campaigners, and they were
all veg. One student came up and said, “Oh
yes, you guys are the only people that hand
out things that are right.” Two girls took
the leaflets and asked about it. After I explained
how the animals are treated they were upset
and were happy to take Guides. I heard other
students saying the leaflets made them sad,
so I knew my goal was accomplished for the day.
—Leslie Patterson, 9/13/12
 |
| Stacy (above) received a VO booklet when Aaron Ross and Kate St. John leafleted Morgan State two years ago, and has been vegan ever since! |
Susan and
I had many good conversations at
Western Connecticut State. We met a student
who received a booklet from me last year and
cut his consumption of animal products in half.
Another said he received one last semester and
cut out all meat. A third also said he received
one from me and is working toward vegan! A woman
from administration stopped to talk – she is
marrying a vegan in the spring. I gave her a
Guide to get her started, and she was very grateful.
Gathered 13 names and emails of students who
want better veg options in the cafeteria and
want to start a group on campus.
—Karen James, 9/12/12
I’m still in shock from all the great conversations
I had at Southeastern University,
and how excited several people were to accept
a booklet when they heard what it was about.
In fact, the words “factory farming”
didn’t really get students as excited as “vegetarian”
or “vegan” did, as the “v”
words caused several students to stop in their
tracks to get a booklet. Talked to a nice woman
who was tabling on behalf of her church, and
while not vegan, she eats a lot of veg foods
since her son got a Compassionate Choices
at Polk State two years ago and was really affected
by it. Also, talked to an English professor
who is supportive and has been integrating animal
issues into his assignments. After our conversation,
he is now thinking about showing some animal
films and may invite us to talk to his classes.
Early on, a handful
of students told me that dining services just
expanded their vegetarian and vegan options
in what they classify as an herbivore station.
And best of all, they said the food is tasty
and actually includes seitan. Knowing this early
on helped when students expressed an interest
in eating more veg*n options or wanting to go
veg, because I reminded them that they can easily
eat vegan on their meal plan. Not surprisingly,
this seemed to further solidify their commitment
to making dietary changes. For example, one
woman came back to tell me that she read the
booklet and is going vegetarian; her friend
seemed to be on board as well!
—Dawn Ratcliffe, 9/13/12
Our
experience at the University of Maryland
today was extremely encouraging. One student
who got a booklet last year came up to us, gave
us a hug, and told us it changed her whole life,
that she is now vegan and her entire family
went vegetarian, all because of one booklet!
We even got an ex-vegan to give it another go.
A lot of vegetarians and vegans were excited
to meet activists on their campus. The best
part is, we were able to reach nearly 2,500
students within just a few hours.
—Aaron Ross and Kate St. John,
9/11/12
 |
Kathleen, my wonderful host, and her son, Seth [Keene, above], joined me at Minnesota State, Moorhead. Great conversations. For example, I heard from several students that they were saddened by what they read; I made sure to let them know that there was something they could do about it (and then Guided them). I handed two leaflets to two students and one said she got one from Warped Tour and thought it was great. The other said, “This is awesome that you’re out here, thanks for doing this.” I Guided both of them.
 |
| A UND student contemplates her Even If You Like Meat in solitude. |
Good day of outreach at the University of North Dakota, Northland Community & Technical College, and the University of Minnesota, Crookston – reached over 2,100 students! I love handing booklets about farm animal cruelty to this kind of crowd because they’re likely never exposed to the issue in this way. It’s great that the booklets contain cited information from sources that these folks trust. I had an excellent conversation with a pig farmer about the legitimacy of our claims in the booklet. I explained to him the cited sources and why we feel that the standard practices he takes part in may not be cruel just for the sake of being cruel, but simply because they’re done for a practical reason doesn’t mean they hurt the animal any less. Comparing these standard practices that are thrust upon pigs with the horrors of seeing that happen to his dog really had him shaking his head in agreement. By the end of the conversation, it was clear we weren’t on opposite spectrums. We shook hands and I got his email and will be following up.
 |
I
had a woman explain that she received the booklet
years ago and loved the meat-reduction approach.
She took a Guide and was excited about it. Odds
are she wouldn’t be eating vegan if Sen or Fred
hadn’t handed her a leaflet a few semesters
ago. Highlight of the day was handing a pamphlet
to a punked-out dude with gauges, saying: “Nice
gauges, dude,” then having him come back about an hour later, offering
to help. His name’s Garrett [Gjelsness, left] and he stood
out there for two class changes with me and handed out well over 100
booklets!
—John Oberg, 9/10/12
Today at the University of Akron,
one student told me, “You could not have
handed this to a more perfect person,”
as she recently stopped eating meat. She was
very happy to get a Guide, as she said
she is not sure how to get her nutrition. Another
student happily told me that he just went vegetarian.
A few students asked about getting involved.
And a professor thanked me for the work and
told me he is veg but still trying to convince
his wife.
—Leslie Patterson, 9/11/12
 |
| Above (clockwise from upper left): Unny Nambudiripad, Garrett, John Oberg, Jeff Johnson, Jake Nath, Fred Tyler, Amber Bee, Grace, and Liz Sias got VO booklets into the hands of 1,700 people at this fall’s Minnesota State Fair! |
I think today at Naugatuck Valley
Community College was my best
day yet! Someone gave me an application to start
a student group, saying I needed 10 signatures
– I got 15! Got emails, too, and will put them
in touch with each other. Two guys stopped to
help, each taking 50 booklets to hand out. Met
a student who got a copy of Even If You
Like Meat two years ago when I was there.
He researched the info, wrote a paper for class
on factory farming, and went vegetarian. Later,
a student came over and hugged me after I gave
her a Compassionate Choices, and said,
“We need you!” She, too, signed the
group application and gave me her email.
—Karen James, 9/11/12
Exciting things are happening at
Armstrong Atlantic State University. I met an English
professor who is showing Food, Inc. to
two classes; he was excited to see me out there.
I also heard about a professor teaching “Ethics
in Food,” so I tracked him down during some
downtime. Turned out to be the Dean of Liberal
Arts; I gave him booklets. I met many interested
students, and talked with a number I’m sure
will be making changes.
—Jeff Boghosian,
9/12/12
 |
|
| Last week at William Paterson University, Matthew Glover (above), Daniela Artiga, and Vic Sjodin provided 1,075 students with Compassionate Choices! |
Even 108 degrees
won’t stop us! A quick 150 reached at Fallbrook
High School. When the rush died down, I had
a great conversation with a junior who has chickens
at her house…as pets! And she loves them!
She has been thinking of going veg for a while
and is now definitely on board with the
idea, but doesn’t feel that she could be veg
since her un-veg parents do all of the cooking.
But as soon as she leaves for college, she is
going to kick those animals off her plate!
—Kassy Ortega, 9/18/12
At San Jose City College today, I think Diane, Kitty, Paris, and
I offered a booklet to every single student – and 1,643 accepted
– what a team! Highlight of the day for me
was a young lady who told me that she didn’t
pay attention in class at all, but instead read
the whole booklet very carefully and is now
going veg! “You guys changed me!”
Her words. Awesome.
—Brian Grupe, 9/14/12
 |
| Another bear at the farmers’ market! This one’s reading a booklet from Elaine Vigneault. |
My favorite interaction at
the farmers’ market was with a young woman who
didn’t want a Compassionate Choices,
because she didn’t want to see any sad pictures.
I offered her a Guide as I typically
do for those who can’t bear to look at a CC.
I also said w/o really thinking about it, “So,
are you already vegetarian?” This prompted
her to take a CC off the top of my
stack, as if to say, “OK, I do need to see
this.” Made my day.
—Barbara Bear, 9/12/12
I was thrilled beyond belief at
how successful today was at the College of Staten
Island. Donna joined me and was awesome. I got
interested students to start up my AR club again,
and five other people interested in further
events on the island.
—Katie Pryor, 9/14/12
 |
|
| At the Atlanta Veg Fest, Jon Camp learned that Holly (above) went vegan after receiving one of the VO booklets handed out by Eric Griffith, Wendy Moore, and JC Corcoran at the 2008 Atlanta Warped Tour! |
At the University of North Florida
and Florida State College, Julie,
Jeff, and I reached nearly 1,900 students. Very
moving conversations. For example, a self-identified
Middle Eastern undergraduate student told me
she had two pet lambs when she was a kid. One
day, the lambs disappeared and her parents served
her lamb for dinner. She got upset and her voice
quivered on multiple occasions as we talked;
I started crying, too. She didn’t eat meat after
that, and to this day, her parents say that
her vegetarianism is wrong. She now wants to
go completely vegan – I have no doubt that
she will. Another student told me that he ordered
breakfast differently because of what he had
just read in the Compassionate Choices.
A health sciences student talked to me about
getting involved in animal issues in Jacksonville;
we have already corresponded over email. Finally,
an administrator thanked me for the info as
she’s transitioning to veganism.
—Dawn Ratcliffe, 9/11/12
Beautiful
weather & receptive students
at Kent State made it a personal record for
me on the first day of my Ohio vacation – over
2,000 students reached! One student stopped
to say, “I just want to tell you that pamphlet
changed my life! I have been vegetarian for
a year now.” Another student said she had
gone vegetarian from receiving the booklet before.
Both were happy to take Guides.
A few students told me they read it and it was
interesting or upsetting. One said, “OK,
I read it. Now what can I do about it?”
so we talked about choosing meat-free meals.
One guy who took a booklet tried to give it
to another guy who said, “No way, I don’t
want that, it’s nasty. I can’t eat chicken anymore!”
—Leslie Patterson, 9/10/12
 |
Saleana
joined me at Central Connecticut
State, where she plans to start an AR group!
She’s a great leafleter. We had 15 students
share their emails and sign up to join the campus
group! I also got a faculty member, who is vegetarian
and teaches about factory farming and reducing
meat consumption in his bio class, to give me
his email; he will support / advise the group
so it can get started.
We met dozens
of vegetarians and vegans. One guy stopped,
signed up for the group, and said he received a
Compassionate Choices from me last
semester and went vegetarian. He also handed
out his copy of the CC to his roommates
and friends, some of whom vowed to reduce their
animal product consumption.
Another student,
Kyle [left], went vegetarian on the spot after reading
the CC I handed him! Gave him a Guide,
too.
—Karen James, 9/10/12
 |
Great
day with Fred! We reached over
3,000 students at Anoka-Ramsey Community College
and the University of St. Thomas. I met one
student who said she had a booklet on her wall,
and another woman who said that she still has
one from years ago; she was happy to get a Guide.
I had a very productive conversation with one
guy and heard from another that he really appreciates
the work we’re doing out here: “it’s not
right what we do to animals.”
Very receptive
students today at St. Cloud State. My morning
started out great when, at about 7:45 am, I
met Jasmine [right], who was leafleted last semester by
Michael and went vegetarian (on her way to vegan)
as a result of the booklet! She was really happy
to see us out there again. Mike joined me and
set a personal record – 710; Michael reached
over 400, and Autumn joined us as well. All
told, we reached over 3,200 students. Almost
entirely positive feedback; heard from at least
20 vegetarians or vegans, and a student group
grilling nearby to raise money for their club
actually had veggie burgers on tap.
—John Oberg, 9/6/12
| Below: John Oberg, Mike Chutich, Michael Willemsen, and Autumn Hamberg provide a voice for the animals at St. Cloud State. | ||
 |
 |
|
Brian,
Mike, and I had a productive day at
West Valley College. The take rate was high,
and the students were polite. I noticed many
of them looking through the leaflet as they
were walking away, and one woman reading it
all the way through while she was relaxing on
the grass [below]. I met a vegetarian who happily accepted
a recipe guide because she is trying to go vegan.
She admitted her challenge was mainly going
out with friends to eat, and how she often gives
in to things like cheese pizza. She said she
knows about the issues and wants to be vegan
because it’s the right thing to do. I thanked
her for caring and told her I knew she would
get here soon.
—Diane Gandee Sorbi, 9/5/12
 |
A
new all-day record for me – I
handed an Even If You Like Meat to
3,360 students at Virginia Commonwealth University,
and also gave out 20 Guides! VCU is absolutely
the most ideal demographic! I got contact info
from a number of students who want to get active;
I’ll be putting them in touch with each other.
And I had a number of great conversations, discussing
everything from free-range issues to MMA fighters
being vegan.
—Jon Camp, 9/11/12
We
had a good day at the Lakeland
and Winter Haven campuses of Polk State. Met
many vegetarians. One woman who initially said
she couldn’t live without beef ended up leaving
with a Guide after I told her I grew up in the
Carolinas and have been vegan since 1995, and
thus it was doable. One African-American student
stopped to ask me about my motivation. He had
some really good questions, and is extremely
interested in exploring vegetarianism. He thought
it was cool that I had been vegan for so long.
After we talked for about five minutes, he said
that he’s going to try to get all of his family
members to join him in making dietary changes.
—Dawn Ratcliffe, 9/10/12
 |
Solid
outreach with Kyunghee at Ferris
State. One woman said she was now going to go
back to being veg; another said, “Can I
have one of those things everyone’s reading
in class?”
—Vic Sjodin, 9/11/12
Kassy and I reached
2,450 more students at Riverside Community College,
and heard from tons of sympathetic peeps, including a girl on the
verge of tears. Her dad’s always been an ethical veg but she
never looked into why. She’s diving into vegan – no stops.
Kassy rocked the free speech area like a champ, even when In-N-Out
Burger parked next to her to give away free food (do we detect some desperation amongst the fast foodies? Apparently
:)). She found they made leafleting easier cuz they slowed foot traffic
– and she met an amazing new veggie [Alondra Naves, left] from
a previous semester’s booklet. Wooohooo!
—Nikki Benoit, 9/11/12
 |
| Kitty Jones spreads compassion at Santa Rosa Junior College (above), while an SRJC student is engrossed in learning the truth (below). |
 |
Kitty
and I rocked Santa Rosa Junior
College hard today, reaching nearly 1,800 students!
I gave two presentations in English classes
that went really well. We watched Farm to
Fridge and talked about it as a group.
The students had such excellent questions and
everyone was engaged in the discussion. I’m
sure a lot of people will be making changes
in their diets. Also, the professor (now a friend
of mine since I’ve been presenting in
her classes for two years now) offers her students
extra credit for eating a vegan sandwich at
Ike’s Place across the street and bringing
in the receipt. She said some students have
already done it and taken pictures and posted
to their Facebook community! Awesome!
—Brian Grupe, 9/11/12
Almost
100% acceptance rate and great
feedback at the University of Maine. One young
man said, “Keep up the good work. You are
doing something noble.”
—Lana Smithson, 9/10/12
From a recent batch of Guide requests:
A student handed me a booklet today,
and after looking at it, I couldn’t ignore how
I felt about the cruelty animals suffer in order
for humans to “enjoy” meat. I sat down at my
computer and followed the link on the back of
the booklet, and ended up here.
—JR in BC, 10/18/12
I was given a booklet by
a kind gentleman on my way to class at the college
– I almost cried.
—YB in FL, 10/16/12
I received a packet from
my boyfriend. He knows I am very passionate
about animals and he showed me the brochure.
I have now decided to go vegetarian. Thank you
so much!
—KL in MN, 10/24/12
I just received a booklet while
walking out of my college’s cafeteria and I’ve
been interested in becoming a vegetarian for
a while now. :-)
—JK in NY, 10/17/12
Came across your info
in the Compassionate Choices booklet.
I’m already a vegetarian, but after reading
through the Guide I wonder if I should give
up milk and eggs as well.
—SN in TX, 10/21/12
I brought
home a couple Vegan Outreach booklets
and shared them with my family. We have gone
vegan since and feel so much better.
—AL in NY, 10/18/12
 |
Today was one
of my absolute favorite days of
outreach on my tour this semester. I literally
met over 60 different people at Portland State who told me they
were vegetarian / vegan. Over 1,600 minds that
are likely already progressive were given the
opportunity to open up their hearts to the suffering
of farmed animals.
A few interactions
stand out: One student told me, “It freaked
me out. Really woke me up.” I had a nice,
quick convo with him, encouraging him that he
can make a difference. Another told me, “Those
are some scary pictures, man. That’s really
messed up.” One more told me, “I fully
endorse your efforts,” and many said things
like, “That stuff’s terrible,” or
“Thank you for being out here.”
I handed Abdul
a booklet, then continued leafleting.
About 30 minutes later, he started walking towards
me, fairly slowly, and uttered the words, “I
cannot believe this is happening,” in a
serious tone, almost as if he were in shock.
He said how it’s so unfair how we treat these
animals and seemed so sincere that I thought
he might be teary-eyed. I had run out of Guides
so was bummed I couldn’t give him one. Fortunately
I had to run back to my car, so I grabbed some
more, hoping to see him again. Almost at the
moment I was wrapping up, I saw Abdul walk out
of the building and start walking the other
direction. I got his attention and handed him
a Guide. I snapped
a pic of him with it [above] and he told me that the
Guide will be “very useful” and was
so thankful to get it. Glad to have been able
to make this impact!
—John Oberg, 10/25/12
Susan, John, and I had an amazing, record-breaking day at Camosun College and the University of Victoria, where we reached nearly 3,000 new people! Typical feedback: “This is so awesome that you’re doing this. This is the way the future needs to go!”
 |
| Susan Collart spreads compassion at the University of Victoria. |
Speaking on behalf of all 30 million or so of
us Canadians, we’re so lucky to have the dedication
of those who enable and conduct the work of
Vegan Outreach.
—John Bowers, 10/23/12
Best day I’ve ever had at
Baruch College! A bunch of vegetarians and vegans,
and a guy stopped to help leaflet for an hour
and a half!
—Katie Pryor, 10/18/12
People were very open to
the information at Tunxis Community College.
Over the course of the day, a dozen people came
back to talk with me, and I made clear all the
different ways they can help reduce suffering.
—Aleta Markham, 10/17/12
I found a local high school I could hit quickly on my break – at one point,
the kids lined up to get a booklet! I probably
could have handed out almost twice as many had
I not run out! Even handing out 100 booklets
– which can be done in 15 minutes –
feels like a million dollars and makes a difference.
—Darina Smith, 10/18/12
 |
| Nikki Benoit sends this pic of a man who went veg on the spot after receiving a Compassionate Choices at Cal State San Bernardino! |
Diana, Jovan, and I found very
receptive students at Harold Washington College.
One student took a booklet from us and said
she does not eat animals because we don’t need
to take a life. She got a Guide. Another
lady looked at the cover of the booklet and
said, “What, they are still doing that
to animals?!” I said, “Yeah, big time.”
She said, “Oh forget this, I am not doing
it anymore!” She took a Guide
then gave me a high five.
—Leslie Patterson, 10/15/12
New record at Sierra College, where
I reached over 1,100 students. Great feedback
and conversations, and was thanked numerous
times for being out there fighting the good
fight and spreading the word.
This school has
come a LONG way since my first trip here in
2007. So many more vegetarians / vegans and open-minded
people.
—Brian Grupe, 10/24/12
 |
|
| Stephanie Johnson, Sarah Hope, and Jenna Lange provide a voice for the animals at Canada College. | |
Such
an excellent day of leafleting
at Canada College and College of San Mateo.
I was joined by four new volunteers! Jessica,
who now goes to school at Canada, brought along
her daughter Sarah and Sarah’s best friend
Jenna, both 11 and both vegetarian. They felt
a little shy at first but took right to it after
that and had a great time! They thought people
were friendly; when I told them how many they
had each handed out, they were surprised they
had done so many! Very cool.
Stephanie was
with me at both schools; I met her at Farm Sanctuary
where she was interning, and I found out that
it was getting a leaflet from me at Fresno State
that planted the seed for her to switch from
vegetarian to vegan activist. She said after
I gave her the Compassionate Choices
and Guide,
she looked up a lot of information online, and
the rest is history. She did an awesome job
and I was glad to have her help. She plans on
helping out more before starting grad school.
Sydney stopped
by and joined us in leafleting! Too many other
cool encounters to relate, including one woman
who said she’s now going to try veg, and a guy
who used to be vegan feels that he now needs
to try and get back on track.
Today, it was
great to have Kitty and Leslie with me at College
of Alameda and Laney College. Laney was particularly
eventful. For example, I talked at length with
a guy who could not believe I had not eaten
in meat in nearly 6 years. To paraphrase Erik
Marcus, “He was looking at me like I had
been holding my breath the whole time.”
But he was really really curious and had tons
of questions to which I felt I had good answers.
After our talk he took both an Even If You
Like Meat and a Guide and said
he was going to go sit down with them right
then. He also said he would be trying out some
new foods for sure.
—Brian Grupe, 8/30/12
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|
Reached
over 1,400 students at the University
of Antelope Valley and College of the Canyons.
Even the brawny athletic guys were going out
of their way to snag a booklet. Snapped a photo [right]
of a woman engrossed in her booklet, clearly
in shock of what she was reading. At the end
of the day, as I was walking back to my car,
had a great conversation with a security guard,
who was happy to get a Guide before
she shimmied on.
—Nikki Benoit, 9/10/12
Great
conversations and a new record at
Anne Arundel Community College – 850+ students
reached. Two athletic dudes in a row came up
to talk about running / working out – two conversations
in a row where my love of physical fitness paid
off! One young woman who wanted to go veg was
happy to get a Guide, and told me that
I radiated good vibes, a compliment I was happy
to hear.
—Jon Camp, 9/10/12
Caitlin
and I reached over 1,350 students at
Middlesex Community College and Wesleyan University.
Lots of vegetarians and vegans – got contact
emails and invitations to speak! Some students
asked for extra booklets to give to friends!
—Karen James, 9/4/12
 |
|
| Mikael Nielsen snapped this pic of a student engrossed in Compassionate Choices at Chicago’s Malcolm X College. | |
Pauline
and I had a lot of great interactions
at Malcolm X College, despite some issues. I
had several great conversations with people
who were looking to make changes. I recommended
that the first thing to give up was eggs and
then eating chickens. One guy worked at the
library there and asked for a stack to put out
for students. Pauline spoke to one woman who
said that they were talking about this very
issue in one of her classes, and said the way
we treat farmed animals, when compared to other
animals, is the same as racism.
—Mikael Nielsen, 9/6/12
John
and I reached over 800 students at
Ryerson University. Talked with and Guided
three people looking to get started –
had the “eating chickens causes 200
times more suffering” talk with each
of them.
—Alex Greenwood, 9/10/12
Karley
joined me at Eastern Michigan
University and Washtenaw Community College;
Lizzie also stopped by to help at EMU. Many
great interactions and people expressing interest.
Several mentioned wanting to go veg; also gave
three Guides to brand-new, week-old
vegans! This place is WAY more veg friendly
than it was in 2008.
—Vic Sjodin, 9/6/12
We
set new records at Valencia College
West and East, reaching nearly 1,500 students!
Lots of great, constructive conversations, too.
For example, one guy who went vegetarian for
4 1⁄2 years for ethical reasons lamented about
not being vegetarian anymore. He said he went
back to eating animals for selfish reasons but
now is going to give it another try. Suggested
that he start with a few days a week and increase
it from there. Also met a former vegan who is
coming back. Met another student who said the
main reason that kept him from giving vegetarianism
a try was his love of bacon; told him to start
eating vegetarian a couple of days a week and
go from there.
—Dawn Ratcliffe & Jeff
Boghosian, 9/6/12
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|
| An MNSU skateboarder reads Even If You Like Meat. | |
I
leafleted the University of Georgia’s Activities
Fair while our advocacy group tabled. One former
vegetarian said the booklet could inspire her
to come back. Several other students expressed
interest in cutting back on meat, and I directed
a number of interested vegetarians and vegans
over to our table to get involved with our campus
group.
—Eric Griffith, 9/5/12
Lynn,
Kellie, Monica, Dale and I had
a great time tabling at the Boulder Humane Society’s
fundraising event! Every single person we spoke
with was totally receptive and open to the vegan
message. Every single person!!
I salute you
all that do this work day in and day out. Actually,
I salute anyone that does this any amount of
time.
—Lisa Shapiro, 9/9/12
It was a good day at Minnesota State – Mankato. Set a personal record, and heard a lot of positive feedback. I handed one woman a booklet, she walked a few steps, then said, “Wow, that’s effective!” Another woman said her husband owned a hog farm. She seemed pleasant enough, however, and I suggested, “You should ask him about gestation crates,” as she walked away. She turned her head, smiled, and said, “I know what you mean,” in a way that seemed like she agreed it was cruel. It’s also nice when students and faculty recognize this issue is important enough that we are willing to stand out there hour after hour handing out these booklets. One professor who received a booklet at 7:30 am and then was offered one again by me at 2:30 remarked, “I appreciate your diligence!” A student said, “Wow, you’ve been out here all day, please take this.” Free water – score!
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|
| At Hennepin Technical College, John met Stephanie, a vegetarian of three weeks: “I asked her why she went veg and she said because animals have parents and feelings and that they didn’t deserve to be treated badly. I gave her a Guide, which she seemed very excited about, and wished her luck on her meatless transition.” | |
Today,
with help from Mike, reached over 900 students
at six schools – Century College, University
of St. Thomas, Hennepin Technical College, North
Hennepin Community College, Bethel University,
and Northwestern College. A number of highlights,
including meeting a brand-new vegetarian who
was excited to get a Guide. I was also
escorted off campus by the nicest security guard
ever. He told me he had watched Earthlings and
was shocked by what he saw, so I gave him a
Guide. Even though it was late in the
day at Northwestern, the first 125 people in
a row said yes, and only 6 people out of 297
declined!
Cheers to all
my homies out there doing this important work!
I know we’re all in different parts of the country,
but it’s nice reading everyone’s posts, seeing
what they’re up to on Facebook, and exchanging
messages. Even though I’ll often be hundreds
of miles away from another Vegan Outreach leafleter,
I always feel so close to everyone in my heart.
—John Oberg, 8/31/12
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|
After a little under three years
of volunteering, today at Winona
State is Day #1 being officially employed by
Vegan Outreach. It’s safe to say that there
is absolutely nothing I’d rather be doing in
this world than engaging in some of the most
effective outreach I possibly can, while getting
the opportunity to explore the continent, interact
with the public, and meet / hang out with some
of the coolest people in the entire world. I
love VO and the whole family of leafleters,
volunteers, hosts, and donors.
As for today,
I set a new personal record, reaching 2,761
students with Even If You Like Meat,
and handed out 20 Guides
and an AML.
I got in early and stayed until the 3:00 class
change. The Winona students were very receptive
and I was thanked numerous times for being out
there in the sun (which unfortunately led to
me having one of the worst farmer’s tans in
my life). Heard lines such as “Keep up
the good work!” and “It’s a good handout,
I didn’t know most of the stuff in there.”
—John Oberg (above, leafleting St. Cloud State University), 8/28/12
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|
Jayme and some
friends
joined me and Jennifer [Greene, left] at Stony Brook U – we
reached an incredible 3,930 students! Several students
stopped back to say they want to change over
to veg; they each got a Guide. We gathered
the names of 17 students who are interested
in either starting an AR group on campus, getting
veg options into the cafeteria, and/or leafleting!
We’ve already heard back from one student who
is going to take the lead in forming a group;
Jennifer and I will back with support!
Ann joined me
at SUNY, Old Westbury – she took to leafleting
really well! Met two students interested in
leafleting; gave them each a Guide
and AML. Also met a teacher who teaches about
animal welfare / factory farming in her psych
class. She asked me for a dozen Even If You Like Meat
to hand out in class; I gave her six Guides
to hand out as well. Two students came
back to say they were disgusted by what they
saw in the Compassionate Choices booklet,
and said that they would cut back on their consumption
of meat immediately. A man stopped to chat,
and said that he does not eat red meat. We discussed
the horrors that other animals experience in
the food industry, and he said that he would
read the Even If I gave him, and the
Guide, and try to start cutting out
pork and chicken!
—Karen James, 8/30/12
It was awesome of Angelo to
join me for a whole day of leafleting at Millersville
University!
Some highlights:
- A young woman said, “You converted my friend last year. She’s still vegetarian.”
- Another young woman said, “I already got that. And I already cried over it.”
- And yet another young woman said that she recently turned vegan and was interested in getting involved. I gave her my contact info (was too rushed to get her info) and gave her a Guide.
- A dude told me that he was in the process of opening a vegan bakery nearby.
—Jon Camp, 8/30/12
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|
| Rashmi Abeysekera spreads the message of compassion at the City College of San Francisco. | |
Leafleting the Red Line station
was somewhat hit-or-miss, but one guy came back
after reading the booklet and said he was going
to make a change right then and there. He seemed
very honest and shocked by what he had read.
Just that one person made the entire time worth
it!
Jenna and I had
a good day at the College of DuPage. A lot of
students were really shocked to learn the truth.
Several great conversations with groups, and
a number were ready to make a change.
—Pam Stelmasek, 8/30/12
Reached 195 students at
Fresno High in only 18 minutes! At Fresno City
College, I met a woman who said she was already
thinking about going vegan and was really excited
to get some help. Met a couple others who used
to be vegetarian and were interested in getting
back to it. A beautiful day and a few hours
well spent.
—Jonathan Hussain, 8/30/12
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|
Lois and I had an interesting time
at the farmers’ market, with loads
of interactions. A woman took a booklet, then
laughingly handed it back to me saying, “My
husband’s a pig farmer.” I said they could
still read the booklet. The husband grabbed
the booklet and started looking at it while
his wife said, “Hey, honey, maybe you can
travel like you’ve always wanted to.” One
young woman said she was more concerned with
humans, but after talking with me a bit, happily
accepted a booklet. Two different people came
back and asked for a second booklet for a friend.
One newish vegan was happy to get a Guide,
an invite to our video showing, and a vegan
button which he immediately pinned to his shirt.
Met a whole family of vegetarians who were happy
to get a Guide and video invite. Lillia
[right] approached me to say that she’d gotten
a Compassionate Choices from me at
the farmers’ market a couple of weeks ago and
has been “pretty much vegan” since.
And her husband, who had eaten a lot of animal
products, is following her down the vegan path.
Yippee!
—Barbara Bear, 9/1/12
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|
My mini-leafleting marathon included
the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,
where almost exactly 20 years ago, Matt Ball
and Anne Green helped me become vegan and an
activist. Clayton [Carr, left] joined me for a few hours
and did strong work on his half of the quad.
I met him this past summer at Pitchfork Music
Festival in Chicago and found out that he became
vegan after getting a booklet from me a few
years ago. He offered to help leaflet, and the
rest is UIUC history!
—Joe Espinosa, 8/29/12
Awesome day at the University of Maine, Farmington! Super-friendly students.
An older staff member said she was very happy
to see me handing out the info. A student thanked
me profusely and wished me luck with the outreach.
Very sweet! A different student waved the leaflet
in the air and exclaimed, “Yay vegans!
Whoooo!” She proceeded to tell the person
next to her that she is vegan.
—Lana Smithson, 9/6/12
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|
| Three of the 2,200 Citrus students reached by Nikki and Kassy. | |
At Maui Community College, I
chatted with a woman who told me she used to
be vegan but switched when she got married.
She felt like receiving a booklet put her in
the mind to go back to becoming vegan. I also
had a nursing student come up to me and ask
for five booklets to share with her classmates.
And, as always, countless recipients started
reading the booklets moments after they were
received.
—Erik Marcus, 9/5/12
The awakening is WAY underway at
Citrus College, where Kassy and I reached 2,200!
Students are always eager to learn more, they’re
droppin’ meat / dairy / eggs like third-period French.
It’s the stuff stories are made of.
—Nikki Benoit, 9/6/12
 |
|
Great day at Chabot College with Leslie! Interesting chats with students; met loads of vegans, vegetarians, and people who agree this is an important issue. For example, I met a big, strong guy who has been vegan for six months now and says it’s working out good and he likes it. Nice! Also chatted with three really tall guys (rockin’ lots of sports gear and gold teeth) who were really curious about factory farming. Felt like I was able to give them some good answers and pointed out specific pictures and what was going on in the brochure. They wanted to check out some videos, and one of the guys wanted a Guide.
 |
|
| An SFSU student stops in her tracks to read Even If You Like Meat. | |
Monday,
I was joined once again by the new superstar activist
Rashmi, who soon starts her senior year at Berkeley
High. This day’s leafleting pushes her to
1,600 for the month of August! Eleanor, my leafleting
pal from Sacramento, is now in the Bay Area,
and joined us at Las Positas College. We met
a number of people who are on their way to veg
or who have been thinking about it. I snapped
a pic [above] of a gal who has been veg a year because
of getting a booklet from us last fall at Las
Positas, woo! I also had a really nice chat
with a fella who was shocked by the booklet,
specifically the picture of the baby male chicks
left in a hatchery dumpster because they are
not valuable to the egg industry. He got a Guide;
I’m positive he’ll be thinking about
his food choices differently. Rashmi and I then
stopped at Merritt College. Even though it’s
a small school, the reception is fantastic and
the students are always so interested. When
I went inside to grab a drink, I overheard a
guy order a salad because of the booklet. Also
talked with a woman who wants to start getting
off meat.
Today was a huge
day at San Francisco State, where Kitty,
Diane, Brian, Abel, activists from the local
group SAVVE, and I reached 3,616 students! Lots
stopped to chat, and quite a few thanked us
for spreading the word. Diane ran into a guy
who got an Even If a few years back
and went veg as a result. He went vegan two
months ago and thanked Diane for doing the good
work that changed his life. So cool! I was really
happy to be there for quite a few people who
were in the midst of transitioning to veg / vegan
or who had been seriously thinking about the
issue.
—Brian Grupe, 8/28/12
 |
|
At
Cal State Los Angeles, Chuck and
I heard from numerous veggies, and watched the
blinders get blown off numerous others. It’s
crazy to think folks are still in the dark on
this issue, but inspiring to see that all it
takes is one flip of the switch. Shazam.
At UC Riverside,
I hooked up with Kassy – friend of The Oberg
himself – she’s a superstar advocate, we’ll
see lots of sparks outta her efforts. Steve,
Lacey, Taylor, and Charlie joined us. Melissa
and Martin also joined me at CSU San Bernardino
– all told, we reached over 2,600 students!
 |
|
Over 1,550 students
today at Irvine Valley College. Today’s encounters
were so rad, I was looking for the camera crew
all day. For example, Crystal [above] got a booklet,
asked for a few extras for her sustainability
club. Comes back ten minutes later, puts her
stuff down and starts leafleting with me. Later,
Sonja stopped and asked for ways to get involved;
we exchanged info. Amir [left]…this cat comes back
to me with the booklet saying, “What do
I do to help?” I say, “Help me leaflet.”
He says, “Ok. What else?” I say, “Stop
eating the animals and their parts.” “Of
course, that’s done as of the second I glanced
through that booklet. This is disgusting. And
horrible.” And he’s a natural leafleter!
He’ll be joining me at many more colleges going
forward.
—Nikki Benoit, 8/20/12
 |
|
Diane,
the leafleting rock star, was
back in action on her two-year
veganversary – congrats Diane! We reached 898
students at De Anza College – amazing for summer
session!
Diane joined me
again at City College of San Francisco, along
with Ashley, Rashmi, Danielle, and Kitty. We
more than doubled the previous record, reaching
4,652 students! Take rate was really good, and
we met plenty of interested students.
Kitty, Jonathan,
and Robyn joined me to set another record at
Contra Costa College. It was Robyn’s first time
– she was nervous, but a total natural [right]. We
met several people who said they’re going to
try veg now, and another who is now going to
try vegan for two weeks.
Todd and Darren [below]
joined me for a very eventful day at Solano Community College and Napa Valley College, where we chatted with
lots of interested students. Was thanked a number
of times for spreading the word. Talked at length
with a guy who had no idea factory farming even
existed. He left with a Guide
and some movie recommendations – I know he’ll
be eating differently. Gave a booklet and a
Guide to a nutrition professor who
said he would definitely read them. I then met
a guy who said that after reading the booklet,
he is determined to go veg.
—Brian Grupe, 8/22/12
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|
Pam
and I reached 300 people at Navy
Pier. We both had great conversations. One person
took booklets for friends; another gave Pam
a big hug, and one woman yelled out of her car
how much her son loved the magazine we had given
him. Another lady said that she had gotten a
booklet the week before and that she was making
changes to reduce farmed animal suffering. Her
boyfriend remarked about how extreme the cruelty
is that we subject them to and then said, “And
we call them animals.”
—Mikael Nielsen, 8/15/12
 |
|
Receptive
crowd at the farmers’ market.
I was pleasantly surprised by the heartfelt
reactions I got! Watched many people reading
the booklet. One person came back to tell me
they plan to go vegan over the next few months.
—Barbara Bear, 8/18/12
Good
to be back! Great conversations
at Suffolk County Community College, where I
reached over 1,000 students. Conversations about
starting a group on campus, and met 11
vegetarians, 4 vegans. Also received the
emails of a few people who want more info, and
one who wants to get involved in leafleting.
Jennifer and I
blew the socks off Farmingdale State, reaching
nearly 1,600 students! We met 5 vegans and 9
vegetarians. We also got the emails of 2 vegans
we met, to keep in touch and get them in contact
with each other. I met a student who said he
had been vegan for two years, but had returned
to eating meat. We discussed his reasons for
the change; I gave him a Guide; he
said he was very glad we were there, and was
going to try going vegan again. Yippee!!!
—Karen James (above, leafleting Farmingdale State), 8/28/12
 |
|
| Another one of Nikki’s rad encounters at IVC: “Cynthia got a booklet 2 years ago at OCC – vegan on the spot. She veganized her boyfriend AND his parental units.” | |
Good conversations
at Willamette University and Linfield
College. Some students said they still had their
booklets from last year. A young woman who has
been vegan two months wondered whether she was
getting good nutrition, and was very happy to
get a Guide with nutrition information.
A young man who had taken a booklet before approached
me and said, “I just want to say, thank
you for doing this.” Another young man
pointed to the booklet he had taken, saying,
“They feed me this stuff in the cafeteria.”
I asked, “Do they serve vegetarian?”
He said, “They probably do. I should probably
try it.”
—Cobie deLespinasse, 8/28/12
It
was great to return to college leafleting and
set a new one-day record for students reached at
a Virginia community college – 1,325, and six
others given a Guide. Several people
commented that I was a “warrior” and
such for leafleting many hours in the hot sun.
I had good conversations with a guy who had
just celebrated his three-year anniversary as
a vegan, a young woman who wants to get involved
with local outreach, and a guy who told me that
he’s vegan until 6pm every day.
—Jon Camp, 8/27/12
Jovan joined
me to hit the All Stars Tour at
the Congress Theater, where we had a very receptive
audience. The doorman asked me about what we
were doing and said he agreed that meat causes
unnecessary suffering; then as kids were leaving,
he told them, “Take a flier!” They
also let us stand by the door though they shooed
everyone else away. We heard from many vegetarians
and vegans.
—Leslie Patterson, 8/13/12
 |
|
| Nathan Shin makes the animals’ case in NYC. | |
Take rate of 80–90% at Western New England
University! I was amazed at how nice the students
were. Students came over to get a booklet saying,
“I love animals” and “I want
to help animals.” One girl said, “This
is going to make me cry,” but took the
Even If You Like Meat anyway! Met a
student at the end who chatted a bit about factory
farming and the horrible cruelty forced upon
the animals. He wanted to change his eating
habits, so he got a Guide.
He gave me his email because he also wants guidance
on how to help get better food choices in his
cafeteria, and get a group going on campus.
A farmers’
market had been set up by some of the food
staff, so I gave them booklets. When I was leaving,
the chief of campus police approached me. He
had gotten booklets from the farmers’ market,
looked them over, and wanted a set of each for
himself and his wife!
At Springfield
College, I got seven people’s info who wanted
to start a veg group on campus. I also met a
student who had been thinking of going vegan,
but felt “stuck.” I went through
a Guide with her. She was very
happy to see all the information, and said she
would start right away!
—Karen James, 9/20/12
 |
|
Reached
over 1,250 students at the University
of Idaho. A girl told me she received a booklet
in the past and didn’t eat meat for a long time
but has since gone back. I gave her a Guide
and she seemed willing to give it another go.
Another older professor-looking woman was so
thankful that I was out there and said she was
so glad that “you young people are taking
charge,” to which I said, “Thanks
for paving the way!” I also had my first
ever unicycle handoff. Finally, Peter asked
for a booklet and stood next to a tree near
me reading it cover-to-cover for nearly 20 minutes [right].
He walked back over to me and we discussed the
issue for a while. He explained that he now
wants to stop supporting factory farms because
the way that animals are treated is sickening.
—John Oberg, 9/21/12
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|
Today was
my leafleting debut, at Hamilton’s
Open Streets festival. I was surprised how many
people stopped to talk – approximately
20–25, ranging from 2 minutes to 10 minutes
in length. In addition to a group of four students,
I also talked with two former dairy farmers!
I was a little nervous during that conversation
but managed to maintain a friendly and open
dialogue with them about how the industry has
changed. And finally, I had a great conversation
with a (not yet veg) sixth-grade teacher who
told me several students in her class had become
vegetarians after doing a project on factory
farming. I thanked her for being open and supporting
her students in this way; she took a booklet.
—Lee Aiken (above), 9/23/12
I did a
half-hour presentation of my art
work and animal rights at my class (at Laney
College). Handed out 15 VO booklets. The students
were quite receptive and at least half said
they rarely ate meat. The teachers said they
wanted to help me get the message out to other
community college classes and that I could present
it to the Sustainability Committee – which
is a group of teachers concerned about environmental
and social issues. I will do that soon.
—Leslie Goldberg, 9/19/12
Lots
of vegetarians at LaGuardia Community
College, and good conversations. Spoke with
a former vegetarian who is now coming back.
After a while, he took booklets and started
handing them out!
—Casey, 9/20/12
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|
At
Southern Maine Community College, a
young man [right] walked by and said, “You changed
my life.” He stopped to explain that he
got a booklet from me two years ago and has
been vegan ever since! His girlfriend went vegan
as well!
I had a good conversation
with a man in a suit who was carrying a Bible.
He said he goes to campuses to preach to students.
His brother is a vegetarian. He asked some thoughtful
questions and seemed to like my answers. He
accepted a Would Jesus Eat Meat Today?
A different young
man said, “I hate you.” I said,
“Excuse me?” He said, “I hate
you. I won’t want to eat meat after reading
this.” He sighed, smiled, and thanked
me for the info.
—Lana Smithson, 9/20/12
It
was great to have Kat and Andrew helping
out at the University of Mary Washington. Kat
had interned for MFA this summer, so was already
an experienced leafleter. Andrew, who made his
leafleting debut, said about Kat, “I can
see why she’s so into this!” We smashed
the school record – reaching over 1,100 students.
—Jon Camp, 9/21/12
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|
Macie,
Jasmine, and I set a new record at
Cabrillo College, reaching nearly 1,000 new
students! Lots of conversations. I talked to
at least four people who will probably move
towards veg / vegan now.
Kitty did a great
job today at Los Medanos College, where we reached
881 students. I remember doing this school in
2009 and meeting no vegetarians or vegans. We
met about 10 today, and many students mentioned
Food, Inc., learning about it in a class,
being aware already, etc. Love to see measurable
progress like this.
Today, Jack and
I [right] busted the old record at Cosumnes River College,
reaching over 1,500 new students! Met a good
number of veg and veg-curious folk. One woman
told me she read the booklet and is giving up
meat!
—Brian Grupe, 9/24/12
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|
| At Hostos Community College, Katie Pryor watched these students read their booklets from cover to cover. | |
From a recent batch of Guide requests:
A girl at the farmers’ market
makes these fabulous vegan cookies, and had
rows of Vegan Outreach booklets lined up next
to her cookies. I had noticed I was subconsciously
eating less meat than usual when I came across
these booklets, and knew it was a good choice
for me. Being a foodie already familiar with
the pleasures of fruits and veggies, I am excited
by the challenge of excluding animal products
from my diet. Thank you for making the beautifully designed
message that changed my life. It feels good
knowing I am a part of a movement bigger than
just considering where our food comes from.
—KG, 9/6/12
A girl was passing out booklets
at the Made in America Jay Z festival in Philly
two weeks ago. I appreciated her efforts to
spread awareness. I’ve been a vegetarian for
6 months, and it’s a struggle sometimes, so
I found your booklet motivating.
—JJ, 9/11/12
A young man outside North Dakota
State was handing out booklets,
so I had to check it out and immediately supported
what I read.
—BH, 9/11/12
At
Black Hills State, there was a
guy handing out booklets; I took one and read it.
It broke my heart and was the final straw – I’ve always questioned the ways we gather our
food and I just can’t ignore it any more! Sooo
THANK YOU!!!!
—NS, 9/14/12
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|
| Rachel Atcheson sends this pic of a “guy who went vegetarian after reading the leaflet the last time we handed him one on MIT’s campus!” | |
My
best friend from high school just
started at MIT, and just messaged me: “So,
there’s this one spot at MIT that basically
every undergraduate crosses multiple times a
day to get from dorm to class and there are almost
always people handing out things. I took one
yesterday, and it was a Vegan Outreach booklet!”
—Ellen Green, 9/17/12
Today at
Mt. San Antonio College was one
of those days. Everything Kassy touched turned
into tofu. Morale booster is an understatement.
After handing a booklet to a guy at the University
of La Verne, a guy behind me called out: “Hey
what about me? I wanna help animals.” HA!
LOVE THE LOVE TODAY!
We were in place
by 7:30 and the Earth shifted – not by her plates
– by the consciousness of her most virulent
species. Almost immediately a woman stopped
to chat when I offered her a booklet. She was
asking me what to do to help w/o going veg.
While discussing the issue with her, THREE other
people came up to listen / discuss this issue
too. Kassy held the fort while I took on these
eager young folks. In the end, all except one
requested a Guide,
and one is returning to veg. Hip hip!
Katherine [below]
stopped after Kassy handed her a booklet, chatting
about how much she loves animals and was excited
to hear the veg options and advice from K. Long
story short she dropped her bag and grabbed
booklets to help for 30 minutes before her next
class. IS A NATURAL TOO!!
Amazing day!
—Nikki Benoit, 9/12/12
 |
 |
|
Here
is a picture of Cesar Sanchez
[right] leafleting like a champ!! He started leafleting
with me after he got a booklet. We then were
approached by 3 freshman girls asking if there
was an animal welfare club on campus – the
3rd time today we were asked that! Cesar told
the girls he would help them start one!!
—Kassy Ortega, 9/12/12
Matt
and I reached over 300 people outside
Chicago’s only Chick-fil-A (at Loyola’s Water Tower
Campus), and everyone was nice and positive.
I did have one guy who made a silly comment
going into the restaurant, but then apologized
for it when he was leaving: “Sorry bro,
I didn’t mean to be an asshole, but I was just
super hungry after work.” I told him that
it was no problem and that perhaps tomorrow
would be his meat-free day. He smiled and said
that perhaps it would. Another lady stopped
to chat for a bit about how she used to be vegetarian,
but then went back to eating meat, but was trying
to get back to being vegetarian again. She said
that she had cut out beef and pork, but after
telling her that the best thing to cut out would
be chicken, she said that she would try to focus
on that. Matt had a conversation with a lady
that had gotten a booklet about a month ago
and hadn’t been able to eat meat since. After
they got a booklet, several people actually
decided to not go inside for dinner, which was
great to see. A very positive night of outreach
and this location should be continued to be
hit. I know Mr. Espinosa is already doing this,
so kudos to him.
—Mikael Nielsen, 8/6/12
Nancy
joined me at Chick-fil-A, and
we reached 500 more people. One woman, after
getting a booklet, came back and declared, “This
is it, I can’t eat meat any longer.” I
gave her a Guide and encouragement.
—Joe Espinosa, 8/7/12
 |
|
Took
only 45 minutes for Kristie, Milena,
and me to reach 300 people in downtown Oakland.
One woman came back 10 minutes later to say
that she was “seriously considering going
vegan because of this booklet, it was eye-opening!”
—Alex Bury (left), 8/10/12
Jon
B and I reached 679 new people with
Would
Jesus Eat Meat Today? in our fourth
year at the Ignite Chicago Christian Rock Fest.
The crowd can be tough and react angrily to
the message. But both days, we encountered a
few people who said they were veg or gave us
a thumbs-up. Overall, great outreach!
—Darina Smith, 7/22/12
Solid
night of leafleting at Fountain
Square. Met lots of vegetarians, some of whom
took a booklet to share with friends. The highlight
of the evening was a man who told me his daughters
received booklets earlier in the evening and
now they don’t want to eat the steak he planned
on cooking tomorrow. We actually spoke for about
five minutes about meat alternatives, health
benefits and such, and it sounds like the family
wants to start moving toward a meat-free lifestyle!
—Rich Sheer, 8/11/12
The
best reception I ever had at Oregon
State. Met loads of vegetarians, and almost
everyone took a booklet, often with an enthusiastic
“awesome” or “oh yeah” when
I offered info to help animals. It was such
a good day I think I should go buy a lottery
ticket.
—Nettie Schwager, 8/9/12
 |
|
| Never mind the strobes, this Cleveland concertgoer is entranced by our Warped Tour Why Vegan? | |
Strangely
pleasant day of leafleting at
Union Square – many people were coming up to
me asking questions and thanking me for what
I do, very cool. Met two women who said they
are starting their vegan journey this week and
that seeing the booklet helps.
—Nathan Shin, 8/9/12
The
Bud Billiken Parade is the largest
African-American parade in the country. Leafleting
was pretty fun! People were friendly and receptive,
and a number stopped to ask questions.
—Leslie Patterson, 8/11/12
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|
| John sends this pic from the Scranton show: “Jo Jo, a girl who expressed thanks to me for being out there and was very impacted by the booklet.” And shown below are Victor Sjodin, Pauline Lombardo, Lesley Parker-Rollins, Jon Camp, and Jay Kristensen leafleting the Warped Tour’s stop outside Baltimore. | |
Another 8,550
rockers reached at Cleveland’s
Warped Tour stop – Nathan, Jennifer, Vic, Dan,
Mandy, Lisa, and I formed a wall of leafleting
prowess. We heard many positive comments, including
“This made me go vegetarian!” and
“This is nasty as hell, it makes me not
want to eat meat.”
The Scranton Warped
leafleting was the quintessential day of efficiency
– 8,100 more young people had their eyes opened.
Ben, Kathy, Will, Ali, Vic, and I had an extremely
high take rate. One girl was about to throw
the leaflet away, saying, “This makes me
so sad.” I replied, “Yes, it’s sad,
but you directly impact the lives of dozens
of animals every year and you owe it to yourself
and those animals to be aware of what’s going
on behind closed doors.” It was a mouthful,
but she seemed to really take it to heart and
vowed to read the leaflet. Her friends also
seemed much more inclined to read up on how
their dietary preferences impact the lives of
hundreds of animals.
On my last day
of the 2012 Warped Tour (Columbia, MD), I was
fortunate enough to have some of the biggest
players and pioneers in the movement to leaflet
alongside – Nick, Kate, Aaron, Sally, Nathan,
Pauline, Josh, Jay, Jon, Lesley, and Vic. We
reached 11,725 more people, with a very high take
rate. Damn it feels good to be a leafleter!
—John Oberg, 7/24/12
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|
Numerous enthusiastic
recipients
at Pasadena Community College
– animals are popular! Heard from a record
number of vegans on this campus, and they’re
only at 1⁄4 capacity during summer session!
Chatted with Dallas, a former slaughterhouse
worker, who – because of what he learned –
has been vegan for two years. Abhors how these
animals are treated. Is happily on board with
his compassionate alternative lifestyle now.
Yay!
Near the end of
my time at Palomar College, a health professor
came running out of her classroom to get booklets
for her students. This awesome-sauce human is
arming her pupils with news they can use!
At UC San Diego, I reached over 700
students in only 3.5 hours. Numerous head-spinning, 90 mph skateboard
handoffs. And met Myriam [above], a veg since November 2011
cuz of a booklet we gave her – BOOYAH!
One of the summer’s
highlights has to be the talk I gave to the
workshop for AP Environmental Science teachers,
thanks to superstar high school science teacher
Stewart! The presentation ROCKED! The fact that
compassion can NOT be partitioned to just humans
and select animal friends was made loud and
clear, and THEY GET IT! These teachers are from
all over Cali, and were nodding in agreement,
tossing in their own comments of endorsement.
They asked for my contact info for fall :) Stewart
texted after I left saying they were all buried
in the booklets I gave them. YAYAYAYAY!!!
—Nikki Benoit, 7/26/12
 |
|
Despite a temperature of 104 and no shade, Ben, Jen, David, and I reached over 4,000 people at the St. Louis Warped Tour stop. I also had one of the most meaningful moments of the tour today. A group of three girls [above] were walking by and I overheard [Gabby, center] say, “I got this before and went vegetarian right after!” I stopped them and asked her if she was still vegetarian. She said no, so I asked why, to which she replied that she accidentally ate chicken once and felt like she was no longer a vegetarian. I explained how vegetarianism wasn’t about purity, I’ve accidentally eaten non-vegan in the past and didn't let it stop me from continuing on with my ethical commitment. She instantly said she would go vegetarian from this point on; she concluded by saying, “Thank you for changing my life!”
 |
|
Better night at
the Detroit stop, where Nathan, Ben, Jennifer,
David, Italia, Don, Vic, Matt, Karly, Rachael,
Kelly, and I reached over 13,000 rockers!
In Chicago, we also reached over 13,000
new people! Amazing crew – Mikael,
Riley, Elizabeth, Kevin, Pamela, Jennifer, Nathan,
Jennifer, Vic, Kenny, Joe, Leslie, Sacha, and
I were joined by Tyler, a security guard!
Over 10,000 again
at Warped Minneapolis – Nathan, Jennifer, Vic,
Sen, Dani, Jeff, Jake, Jeni, and I formed a
wall at the one exit, so just about everyone
was offered a booklet! At Kansas City, Nathan, Jennifer, Vic, Kelsey, Joseph, Sacha, and I
had just enough booklets for the crowd – 7,000
more young people reached. Met Maria [left], who had
received a leaflet two years ago at Warped Tour
and has been vegetarian since. Also talked with
Madison [below], proudly wearing a “vegetarian”
T-shirt, who went veg a year ago as a result
of getting a booklet from us last year. So great
to see results coming from our hard work!
—John Oberg, 7/9/12
 |
|
I leafleted Oregon State
on July 5, and Cobie joined me today. We had
good conversations, with people interested in
going veg, going back to being veg, taking more
booklets for friends, etc. While talking with
two middle-aged men, one of the big things I
made them realize is that 90% of meat comes
from confined operations. They were under the
impression that about 70% of the animals are
raised free-range and happy.
—Amanda Rhodes, 7/13/12
Leafleting da Vinci Days
got better as the weekend went on, with better
acceptance and good conversations. A woman who
teaches at the University of Oregon mentioned
showing her students a documentary about a tribe,
with a scene where a pig is killed to be eaten.
The students were so upset and thought it was
so bad that they killed the pig. It’s really
revealing as to the nature of our disconnection.
What do they think happens to the animals eaten
here? Do they think they die in their sleep?
—Nettie Schwager, 7/21/12
 |
|
At Union Square,
I met many who were interested and lots of vegans;
I swapped info with those who wanted to get
involved. Saturday at Times Square was even
better, with two helpers! A number of people
took a booklet on their second time passing
by; others mentioned having seen me and my sign
elsewhere and decided to take a booklet now.
A group of four young ladies [left] remembered getting
a booklet from me at the Gay Pride Parade and
are definitely working towards veg. They were
very thankful.
—Casey, 7/14/12
After work last week, I
took up my favorite location at Chicago and
Wabash, where the Chick-fil-A cow was dancing
and high-fiving passersby and wearing a pink
(breast cancer awareness?) vest that said, “Kool
Kidz Eat Chikin.” I squelched the festive
mood, and worked the curious crowd, hearing
from a number of vegetarians. Today, I was able
to reach another 111, along with an interesting
conversation about abortion, suffering, and
numbers.
—Joe Espinosa, 7/25/12
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|
| Kimito Sakata reaches out to Warped Tour fans in Denver. | |
Jovan and I had amazing leafleting
at State and Madison – distributed
all 300 booklets we had brought in less than
an hour! Good conversations, too.
—Leslie Patterson, 7/25/12
Outreach was great on Boulder’s Pearl Street
Mall, with Kristy, Danny,
Kimito, Hulya, Lynn, and I talking with many
people. Almost every single person that stopped
not only accepted literature, but took multiple
copies, asked for recipes, and were genuinely
interested in going vegan. It was remarkable.
—Lisa Shapiro, 7/27/12
 |
|
It was a good evening of
outreach for Liz [Tampe, left] and me. One girl told
us that she was not going to buy the hamburger
she had been planning on when she passed us.
Another told us that this was “Sick!”
and that he had no idea that this was how farmed
animals were treated. A lovely lady, who said
she didn’t eat pork or much beef, told me that
she would work on cutting out chicken after
I explained that it takes about 200 chickens
to equal the meat gotten from one cow.
—Mikael Nielsen, 7/19/12
Leafleting the Pismo farmers’ market
was beautiful, with most people
accepting a booklet, and others approaching
to ask for copies! My most interesting conversation
was with a guy who said he could never be vegan,
that he knows about the ag industry and that
going vegan is the right thing to do, but he
just knows he could never do it. I said I used
to think the same thing 20 years ago before
I went vegan, but I mostly emphasized that it
isn’t all or nothing – even cutting back results
in less suffering. He smiled and gave me a high
five before he left with a Compassionate
Choices in hand. I think he’s going to
surprise himself and go vegan.
—Barbara Bear, 7/25/12
 |
| Part of the awesome crew that worked the Ventura Warped Tour stop (left to right): Dave Coman-Hidy, Norma Sanchez, Estela Sanchez, Josh Gutier, Nikki Benoit, Taylor, John Oberg, and Phil Letten. |
Taylor,
Carrie, Norma, Estela, Stewart,
Josh, John, Phil, Sacha, The Humane League,
and I reached 13,000 rockers at the Ventura
Warped Tour stop! Tooooo much fun! These events
get better every year. Attendees at these shows
are SO RIPE for this information. One person
went vegan on the spot, and numerous others
said they were headed in that direction. Can’t
say enough great things about this crew!
—Nikki Benoit, 6/25/12
 |
|
Texas
Warped Tour stops were amazing!
At San Antonio, Cynthia, Sacha, Ben, Jen, David,
Alan, Amy, Kat, and I reached 12,625 people.
Huuuge thanks to Alan (MFA Dallas’
campaign coordinator for the summer) for bringing
his two star interns. Without the MFA crew there,
we would’ve reached thousands fewer people.
The teamwork between people from different organizations
throughout Warped Tour has been incredible.
Shockingly, Dallas had the highest take-rate
and lowest throw-down rate of any show yet.
Alicia, Sylvia, Sacha, Ben, Jen, David, and
I reached an even 10,000 there despite the heat.
Great saturation
at the Houston stop – almost 90% of the crowd
had a seed of compassion planted in their hands.
Eugene, Lisa, Sacha, Ben, Jen, David, and I
reached over 13,000 more young people. Such
an amazing night of outreach – including getting
a hug from a girl [above] who said, “Thank you
so much for this. I received one last year at
Warped Tour and have been vegetarian ever since!”
—John Oberg, 7/3/12
 |
|
| Alicia Townsend provides a voice for the animals at the Dallas Warped Tour stop. | |
Leslie
and I encountered an amazing crowd
at the Stern Grove Festival! The majority of
people reacted favorably. A few people stopped
to tell us they were working on going veg, and
we met some veg / vegans who thanked us for spreading
the word. The crowd was incredibly smiley and
friendly; very, very few booklets ended up in
the nearby recycling bin. Such an excellent
use of time.
—Brian Grupe, 7/1/12
So
many positive encounters at the
San Luis Obispo Pride Fest! A few examples:
A woman came bounding
out of the dancing crowd to ask for a booklet.
She said her daughter is a vegan and is getting
the rest of the family on board. She is very
excited about veganism and wants to get together
to get active for animals. We had a great conversation
and exchanged info so we can be in touch about
animal advocacy, etc.
As I was talking
to the above woman, a teenage girl passed by
and made a point of saying, “I like your
(Vegan Outreach) shirt!”
The woman I was talking to said, “Here,
take a brochure!” and grabbed one off the
stack to give to her. The teenager was happy
to get a Guide as well.
A guy yelled out
“Vegan!” from the sidelines. I assumed
he was one, but it turns out he isn’t veg, just
felt the need to shout “vegan.” Regardless,
it made me turn around and offer copies of Compassionate
Choices to him and his friends.
A security guard
came over to ask me about the definition of
veganism. We had a lengthy conversation during
which I praised him for thinking about the animals’
plight. He said he normally wouldn’t have, but
just moved to the area and the people he rents
from had five female chickens and a rooster.
He started feeding them and “bonded”
with them. He’s upset because there’s now only
one hen and one rooster left. He said the rooster
is upset each time one of the chickens is taken
to slaughter. I think he’ll continue to consider
this issue.
After, I decided
to get a treat in a coffee shop that purportedly
has good vegan sweets. The young woman who waited
on me asked if I was vegan (again, the shirt!).
She said she’d been veg for about a week and a
half and was having trouble with it. I congratulated
her, told her to cut herself a break and give
it some time, just keep walking past the “open
casket” section when she goes grocery shopping,
etc. She laughed and it sounded like she was
going to stick with it. I told her what I was
doing in SLO and offered her a leftover Guide,
which she gladly accepted.
—Barbara Bear, 7/8/12
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|
| Above: John Oberg met Max at the San Francisco Warped Tour stop – “he was mostly vegan and excited we were out there.” Below are some of the amazing activists who worked the Phoenix stop (left to right): Ben Sylvester, David Coman-Hidy (front), Joseph Junker, Rachael Plotts, John Oberg, Bryce Goodson, Danny Dominguez, and Jen Ammerman. | |
Holy summer session, Batman!
Acceptance rate was great at UC Berkeley; Leslie,
Grace, Katie, and I reached over 1,500 students!
No booklets ended up on the ground. It was awesome
outreach – we were a great team!
Gunita helped me leaflet the Maine at The Fillmore;
she gave a brochure to one of the guys in the
band and he took it on the bus with him, sweet!
What an ideal audience! I met a mom whose daughter
has been veg for a year since getting a Compassionate
Choices brochure. Woo! I also met QUITE
a few people who had received brochures in the
past from either school or concerts. We are
gettin’ it done here in the bay, yo.
—Brian Grupe, 6/27/12
Norma and I had
such a fun day
at the LA Pride Fest! OMG amazing
take rate! WOW. Spectators couldn’t get enough!
Epic…spectacular…unreal. Win!
Leafleted during
my birthday trip to Catalina Island. Chatted
with a jeep tour driver who lives on the island,
gave him a booklet to read and to share with
his tour guests…his heart’s broken over animal
treatment, too. The lady taking tickets at the
Botanical Gardens eagerly read the booklet I
gave her on my way through, and as I passed
by again, she yelled to me, “I love this
booklet, thank you!” So I shimmied over
and Guided
her. Equally ecstatic for that, she was. Yay
animal champs!
—Nikki Benoit, 6/14/12
 |
San Francisco was
one of the craziest
Warped dates I can remember. Security
issues ran amok, as well as confusion about
the exits from every security guard we spoke
with. When the flood finally came, our amazing
crew* dealt with adversity and we were able
to knock out a record number of booklets –
12,900!
*Taylor, David, Jeni, Lisa, Beau, Brian, Jack,
Diane, Gunita, Brian, Joel, Eve, Sacha, and
me.
It was brutally
hot at the Phoenix stop of Warped – 111 degrees!
But we* were able to offer virtually every single
attendee if they’d like a booklet, and reached
about 85% of the crowd!
*Ben, Jennifer, David, Rachael, Joseph, Beau, Zubair, Danny, Bryce,
and me.
Slow but steady
day at the Las Cruces Warped stop – we* reached
nearly 75% of the kids. We heard from one girl,
Emily, who received a leaflet from us last year
and has been vegetarian ever since! Her friend’s
ears perked up and she promised she would read the
booklet, too. Great to hear that our past efforts
created some real change!
*Jennifer, Ben, David, Sacha, and me.
—John Oberg, 6/29/12
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|
Great time and high reception rate
at Oregon State! I sound like
a broken record, but every time I leaflet at
OSU, I feel the interest, awareness, and sympathy
for this issue growing.
—Nettie Schwager, 5/30/12
While leafleting on Thursday, I
met a young woman [right] who got a booklet at Brooklyn
College about five years ago. She is now vegan
and a high school science teacher.
On Saturday, Ruton from Bangladesh stopped to
help, which was great. Three new people said they
are going veg now, and at least half a dozen
others mentioned planning on cutting back on
animal products and wanting to learn more. Met
more veg people from all over the world, too
– Europe (Spain, Italy, Norway), Brazil, Cali
and other parts of the States. I got them a
Guide, let them know of the many veg
places in the area (VegGuide.org)
and probably near them.
—Casey, 7/1/12
 |
|
| Pulin Modi snapped this pic of a Why Vegan? reader on the metro in Washington, DC. | |
Victoria and I leafleted a lot
of young people at Chicago’s Millennium
Station. One woman told us she has received
the leaflet before and is moving towards giving
up meat. A man thanked us for the work. A young
woman who has been vegetarian for a year stopped
to chat and accepted a Guide. She has been
working on converting all of her friends. When
I went down into the station to catch my train
home, I saw people on the train reading the
booklet.
—Leslie Patterson, 6/27/12
Liz and I had a good hour of outreach
despite the heat. Many people
exclaimed they were either vegetarian or vegan.
One woman said it was our work that had helped
her reduce her meat consumption big time. She
said she was going to keep making improvements
and that she encouraged her friends to do the
same.
—Mikael Nielsen, 7/4/12
The Coldplay concert here
in Dallas was really great outreach. Brittany,
Mieke, Anou, Allison, and I spoke to many vegetarians
and most people were enthusiastic about the
leaflets. The crowd was mostly teenagers. A
young girl (probably about 7 years old) asked
me if she could help me hand out leaflets! It
was awesome!
—Kat O’Dea, 6/22/12
 |
|
Only took a short time to reach
200 students at Florida International
U. Robert was really happy to get the literature.
He took my contact info and we talked about
him getting involved. Also spoke to Bianca and
Victor [right] and they said that they love animals.
They also took my contact because we spoke about
the possibility of them starting a club – maybe
with Robert!
—Linda Bower, 7/5/12
At the San Luis Obispo farmers’
market, Erika and I had so many
great interactions with people who were seriously
considering veg*ism that it gave me renewed
hope for spreading veganism in this area. After
talking to me, one mother said to her kids,
“I think we should go vegetarian.”
One guy came back to our table and said that
he thinks we pushed him over the edge to try
being vegan. And a sweet young woman [below] told us
she’s been veg for 1 and 1⁄2 years after getting
a Compassionate Choices at her high
school in Castro Valley, CA.
—Barbara Bear, 6/28/12
 |
|
It was a perfect day to
offer booklets; I ran out of them pretty soon,
as everyone was receptive. Had a positive response
from all of them except one. This was my first
time; next time I will carry with me more. It
feels so rewarding to be able to make a difference
and be a part of Vegan Outreach’s valuable cause.
—Renuka Lakhani, 7/1/12
From a recent batch of Guide requests:
I was given your Compassionate
Choices booklet on my campus at Indiana
University-Purdue University of Indianapolis.
It broke my heart!
—DZ
They were handing out booklets
at Warped Tour. I read the handout and it made
me feel differently about eating meat.
—AH
It was my first
day at Suffolk Community College, and someone
handed it out to me. I read the booklet and
it really got to me. I want to try to at least
become a vegetarian, maybe vegan.
—JR
 |
| Nikki: “Roberto Sanchez (left) and Gary Gonzalez (right), both goin’ veg! CoC FTW!” |
Every
time I visit the College of the Canyons,
the students and staff blow the roof off m’hat rack. THEY’RE
BOOMIN’!
The readiness is here!
Rabbit’s a 3-year
vegan who’s alllll up in the know about
the big picture, so she hopped in to help. Collected
her contact info as well as 8 other
rabidly interested students. While chatting
with Roberto, I kept leafleting and met Gary [right]!
He’s now on the path, and stopped to thank us
for getting the word out. Many changes are coming
out of this young man! And no, I wasn’t shocked
when Erika walked up to me crying, saying the
booklet drove her to tears such that she had
to leave class. We chatted about milk and eggs,
and she’s gearing up for the vegan swing!
Today at Riverside Community College, I met
someone who initially refused a booklet, saying
God gave us animals to eat. I said, “God
didn’t give males testicles so we could chop
them off without painkillers.” He agreed
how the animals are treated is not cool. I said,
“Well it’s happening on our watch, we’re
supporting it or we’re not. Which would God
expect from his people?” He then took a
booklet.
—Nikki Benoit, 5/16/12
I
reached 300 people at Santa Monica’s
Third Street Promenade. Had a TON of great conversations
with people, including a group of about 5 kids
(who looked to be about 13). They took the booklets,
started reading, and then came back multiple
times that evening to point out things in the
booklet and ask me questions (e.g., “What
are they doing here?!” – pointing to the
pic of a baby chick having her beak cut off).
They all vowed to stop eating chicken and eggs
and said they want to try to be vegetarians.
Yay!
—Kim Dreher, 6/9/12
 |
| After receiving booklets from Casey in Times Square, Debra (above) is “sooo going veg now!” and Cliff (below) is also working toward veg! |
 |
Reached
over 1,000 more students at Diablo
Valley College on this exhausting but awesome
day. A number of people thanked me and many
commented that they had read the booklet and
it was very interesting / disturbing / informative.
I ran into a student who was on his way to give
his presentation about the inhumane treatment
of farm animals. He asked for 20 Compassionate
Choices to give to his class. He was really
excited that we had our chance encounter since
he now had great info to pass to each student
to go along with his presentation. Met a few
vegans and vegetarians which is always nice,
considering I used to meet NO veggies on this
campus a few years ago.
The students at
Hartnell and Gavilan Colleges were incredibly
receptive; I feel like just about everyone who
takes a booklet genuinely wants it. Towards
the end of my time at Hartnell I had two separate
instances of students saying, “Oh sweet,
I was hoping I’d get one of these, everyone
has one!” That’s the buzz effect
baby, woo! Met a few vegetarians. I heard more
about class papers and presentations once again.
This seems to be happening almost every time
I leaflet lately.
Fantastic day
at De Anza College today, where I was joined
by Diane, Jessica, and Gunita! Jessica reported:
“A professor returned and requested more
copies to give to her students. Later, a man
expressed interest in volunteering for Vegan
Outreach.” Heard from quite a few vegetarians
and lots of people mentioning they had received
one in the past. We engaged them as much as
possible with the old Casey line, “So
what did you think of it?” and everyone
said it was bad and nearly all said they were
planning to change their diet in some way or
had already done so. Woo!
—Brian Grupe, 5/23/12
High take
rate at Chemeketa Community College,
and I can’t recall any snide comments at all.
One guy refused at first, saying he likes meat.
Pointing to the title (Even If You Like
Meat), I explained that the booklet is
written for people like him, not vegans. The
whole group smiled and he took the booklet.
Another guy said
he used to work for a chicken place and he doesn’t
eat chicken anymore. He got a Guide.
Yet another guy said he worked at a pig place
and a chicken place and he is practically vegetarian
after that. He also got a Guide. He
told me that when he worked at the pig facility,
he had to pick up giant barrels of dead chickens
from a chicken farm. The dead chickens were
fed to the pigs that then end up being eaten.
—Nettie Schwager, 5/9/12
 |
A huge new record – Jon,
the Cornell Vegan Society, and I reached 2,547
students at Cornell University! I met more veg students
than ever before – dozens of them! Jon had
a really constructive discussion with a group
of ag students [right], and we got loads of good feedback.
For example, one guy took a booklet, walked
a bit, then turned around and ran to Jon exclaiming,
“I’ve been waiting for vegetarians to put
out a message like this for years!” (the
meat-reduction approach versus all-or-nothing).
And I met Leah, a girl who received a booklet earlier
in the day; she said she read through it and now wants to become
a vegetarian. She happily took a Guide.
—John Oberg, 5/2/12
 |
 |
Rob
and I decided to put our newly
matching Team Vegan shirts to use and leaflet
the local dog walk fundraiser [right, with Syba]. Very warm receptions
with quite a few high school / college-aged walkers.
Awesome use of only 25 minutes. Got lots of
comments on the shirts about town after leafleting
as well!
—Eleni Vlachos, 6/2/12
Pam
and Jovan joined me to leaflet
a concert in Millennium Park – great demographic.
We heard from a plethora of vegans and vegetarians,
as well as a few people who want to get involved
with activism. A cop even rolled over on his
Segway to get a booklet, telling me he was vegan.
—Leslie Patterson, 6/18/12
 |
| Above: Joe Espinosa brings VO’s lit to the Printers Row Lit Fest. Below: Leslie Patterson leaflets the Chicago Warped Tour stop. |
 |
Leslie
informed me about a festival which
advertised with the tag line, “Get Lit!”
Assuming it was an event that would have an
endless supply of beer, I was thrilled to have
a chance to attend this event [right]. Arriving at the
location, I saw row upon row of books and, realizing
my foolish misunderstanding, began to leaflet
– everyone there could read and certainly eats,
so each person was an opportunity for a major
victory for animals. I am confident that our
booklet was the most viewed title at the event.
Heard from 5 vegans and 30 vegetarians. Also
spoke with a 71-year-old man who, despite having
a background in animal agriculture (like me),
went vegetarian after getting one of our booklets
in the past.
—Joe Espinosa, 6/10/12
I
broke my record at Livingstone
College, a private, religious, historically
black college. A huge increase in interest this
time around! The admin and faculty members were
very happy that I was there (and one remembered
the lit from five years ago). One administrator
explained they’ve changed food service
providers because of student demand; they now
have a vegetarian line every day, although some
students told me they wanted some of the vegan
meats listed in the Guide. A super
experience!
At Johnson C.
Smith University, I talked to lots of admin
and faculty members who gladly took information
on this private, historically black college
campus, including two of the track and field
coaches who valued what I was doing. Two security
guards and two police officers happily took
information. A great use of time.
Handed out the
most Guides I ever have before at Central
Piedmont Community College, on my way to setting
a huge new record for the school. Many people
approached me for more information after having
gotten a Compassionate Choices earlier,
with African-American male students being the
number-one segment pledging to work towards
a vegetarian or vegan diet. One gentleman is
going to go vegetarian within a matter of months,
and then work on going vegan; another student
is going to start by going vegan on Thursdays.
Two Jehovah’s Witnesses were so excited
to receive literature and start making dietary
changes. They said that I looked very healthy
and young for my age which brightened my day.
I even had an administrator come over to apologize
for his somewhat cold attitude earlier and happily
accept all three pieces of lit, promising to
read them from cover to cover. I could go on
and on…it was that good of a day!
—Anon, 5/3/12
 |
| Above: A Santa Monica College student is engrossed in reading Compassionate Choices. Below: A Syracuse University student has stopped dead in her tracks to read Even If You Like Meat. |
Today at Santa
Monica College,
65 Eastern philosophy students sat intently
listening to my spiel and watched Farm to
Fridge. WOW! Every conceivable sound of
sadness / disgust was heard during the video,
an abundance of thoughtful questions afterwards,
ALL 50 Guides were
requested. Love love love the questions they asked. Afterwards five
young people came up saying, “This is it, I’m
making the leap!” Absolutely amazing reception.
For the day, Steve,
Chad, and I reached over 2,100 students. This
topic is hot, people are waking up…it’s sexy
to be compassionate…they know it and are
gonna rock it!
—Nikki Benoit, 5/3/12
Outstanding day!
Woke up at 5:30 am (Jon from a couch, me from an
armchair), worked out, showered up, grabbed
some bagels, then leafleted from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Earlier in the trip, we set a new record for
any school in the state of New York. Today at
Syracuse University, we topped it by reaching
3,621 students with Even If You Like Meat,
and also giving out 69 Guides.
Despite being so busy, we each had a number
of meaningful conversations with interested
students.
—John Oberg, 5/1/12
 |
Phenomenal day
of outreach at
Santa Rosa Junior College. I was out the door
before 6:00 am to drive to Santa Rosa and give my
first of two presentations. Everyone got a Guide,
I showed Farm to Fridge, and then we
all talked together as a class with me answering
questions. My audience was super receptive and
I already got this note from the professor:
“Thanks
so much for another fantastic presentation / discussion.
The information you present always generates
such interest.… I’ve already heard from 10
students that the information they received
today is changing the way they think.”
After leaving
each presentation, I was pretty amped up, and
thus my leafleting was even more on point. A
number of students I leafleted mentioned projects / reports / speeches,
which always makes me happy. One young lady
told me that she has the Even If posted
on her fridge at home!
—Brian Grupe, 5/1/12
Gave well-received presentations
to a total of 550 students at Eastern Regional
High School (handed out 400 booklets). Many
said they are going veg or changing their diet
in a positive way. Awesome day of outreach.
—Aaron Ross, 5/14/12
At Corvallis High
School, I
continue to notice how the interest in this
issue is growing. There wasn’t a single booklet
tossed on the ground. It was great to watch
kids reading the booklets as they waited for
the bus. A number wanted Guides, and
others came over and asked me for booklets.
—Nettie Schwager, 5/8/12
My first two vacation days in
Ohio found me at Wright State University and
Ohio University; reached nearly 1,000 students
at each school. Good reception, especially at
WSU, where I met over 20 vegetarians / vegans.
—Joe Espinosa, 5/16/12
Very high acceptance rate,
very low throw-down rate at Northwood High School.
It felt great to be leafleting, even if just
for a little bit each day. We always learn a
lot and display the urgency of this work by
getting out and interacting with real flesh
and blood humans.
—Jon Camp, 5/25/12
 |
| Leslie snapped this pic of Gill Gillono handing out Compassionate Choices at the University of Chicago. |
I was thrilled to work with
Tina and Gill [right] for the first time to leaflet
the University of Chicago. Some students said
they were discussing the treatment of animals
vs. humans in their ethics class. A pre-med
student said he is going vegan. We also heard
from many vegans and vegetarians.
—Leslie Patterson, 5/23/12
Tons of great exchanges at
my alma mater, the University of North Carolina,
Charlotte! Ran into a couple of former professors
who gladly took literature. Talked to another
five professors who were thrilled to get info
on vegetarianism, as well as a former coworker
of mine from my days with the recycling dept.
who wanted one of everything I had. A vegetarian
business professor thought it was so cool that
I was vegan and thanked me for making a difference.
Several other students stopped to talk about
changing their diets and found it inspiring
that I went vegan my senior year at this very
university.
—Anon, 4/27/12
Despite the heavy
rain,
Lisa and I had an amazing experience with the
students of Sheepshead Bay High School. I also
talked with one teacher until she was convinced
and asked for another leaflet to put in her
office. The principal of the school came up
to Lisa and said, “Now that’s determination.
May I have one?” Whoooo! Awesome morning
– and then we went on to reach almost 1,500
students at Kingsborough Community College!
—Katie Pryor, 5/9/12
From our online Guide request form:
We picked up your booklet
in a restaurant. We have been on a plant-based
diet for 3 years but recently we’ve been slipping
back. I read this pamphlet and sat down and
sobbed. This has restored my conviction to go
back to our 100% vegan diet. My heart is breaking
over how cruel we humans can be.
—ST
 |
| John Oberg reports from the Warped Tour’s stop in Las Cruces, NM: “Emily (left) went vegetarian a year ago to the day as a result of getting a leaflet from us last year at Warped! Her friend Melissa was really interested after Emily talked about it, and said she would read it.” |
I visited Warped Tour for
the first time and I was walking around to different
venues and saw your booklet to stop animal cruelty,
and I wanted to be a part of it.
—AB
I went to Warped
Tour 2012
this weekend, and I’ve decided to become a full
vegan! I think your Guide will help
me out as a beginner, and show my family why
I’m doing this.
—RD
I was at Warped Tour and
someone handed me one [of your booklets] and I read about it and
now I’m working on being a vegan!
—MH
Warped Tour 2011 handed
out your booklets and it really moved me, so
I thought about it for a bit and I’m finally
choosing a vegan diet.
—ST
Because of your booklet, my
family and I will not eat meat. Would like to
know how to go about getting booklets to hand
out.
—MM
At the
Warped Tour, I realized how bad
the animals are treated. I didn’t want to be
a part of it because it’s wrong, because animals
suffer so much every day.
—RT
 |
| Here are the amazing activists who kicked off this summer’s Warped Tour outreach in Salt Lake City! From left to right: Dave Coman-Hidy, Stewart Thorpe, Autumn Wagner, Ashley Rackl, Jake Evans, John Oberg, Beau Broughton, Jeni Haines, Lisa Hines, Eva Kalea, Taylor, and (seated in center) Miguel Marron. |
 |
| Above: Concertgoers are engrossed in our booklets at the Pomona Warped Tour stop. Below: Lorena Mucke sends this pic of her son Christopher leafleting the Atlanta stop. |
 |
The
first date of this year’s Warped Tour
was an absolute success. We not only crushed
the previous record by reaching 9,000, we did
it with some of the best teamwork ever. Dave,
Taylor, and I were pleased to have four volunteers
– Stewart, Jake, Autumn, and Ashley. The highlight
was being joined by Jeni and the FARM team –
Lisa, Eva, Beau, and Miguel. So happy with how
the day turned out!
—John Oberg, 6/16/12
Oh
my! EXCELLENT well-solar-powered
machine we were tonight at the Pomona Warped
stop. WHOA! Yvonne & Stewart: two of the
world’s greatest cogs in the wheel of success.
Recon and restock have met their masters. Poetic…we
wanted for nothing. What a crew! We RAN OUT
of booklets – reached a huge record of 13,275!
—Nikki Benoit, 6/22/12
Incredible
day of outreach at the Virginia
Beach Warped stop! Vic, Jeni, The Humane League
(Sally, Nathan, Lesley) and I reached 7,500
of the most ideal demographic imaginable.
—Jon Camp, 7/25/12
Anu
and I reached a steady stream
of kids leaving the Auburn, WA Warped stop.
Receptive and friendly crowd, and high acceptance / low discard rate.
—Kevin Gallagher, 8/4/12
Fantastic
at the Atlanta and Orlando Warped
stops! 7,000 and 7,700 reached, respectively.
We were fortunate to have the lovely Lorena,
humane educator extraordinaire, with us and
she brought her too-awesome-to-handle son Chris [right],
ten years old, who stole the hearts of all the
ladies and didn’t leave anything for the rest
of us. Also, having the FARM crew help us at
so many stops has been such a blessing.
—Nathan Shin, 7/28/12
 |
Jessica,
Chelsea, Brandon, Bill, and I had
a great time at the Portland Warped stop, reaching
thousands of young people. A woman [right] told me she
and her teenage daughter had been handed a booklet
at the Orlando Warped stop, and neither she
nor her daughter has eaten meat since.
—Cobie deLespinasse, 8/5/12
Jill,
Peggy, and I reached over 850
people at the Strawberry Festival. It was Jill’s
first time leafleting, and she says she’ll do
it again. It was great to see people huddled
together reading the booklet [below, left]. I also met Lexi [below, right],
who has been veg since getting a VO booklet
at Warped Tour last year.
—Barbara Bear, 5/26/12
 |
 |
Not
only was the Black Keys concert prime
leafleting to an ideal audience, this was also
the first leafleting experience for two new
leafleters. They were both natural born leafleters,
and reached 1,000 more people!
—Aaron Ross, 5/18/12
 |
Today
some of us here in Ottawa celebrated
the birth of our country with some outreach.
There was an afternoon concert at Parliament
Hill, and we reached over 1,400 people with
Compassionate Choices!
—Ali Pester (right, center), 7/2/12
Gunita,
Vicente, and I didn’t find the
most receptive crowd at the local Mayhem Tour
stop, but we reached many people, and got a
lot of positive feedback. A number of people
said they had been thinking about going veg,
and over a dozen took the time to tell us they’re
already veg.
—Brian Grupe, 7/1/12
 |
| While leafleting the Warped Tour’s Salt Lake City stop, Jeni Haines met this concertgoer – a vegetarian since receiving a Vegan Outreach booklet at last year’s Warped show! |
Very
hot, but it was wonderful working
with the crew last night! Diana, Jovan, Sydney,
William, and I reached over 500 at the free concert
at Millennium Park. Several different folk said
they got the booklet at the Pitchfork Festival.
One exchange: Young guy: “Well, at this
point ecological collapse is inevitable so what
does it matter, we are all going to die.”
Me: “That may be, but in the meantime we
can prevent a lot of suffering.” Guy: “That
is absolutely true, I can’t refute that!”
—Leslie Patterson, 7/17/12
Lisa
and I had a great time leafleting
the Bamboozle Music Fest with the Warped Tour
booklets. (Thank you, Vegan Outreach, for making
such cool leaflets to hand out at concerts!
They are amazingly effective and really cool.)
Fairly high take rate and really good interactions.
It was an amazing adventure.
—Katie Pryor, 5/19/12
 |
| John snapped this pic of a SUNY Cortland student reading the Even If You Like Meat that Jon handed her. |
Sen and I reached
nearly 800 students yesterday
at Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Omaha
Central High. Met a number of vegetarians and vegans. One guy came
back after getting a booklet, held up his lunch container,
and said, “I got pasta!”
Today at the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln, we reached over 1,100
students, and a professor stopped by to give
us vegan cupcakes she had made for the last
day of her class!
—Fred Tyler,
4/23/12
Grossmont College was
awesome: soooo many sparks
flew with soooo many people who stopped to chat
– an environmental engineer major, a to-be
law student, etc. Another student is doing a
presentation on this topic, so I gave him a Guide
and Christian
Vegetarian Association booklet as additional resources.
Bumped into a most dreamy being who, obviously,
is a life coach, beaming with positive juju
and wisdom. Stopped short with his booklet asking
for recipes cuz he’s veg. Moments later, numerous
students came up to say hi to him, inquire about
training, etc. He advised everyone to read the
booklet and know what’s going on, think about
how toxic it is to consume this violence.
—Nikki Benoit,
4/26/12
Jon and I reached over
1,600 students at SUNY
Cortland. One girl was really inspired and
wants to get active back in her native France.
I asked three girls in a group if they were
offered a booklet yet. They all said they had
been and that they had all just had salads for
lunch. Two young men ran away from me screaming,
“I don’t wanna eat meat no more!”
I replied, “Here, take this (Guide)
then! It has vegetarian recipes and stuff.”
They each took one. I asked if they are no longer
eating meat because of the booklet, and I got
a resounding “YES!”
—John Oberg,
4/30/12
John and I set a new
record at SUNY Binghamton
– over 3,100 students. A number of comments
showing support: “I read this and it made
me really upset.” “I appreciate the
work you’re doing” (heard that several
times). “It’s f’ed up, man.” “That
makes me want to be a vegetarian.” “This
booklet just changed my life!”
A vegetarian
stopped by to tell me how much she liked the
approach in the Even If You Like Meat
booklet. She said it was “looking for solutions”
rather than just telling people what we believe.
I’ve always liked that about VO’s approach –
it’s solution-minded.
—Jon Camp, 5/3/12
 |
| Will Peji and Karen James get Warped Tour Why Vegan? booklets into the hands of NYC concertgoers. |
While leafleting the
University of Montana
Techical College, I leafleted a couple of kids
at the high school next door. One of them was
veg and very excited to meet another veggie.
I love that.
Two days at the
University of Montana-Missoula were great.
I met more vegans and vegetarians than I have
in the least few weeks combined, and many of
them remembered me from my last visit. One of
them credited me with her move to vegan, which
was awesome. One guy promised he would cut his
meat intake in half and I have hopes that he
will take the plunge into veg shortly thereafter.
I opted to try
the veggie burger at the food truck on campus
and asked how many veggie burgers they sell.
They said way more than they ever thought. One
of them told me about working a gun show in
southern Montana and almost not bringing any,
only to have it be about 10% of their sales
that day. That made me smile for an hour straight.
—Caleb Wheeldon,
4/26/12
Excellent acceptance
rate at Plymouth State,
where I reached 754 students. I met a student
who said she went veg because of a booklet.
She mentioned that she had ordered a Guide
at the time, and the information was all helpful.
At the University of New Hampshire, I gave an
AML
to a veg student who is passionate about the
issues but admitted having a hard time talking
to people about them.
—Lana Smithson,
4/27/12
 |
| Hulya Johnson and David Coman-Hidy provide a voice for the animals at the Warped Tour’s Denver stop. |
While leafleting Manhattan Center for Science
and Math, met a young Hispanic mother who said
she and her daughter were vegetarian – they
got a Guide for Jack’s health info.
Met an African American teacher from another
smaller school who asked for multiple copies
for her students.
—Casey,
4/30/12
Pretty good reception at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. One student said there was a campus
group but they did not do much and said she
would like to get involved; I gave her more
info on VO. One student told me proudly he had
been veg for a year and a half. Overheard another
student tell her friend after he took a leaflet,
“See? You should be vegetarian like me!”
Another came back to ask for a couple more leaflets
since they were discussing it in their class.
—Leslie Patterson,
5/1/12
Big day of outreach at the University of Cincinnati
and Cincinnati State. Sue, Rich, Kevin, Helen,
Greg, and I reached over 3,100 students. One
girl was deeply affected by these issues and
not only is going veg but will also volunteer
– she was really into it. Another woman had
been veg and said she wanted to go back. Several
others mentioned being affected by the booklet.
—Vic Sjodin,
4/30/12
 |
| Taylor sends along this pic of concertgoers reading our Warped Tour booklets in Ventura, CA. |
At Hofstra University, one guy stopped to talk
and told me he was starting a vegetarian group
on campus. He is interested in leafleting, so
I directed him to VO. He said he was from Brazil,
and went veg after receiving a Compassionate
Choices there! Took his email. Good thing
I did, because I got the emails of three additional
students interested in getting active!
—Karen James,
5/2/12
Too many good conversations to relate from
Georgia Southern University! One woman said
she’s definitely going to go veg after
a short conversation; two women said they couldn’t
eat meat anymore after reading the Compassionate
Choices. Four more people on different
occasions told me that they read the entire
booklet and wanted more info.
—Jeff Boghosian,
4/23/12
At Lane Community
College, a young woman said
she has not eaten meat in three months because
of a booklet. Nettie spoke with a rabbi who
invited us to speak at his synagogue. Several
people today refused booklets saying they liked
meat. I used Brian’s line: “Do you think one
night a week you could eat a vegetarian dinner?”
With one person it worked, and he left with
a Guide.
—Cobie deLespinasse,
4/30/12
 |
| Mikael Nielsen caught this Chicago Warped fan riveted to his booklet. |
Leslie, Brian, and
I met tons of vegans and vegetarians at Mills
College. I ran into two people who told me they
had significantly changed their diet since my
visit last semester; always encouraging to hear
that. Quite a few people commented about receiving
the literature in the past and how powerful
the information is.
On a side note,
I got an awesome message from a friend of mine.
I met him and his 12-year-old vegetarian son
at a veg meetup event that was set up while
I was visiting Chico, CA a few weeks ago. Here
it is:
“Hey Brian,
it was good to see you at Berkeley Vegan Earth
Day. Thanks for being a positive influence on
Ben. Meeting you at dinner in Chico was a turning
point for him. I think you were the first cool
young vegan GUY to acknowledge his journey.
He thought it was cool to see you at BVED too
and as we left he announced to me he was transitioning
to full vegan and he wants to go to more vegan
events.”
—Brian Grupe, 4/26/12
 |
 |
| Robert Kenner, producer/director of Food, Inc., and one of his audience members with their copies of Even If You Like Meat. | |
Robert Kenner was
lecturing at the University
of Maine last week, and I leafleted the huge incoming
crowd so people had something to read while
waiting and something to take away. After the
lecture, I spoke to him briefly and gave him
a leaflet. He thanked me for my work and wished
me luck on raising awareness of the issues.
Leafleting earlier in the day also went
well. A member of the school’s animal rights group
joined me; it was her first time leafleting
and she said it was a positive experience. One
student told me that her friend got a leaflet
here a couple years ago and it “changed
her life” – she has been veg ever since.
Reached another 600 people today at Keene State.
One young man said, “I’ve been slowly stopping my addiction to meat.
I appreciate this info.” A vegan professor invited me to speak to her
two classes. I did, and almost all of the students accepted leaflets.
That was really great!
—Lana Smithson,
4/24/12
 |
| Sarah De Munck (above) and Danielle Legg (below) provide a voice for the animals at Rochester Institute of Technology. |
 |
John took SUNY
Brockport with Tara today; Sarah,
Rosemary, and Danielle joined me at Rochester
Institute of Technology – new records at both
schools!
After reading
the booklet, one guy told John, “I feel
horrible.” John replied, “The good
thing about feeling horrible is that you can
do something about it,” while giving him
a Guide.
The guy thanked him.
Sarah reported,
“Shortly before I left, I handed a guy
a leaflet and he stopped to talk to me. He said
that he went vegetarian after receiving a leaflet
last year! He wants to go vegan.”
—Jon Camp, 4/20/12
Perfect weather and receptive
crowd at Santa
Barbara’s Earth Day, where Peggy and I were
joined by Robert, and we reached over 1,200
people. I gave a leaflet to Das Williams, a
California State Assembly member, who told me
he will be going veg next week for COK’s veg
week. Woo-hoo! I told him a senator on the East
Coast took the veg pledge for a week and ended
up staying veg. Offered him a Guide,
which he happily accepted to help him get started
on this veg thing. I watched as a mom, dad and
young son (10ish) got a leaflet and the dad
proceeded to the nearest recycling bin to toss
it in. The son was trying to grab it from him
and the mother said, “If he wants to look
at it, let him.” So the dad gave in, the
son perused the first few pages, then walked
up and placed the leaflet in his dad’s bag,
presumably to look into it further later. Yay,
mom! And yay kid for caring!
—Barbara Bear,
4/21/12
Sen and I reached over
1,200 students at Iowa
State University. Many people thanked us for
being there. One guy said, “I’ve been to
one of those Iowa Select pig farms. They’re
gross. They’re no good.”
—Fred Tyler,
4/19/12
 |
| Jane Smiley sends this photo of Xavier University students reading Compassionate Choices. |
Another good day
at Xavier University – students
very receptive. For example, two women enthusiastically
accepted the Compassionate Choices, and one
asked, “Does this have recipes?” “Well,
if you’d like recipes, I’ll give you these,”
and I handed them Guides. The other woman: “Vegan
recipes! Great!”
—Jane Smiley,
4/20/12
Ben and I reached over
10,000 students on our
tour from Boston to Michigan. In Detroit, Ben
was harassed by a student whose father owns
a huge egg farm where the hens are kept in battery
cages. He then found me for the same tongue-lashing.
After going through the booklet with him, showing
him the sources, and appealing to his reason,
this guy shook my hand, apologized, and said,
“Wow, I guess I have some research to do.”
He then went to find Ben, shake his hand, and
apologize!
At Wayne State, a forty-something dude told
me the last time VO leafleted, he gathered up
booklets and mailed them to family members!
—David Coman-Hidy,
4/21/12
Reached 1,400 at UC San
Diego. Bumped into
a veg convert from a couple years ago, she’s
doin’ great still, and her ’rents have cut back
their meat intake, too! Ahhh the power of one!
—Nikki Benoit,
4/25/12
 |
| Matt Findlay reaches out to concertgoers at the Buffalo Warped Tour stop. |
We reached over 1,000 people at the Central
Florida Earth Day festival. Four different groups
of folks told us they were thrilled to have
gotten the booklet previously at the Jane Goodall
event and wanted more information, so we gave
them Guides. Several good conversations that
no doubt have spawned a lot of new vegetarians.
—Jeff Boghosian,
4/21/12
Today, Victoria and I reached
2,700 students at the University of Kentucky, 166 at Bluegrass Community College, and 280 at Transylvania
U.
Nice to see people reading the booklet; many
great interactions. One girl got a booklet at
UK, read for several minutes. Then we spoke:
Boom! New vegan!
—Vic Sjodin,
4/25/12
Star leafleter Brittany joined me at the University
of Miami’s main campus. A number of interesting
conversations. For example, a faculty member
who had gotten a leaflet earlier in the morning
returned telling me how she and her husband
had tried becoming vegetarian, but stopped because
of the difficulty in finding satisfying and
interesting food choices. After talking her
through my own vegan meal discoveries and giving
her a Guide plus an HSUS Meat-Free Meals, she
said she was going to give it another try.
—Yuri Mitzkewich,
4/20/12
Good leafleting at Oregon
State, where I quickly
reached nearly 200 students. It was great to
see people sitting around reading the booklets.
Several lengthy conversations, too. I notice
that more and more people are interested in
this issue. It is really getting on the radar.
—Nettie Schwager, 4/24/12
 |
| Casey reports that this Jamaica High School student went veg on the spot after getting a Compassionate Choices from Lisa Hines and Katie Pryor in April! |
We
almost doubled the old record
at Miami-Dade College, Kendall – over 1,750
students reached! A number of them will definitely
be pursuing a vegetarian diet or cutting their
animal product consumption. For example, after
she vowed to go veg, I spoke with one student
about simple ways to veganize her Cuban-based
diet. An administrator came out and said they’ve
seen these all over campus and requested one
of each brochure for herself and a coworker.
Yuri met two separate people who said they are
going veg.
Despite the rain,
we reached nearly 10% of the population of Edward
Waters College, a historically black school.
Great conversations; also had a professor enthusiastically
take additional Compassionate Choices
and Guides for other faculty members.
The Jane Goodall speech and book signing
at Rollins College was some of the best leafleting
we’ve done! Because Jane had stressed taking
action a bazillion times and talked about how
we must change our attitude toward animals,
folks loved the booklets!
—Jeff Boghosian, 4/19/12
Fabulous
day at Eastern Connecticut State!
First student I met was wearing a Stop Factory
Farming T-shirt, and I knew my day would be
great! One student returned
to tell me that she turned vegetarian after receiving a Compassionate Choices from
me last semester! She wanted to now go vegan, after getting an
Even If You Like Meat from me today, which she
will give to a friend. Gave her a Guide. Another
student came back to me after reading Even If, and said she has wanted to try vegan eating,
but did not know where to begin. We exchanged
emails and I will support her with her transition!
SCORE! Another student who was already vegan
took a Guide for herself, and an Even
If, which she said she was going to post
to her boyfriend’s refrigerator!
—Karen James, 4/18/12
 |
| John Oberg sends this photo of Sen Holiday leafleting the Minneapolis Warped Tour stop. |
Great
reception at Lake Superior College and
the University of Wisconsin, Superior. One woman
said, “I just wanted to let you know. I
got one of those booklets last year. I’ve been
vegetarian ever since.” She hadn’t ordered
a Guide so was happy to get one. The exact same
thing then happened at the University of Minnesota,
Duluth!
At the University
of Northern Iowa, I ran into a past couchsurfing
host. He said, “I’m hardly eating meat
anymore and I’ve got a few other friends on
that kick as well.” I hadn’t given him
a Guide yet and he was happy to get one.
Today at the University
of Iowa, Sen overheard a student telling their
friend, “This is why I’m vegetarian”
as they held up the leaflet. A woman told me,
“Last time I got this I went vegetarian
for a while. I remember I got that and the next
day I stopped eating meat.” Maybe this
time it will stick.
—Fred Tyler, 4/18/12
Was
able to reach 175 students in just 35 minutes
at Agnes Scott College. A number stopped to
wait for me to hand them a booklet! The most
eye-opening comment came from one girl who looked
at the cover with the chickens and said, “Oh,
I heard that this is where our chicken nuggets
come from!” One security officer was at
first abrasive toward me, but by the end, he
said he’d keep the booklet, that his “wife
is interested in this stuff and would like to
read it.”
—Laura Adkins, 4/19/12
 |
| Michelle Rosas snapped this pic of Unny handing out Compassionate Choices at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. |
CAA’s
leafleting week continues! Mary
and Natasha, both first-time leafleters, were
a bit nervous going to Anoka Ramsey Community
College, but reported they’re “sooooo excited
because we were surprised at the responses.”
And: “One guy ran up to me begging for
info re: the Veg Fest in July. Another kid came
up to me and asked me if he could have a couple
for his class project.”
—Unny Nambudiripad, 4/18/12
Lisa
and I reached nearly 900 students at
Hudson Community College. It was an amazing
experience. Lisa spoke with three different
people who were interested in going veg. In
fact, one person said that they had been thinking
about it for a while now and just her being there
seemed to be “fate” to go vegan. Simply
amazing stuff! I spoke with a couple of individuals
who were curious about what I ate, etc. We equipped
the curious with Guides and had a lot of fun
with it.
—Katie Pryor, 4/18/12
John
and I reached over 1,700 students at
SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Oneonta (where we set
a huge new record), and Hartwick College. I
ran into a young woman who got a booklet when
Vic was last in town and has been almost exclusively
vegetarian since. John ran into Curran [below], who said
getting the booklet today turned her into a
vegetarian.
—Jon Camp, 4/18/12
 |
Malcolm
X is always super receptive. Danyelle
talked with one woman who spoke about the secrecy
behind our food industry and the problems that
evolve from this. I had a student who, after
looking over the booklet, came back and asked
how she could get involved with volunteering.
A teacher approached me after receiving a booklet,
asking for several for her office to distribute.
Another student told me he knew a friend who
worked on a factory farm and would explain how
devastating the industry is, reinforcing what
a harmful environment it is for everyone involved.
—Krystina Tucci, 4/18/12
So
many interesting things always
happen at Humboldt State, and today was the
same. A guy came back to tell me he was positive
he had received the brochure in Barcelona, Spain
(in Spanish, of course). A young lady came back
and said, “I checked this out, it’s
really going to help with a speech I’m
giving.” Then, I met Lauren, who went veg
after getting an Even If from me at
Canada College, over 300 miles south. We were
both overjoyed to meet each other; it was a
great moment. She says she tells everyone about
the booklet.
—Brian Grupe, 4/17/12
 |
What an absolutely
stunning day of outreach – 14,000 individuals
were reached in Chicago. With a team of some
of the most talented individuals around – Mikael [right],
Elizabeth, Riley, Kevin, Pamela, Jennifer, Nathan,
Jennifer, Vic, Kenny, Joe, Leslie, Sacha, and
Tyler the security guard! – we were able to
set an all-time record! ’Twas no easy task –
with five different exits and an attendance
of at least 20,000, we had to be on our A game
for many hours. Now on to Minneapolis!
—John Oberg, 7/7/12
Wow! What a day at
Manchester Community College. I met many vegetarians
and vegans. After reading the Compassionate
Choices, one student turned vegetarian
on the spot. Another student wants help going
vegan, but lives at home and has run-ins with
her parents; we exchanged emails. Another guy
said he would work on going vegan with his mom!
Met several others who had been vegetarian or
vegan, but went back to eating meat; they will
work again on going veg after our discussions.
The vice president of student government wants
to have me come back next semester to speak.
Met another student who wants to go vegan and
wants to leaflet next time I come back. I gave
her a stack of Even If You Like Meat
booklets to give out to her friends and on campus.
She will contact VO, too! The leafleting gods
were with me today! I am psyched!
—Karen James, 4/16/12
 |
| John Oberg snapped this photo of members of the sustainability club at RPI. |
Anon and I had a fabulous day
of outreach at Santa Fe College, where we reached
over 1,100 polite students (a record) who gave
us tons of thank yous. Heard from two students
who are going to eliminate consumption of land
animals and another three who are now on their
way to going vegetarian. They loved the Guide.
One student said she found a brochure on a desk
and read it through. She couldn’t eat the ham
sandwich she brought for lunch, and said she
was likely going vegetarian. I encouraged her
and gave her a Guide. Another guy came
over asking if that happens to all of the chickens
we eat; we had a nice conversation. Afterward,
we dined on a scrumptious $4 lunch (they actually
have a deal where your first time is free),
compliments of Hare Krishnas at Santa Fe College.
(They are also on the University of Florida
and Florida State University campuses every
day, and most of the food is vegan.)
—Jeff Boghosian, 4/9/12
Victoria, Mara,
and I reached over 1,100 students at Austin Peay
University and Tennessee State, although the
outreach transcends just numbers. Gave a talk
at Austin Peay – very powerful, eyes glued,
many questions. One woman stated she wanted
to go vegan afterwards; I feel a few more will
come into their own as awesome people. Met one
dude at Austin Peay who went vegan as a result
of a leaflet last semester. At State, Mara spoke
to a group of four students for a very long
time; they said they wanted to go veg. Victoria
met two tall athletes who went veg recently.
I offered leaflets to a group of four students
who initially said no; we had a long bro
down and then one stated he wanted to go veg
and two others that they would eat less meat,
kind of amazed me. Very awesome interaction.
—Vic Sjodin, 4/12/12
JB and I visited Raleigh
for a long weekend, kicking it off with leafleting
NC State. The reception was outstanding! We
reached 1,000 students, giving the vegetarians
and vegans we met Guides.
—Darina Smith, 4/12/12
 |
I finally got to meet the legendary
Nikki on this great day of leafleting
North Shore Community College. Nikki’s dad [right] was
kind enough to join us, too! I handed a leaflet
to a 75+ aged woman. She turned around 20 feet
away, walked back to me, and went on to explain
that she has a large family who are all going
vegetarian because they recently learned about
factory farming. She thanked me many times and
took a dozen leaflets to give to her family
members. She came back later in the afternoon
with a friend to make sure that she got a leaflet,
too! Later, an environmental science teacher
took a leaflet and gave me his card so that
I can speak to all of his classes next semester!
—David Coman-Hidy, 4/13/12
Jeanie’s first time leafleting
today. As I was reaching down
to pull out my bundles from my tote,
Jeanie was already handing out leaflets. She
was lively and did really great off on her own.
At one point, she was talking with a Christian,
and whipped out the Christian
Vegetarian Association booklets. The woman
got very excited; Jeanie asked her if she would
want to do outreach. She was willing. So looks
like that encounter will yield good things.
—Nettie Schwager, 4/17/12
Laura, who has been housing and
feeding us, joined John and me
at SUNY Albany, and her cooking gave us the
energy to reach over 3,200 students – the biggest
day of college outreach ever in New York!
One young woman told Laura that she got a VO
booklet on campus three years ago and has been
veg since. A number of people told us they were
“with us.” A guy told me he had just
scheduled a meeting with dining services to
get more veg options on campus, while another
woman asked me how she could help get more veg
options on campus (fortunately, I got email
addresses for both and will put them in touch).
A professor let John know that her students
are reading Eating Animals (which explained
why I saw someone with a copy of that book in
her hand) and asked us to come speak to her
class sometime.
—Jon Camp, 4/17/12
 |
| Nikki met Raquelle at Cal State Northridge – she’s been veg since receiving a VO booklet at LA’s Artwalk a year ago! |
I spoke at the Boulder (and Beyond)
vegan meetup. The talk went over
well, and the organizer (the amazing
Lisa Shapiro) told me that two people will be
starting Meatless Mondays as a result.
I focussed my talk on why it is so important
for people to have patience with one another,
especially people who are looking into eliminating
meat from their diets, and to celebrate people
for making better choices every step of the
way. I also encouraged people to look at Facebook
and other online advocacy as exactly
the same as doing it in person, and to never
write anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s
face.
My experience has been that some “activists”
seem to take pleasure in being horrible to others,
activists and the public alike (even to people
they could be winning over for the animals).
Because it saddens me to see activists bickering
about who is the most abolitionist (or whatever
the right terms are these days), or who has
the best tactics, or anything at all, I have
resigned myself to positively encouraging anyone
who is trying to help animals, or keeping my
mouth (and typing fingers) shut, and I joyfully
invite others to do the same if they feel like
me. (Everyone else can attack me on FB :-)
As I have said many times, if animal people
are attacking each other, they are doing the
meat industry’s job for them, and the animals
are the big losers.
—Caleb Wheeldon, 4/14/12
 |
| John Oberg snapped this pic of a Rutgers student engrossed in Even If You Like Meat. |
John
and I obliterated every previous
Rutgers record – 3,376 students reached with
Even If You Like Meat or Compassionate
Choices, and 43 Guides
handed out! We had so many positive
interactions and conversations!
We’re just four
days into the tour and have already given out
just shy of 8,000 booklets. It’s nice to know
that if there is a will to stand out for hours
on end, there are donors out there who provide
the funds to make sure we have the booklets
to do so. We can’t thank you enough!
—Jon Camp, 4/12/12
Record
day at Florida Gulf Coast University, where
we reached almost 1,000 students! Great interactions
with people wanting to make changes. Lots of
folks will no doubt be going vegetarian after
today, with an unbelievable number of administration
and faculty showing interest in going veg or
eating more vegetarian / vegan foods. Two administrators
(on separate occasions) came out of the student
services office and asked for Guides because
their coworkers had received one. Met a professor
who will be a terrific contact. Apparently every
student is required to take a colloquium class
where they discuss ways to improve the world,
and factory farming is covered!
—Jeff Boghosian, 4/4/12
Reached
over 1,000 students during our
great outreach at Yale today. Two separate groups
of friends pledged to support each other; gave
them all a Guide. Two guys were so
horrified by what they saw, they were almost
going to get sick. One guy had to close his
eyes and stay still for a few minutes. His mother
is vegan for 30 years, and now he understands.
He and his friend pledged to start by cutting
animal products out of their meals asap!
—Karen James, 4/6/12
 |
| Vic sends this photo of Victoria Randall at Sam Houston State University, noting that the student in the background sat reading the booklet cover-to-cover. |
Huge
day at the University of Memphis. Mara
joined me and Victoria, and Kevin stopped by
briefly, and we set a new record: 1,750 students!
Watched students read cover-to-cover and talked
to others very interested in going veg.
Previously, we
stayed with two members of the all-vegan punk
band Die Young. They have toured internationally
all over Russia, Europe, South and Latin America
and the US and always provide VO lit at the
shows. It was really nice to connect with these
awesome folks.
—Vic Sjodin, 4/9/12
Elizabeth
and I found a good crowd at Bogart’s
tonite. One woman took a leaflet from me, then
handed it right back saying, “Don’t make
me cry…I keep a lot of animals, I’m OK.”
She came back a few minutes later and asked
for one saying, “I need to read this.”
Then, a young lady came back to us with a few
questions. She was definitely ready to make
the jump because of the animal cruelty issue
but was worried about details. After talking
a bit, she expressed interest in doing outreach!
—Kevin O’Connor, 4/13/12
The Yamhill
Valley branch of Chemeketa Community
College was much smaller than I thought, but
things are changing: I went to a small school
in a small town and still met a vegetarian who’s
trying to go vegan, multiple vegetarians, multiple
people who made supportive comments like referring
to factory farming as “horrible,”
and a guy who was totally engrossed in reading
the booklet while he walked around. So I gave
out only 28 Even If You Like Meat booklets,
but 7 Guides.
—Cobie deLespinasse, 4/16/12
 |
| Brian reports that this Shasta College student’s cut down on eating meat to once a week, if at all, since receiving a booklet from him at Shasta High School three years ago! |
Jeannie
and I had an epic day at Chico
State. Talked to one woman who said she had
been thinking about going veg all year and she
thinks the booklet is just what she needs to
push her over the edge. Also met another gal
who thinks she wants to move to vegan.
Very interesting
day at Shasta College and Shasta High School.
First, a woman told me I needed to re-think
my strategy instead of attacking people who
couldn’t afford food otherwise. It was
more of a hit-and-run statement and I didn’t
engage; but she approached me again later and
we talked, and turns out she actually wants to
move more towards veganism. I explained I didn’t
want to “punish” lower-income people
who were barely getting by as it is; that’s
why I focused on college students who are generally
in a position to feed themselves relatively
decently. I also talked about how a mostly bulk-food vegan diet (dried
beans, rice, lentils, soups) could provide adequate calories and nutrition
on a tight budget, but we promote the faux meat
and dairy alternatives because people like to
imitate what they are used to. We talked about
quite a bit more and she left with a smile on
her face and a Guide. Problem solved!
—Brian Grupe, 4/13/12
 |
| Joe Espinosa provides a voice for the animals at DePaul University. |
At
the University of Hartford, I
met numerous vegetarians and a dozen vegans!
Wonderful reception and conversations. Several
teachers stopped to say that they were discussing
CAFO’s
in class, and were happy that I was there. A
few adults said they were giving the information
to their son or niece, or younger family member!
Many students
had not seen the booklet before, and were upset
to see that this abuse happens…saying they
would cut back on eating animals as a start
toward ending the cruelty.
For example, one
student said she had been thinking about going
vegetarian for a while. I told her that this
was divine intervention, and gave her a Guide.
She then said she would go vegetarian!
My day was absolutely
rewarded with a student who told me that he
went vegan four years ago as a result
of being handed an Even If You Like Meat
on campus! He took more booklets for friends.
—Team Vegan member Karen
James, 4/4/12
Lots
of interested folks and high acceptance
rate at Hillsborough Community College, with
several people on their way to going veg! Security
was super nice and one guard said that what
I was doing was beautiful and wanted info on
vegetarian eating, as did another guard! Too
many other positive experiences to report, but
I did leaflet and Guide a woman who
had received a booklet at Scottsdale Community
College this past fall. After a discussion,
it turns out the booklet was from John
Oberg – way to go, John!
—Team Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 4/3/12
Absolutely
freezing at Cleveland State, but
I was rescued by Sarah, who was tabling! Leafleting
at the table, I reached over 600 students. The
table next to us was recruiting for the Marines,
and the young Marine staffing the table is a
vegan.
—Team Vegan member Leslie
Patterson, 4/11/12
 |
| John Oberg sends along this pic of a SUNY New Paltz student engrossed in Even If You Like Meat. |
The
first day of our tour took us
to Richard Stockton College, where we had some
very meaningful conversations, including with
two young women who are now interested in going
vegan. Also exchanged contact info with a young
woman who is interested in getting active.
—Team Vegan members Jon
Camp and
John
Oberg, 4/9/12
Watched
quite a few people reading through
the booklets at Georgia State. One woman looked
at me with a sad face like she was going to
cry and scampered off before I could say anything.
Another looked at the cover and exclaimed, “Oh
yeah, I love animals. This is great!” A
few more initially refused and then when they
heard it was about helping animals, changed
their mind and took one.
—Team Vegan member Laura
Adkins, 4/10/12
Texas-sized
week continued today at Texas
State, where Victoria and I recruited Chad on
the spot; together, we reached over 2,600 students!
Met a lot of very intelligent, progressive and
well-informed students who were concerned about
animals. My favorite highlight was one girl
who said she already got a booklet and asked
why we were out here, to make people depressed?
I walked back to her and said hello and we started
talking; 15 minutes later, said she had been
veg for 3 weeks but gave it up. Now, she’ll
give it another go.
Leaving campus,
we took the garage elevator and I made small
talk with a woman there; asked how her day was
going. She ended up asking how our day was, and
before you know it, “Oh,
I was interested in veg for a while…”
10-minute pep talk and she said she wanted to
go veg again; got a Guide. Never underestimate
that parking-garage outreach.
—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/29/12
Fellow
Team Vegan member Lisa
and I had an overwhelmingly successful day at
York College! Loads of vegetarians, to whom
we gave Guides. Counting our high schools
later in the day, we reached over 1,600 students!
—Team Vegan member Katie
Pryor, 4/17/12
Many
long conversations at Denver’s
Auraria campus. Three people told me they plan
to go vegan, and others told me they plan to
go vegetarian. Given how many interested people
stopped to talk (over 50), I am confident many
others will be adjusting their diets as well.
—Team Vegan member Caleb
Wheeldon, 4/5/12
 |
| Vic Sjodin reports from Murfreesboro, TN’s Tour de Fun: “Met an awesome girl who went veg after getting a leaflet at Belmont U a few years ago.” |
Sen
and I have met a lot of vegetarians and vegans
on our tour, as well as having interesting conversations.
For example, today at the University of Wisconsin,
River Falls, I talked to a dairy farmer who
had a lot of thoughtful questions. She said
she would probably never go vegan, but might
cut back on her consumption of factory farmed
products.
—Team Vegan member Fred
Tyler, 4/9/12
After
an amazing trip back East, UC
Riverside raised the bar today for all the University
of California campuses. Steve and I reached
2,287 students on this day of superb outreach.
Met many vegetarians and people moved by the
booklet, including Kayla who was blown away.
She teared up and chin-quivered while referencing
the baby piglet picture (gas bin). She’s done
with meat.
—Team Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 4/17/12
Great
start to the week at Cosumnes
River College, where the students just seem
to “get it” so much more than they
did four years ago. I talked with no fewer than
five people who had seriously been thinking
about changing their diet. One woman commented
it was absolutely perfect I happened to be there
that day. I also met a nice vegetarian gal (working
towards vegan) who said she has converted four
of her friends so far. Impressive!
—Team Vegan member Brian
Grupe, 4/9/12
Today,
I gave a talk at Yes House, a
residential treatment center for drug and alcohol
addiction. The kids are between 14 and 18 years
old. At the end of class I asked how many would
eat fewer animals, and 8 of the 25 raised
their hand.
The best part
is that Jeanie, the teacher, now wants to get
active. She borrowed three DVDs and ordered
The
Animal Activist’s Handbook, and plans
to leaflet. A great gift for me!
—Team Vegan member Nettie
Schwager, 4/10/12
 |
| Team Vegan’s Caleb Wheeldon reports: “Josh (above) received VO’s Even If You Like Meat brochure 3 years ago, has been vegan since, and is excited to get active for animals. Nick Wallerstedt is my hero today. With his help, the Boise State campus was blanketed with more than 1,100 brochures, given out in just 5 hours!” |
Victoria, Teresa,
Travis, and I reached over 3,800 students at
Pan American University. We saw a good example
of VO’s ripple effect: One girl mentioned getting
a leaflet last year from Jon and going vegan.
She then got her friend to go vegan, and they
continue to affect their family and others.
From this one leaflet, many can go veg! Also
met three different women who wanted to start
a club; we were able to put them in contact.
—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/28/12
At Middlesex Community College,
Kathryn and I set a new record
(656), cheered on by many, “Yes, I want
that!” and “I want to help animals.”
Makes the day so great! Met an English teacher
who stopped to say that she is showing Food,
Inc. next week in class; gave her extra
Even If You Like Meats and Guides
for class. YES!
—Team Vegan member Karen
James, 4/3/12
At Pikes Peak Community College,
I had a nice chat with a group of three Hispanic
guys who had seen VO’s booklets at Warped Tour.
They knew all about the Warped Tour bands that
are veg and vegan and were enthusiastic about
our message. Hard to say if they will make any
changes but I noticed that there were a few
other students listening in to our conversation,
and I love when that happens. One student seemed
to be soaking it all in, so I made sure to give
her a booklet before I moved on from that area.
She was shy, but mentioned that she wants to
go vegetarian full time. She made my day.
—Team Vegan member Caleb
Wheeldon, 3/30/12
Reached nearly
600 students
at the University of Akron until the icy rain
got too heavy. And a sweet vegan girl was thrilled
to find me there and thanked us for the work!
A staff person told me that his daughter had
received a booklet there previously and stopped
eating meat as a result. He took a Guide.
A few students stopped with questions so I practiced
using the words “meat-free” instead
of “vegetarian,” as recommended in
a recent article.
—Team Vegan member Leslie
Patterson, 4/10/12
 |
| Team Vegan’s Nikki Benoit sends along this photo of Carolyn Mullin providing a voice for the animals at UC Santa Barbara. |
We reached over 2,100 Gators
at the University of Florida. One woman said
that receiving a booklet last year inspired
her to go veg. Others pledged to go vegetarian
today. A vegan stopped with an interest in getting
involved. Several people refused our initial
request only to turn around and take a brochure
when they found out what it was for. Talked
to an administrator who said she went vegetarian
two years ago, and therefore loved the Guide.
I asked what made her go veg and she said that
so many people around her were either already
veg or going veg; also, she worked in one of
the animal ag departments at UF for eight years
and was very bothered by what she saw.
—Team Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 3/30/12
Sen and I found the
students at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
quite enthusiastic today. One guy told Sen that
they started doing Meatless Mondays because
of the Even If You Like Meat. A different guy told me he’s been
cutting out meat one day a week because
of the booklet. He said, “What they do to these animals
is horrible and we all can do something to help.”
I offered him a Guide and he said he had been
thinking about going veg two days a week. He
said, “Why not? I can live off of vegetables.”
—Team Vegan member Fred
Tyler, 3/29/12
Reached over 1,400
at USC,
and again met tons of vegans! The cafeteria
is upping their plant-based game; one of the
chefs brought me a copy of today’s NY Times
article about arsenic on chicken. A mom, here
with her kid on a tour, walked back to me teary
eyed after reading her booklet, telling me she’s
happy to know “young people” are
speaking out.
—Team Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 4/5/12
 |
Biggest day of outreach in West
Virginia ever, and the biggest
day of college outreach we’ve yet been involved
with. Nina, Joe, Tori, Whitney, Caty, and Brian
joined us, and we reached over 4,800 students
during this epic day at West Virginia U! Met
tons of vegetarians and vegans, and heard from
several people that they appreciated the “eat
less meat” approach. Even came across a
couple people who said the leaflet made them
cry – definitely Guided them.
Had a great
conversation with one woman who was tabling
for a Relay For Life event. She said her 14-year-old
watched a video on farm animal cruelty and has
toyed with veganism for the last year. After
reading the VO booklet, she said she now knows
why he wanted to go vegan and would encourage
him. She even agreed to get her family to participate
in Meatless Mondays, in exchange for John putting
on bright red lipstick and kissing her poster
board [above]. It was a good trade. Also, she was happy
to hear about the eat-less-chicken approach
as a means to reduce animal suffering, and was
excited to receive a Guide.
—Team Vegan members John
Oberg and Jon
Camp, 4/3/12
 |
| Team Vegan member Linda Bower sends along this photo of two happy Why Vegan? recipients at a festival in Pinecrest, FL. |
At the University
of Wisconsin, La Crosse, Sen and
I reached over 1,000 students. One girl said
previously receiving the Even If You Like Meat
booklet made her roommate go vegetarian. When
I offered her a Guide,
she said, “Wow! She’d love this!” A
big guy on the wrestling team said, “I already
got one. I found it very eye-opening.”
One girl turned
down a leaflet and said, “I got one of
those last semester. It changed my life. I’m
a vegetarian now.” She was excited to get
a Guide.
—Team Vegan member Fred
Tyler, 3/22/12
Rollins
College is private and very wealthy.
I met two people who recently turned vegan,
one of them is bringing their family of four
along too! And I met an ex-vegetarian who had
problems with protein, so I gave her a Guide
too. The faculty and staff were just as interested
as the students.
At Full Sail University,
one student who received one said he has an
assignment to do a documentary, so after getting
the literature, he wants to do it on factory
farming. We gave him our contact info.
—Team Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 3/26/12
Took
a vacation day to leaflet Kent State.
One woman told me one of her friends went veg
after getting a booklet in a previous semester.
Also met a guy who said he just eats chicken
and fish. We talked a bit about the treatment
of chickens since he said he was concerned about
suffering and karma.
—Team Vegan member Leslie
Patterson, 4/9/12
Norwalk
Community College was a good place
for Susan to start! Nice conversations, and
people interested in more information. At Housatonic
Community College, one woman came back to say
she is vegan and wanted more booklets to give
to friends; she also got a Guide!
—Team Vegan member Karen
James, 3/30/12
 |
| Team Vegan’s John Oberg catches a UAlbany student engrossed in learning the truth. |
Victoria
and I had a monster day at South
Texas College, where we reached over 2,000 students
and ran out of Guides! One woman and two different
men explicitly stated they wanted to go veg
after reading the booklet; I’m sure many others
made the same choice today. I felt sheer joy
at the end of the day as the second to last
woman we leafleted ended up having lots of
questions and said she was going vegan. Just
a fabulous day of outreach and I thank all the
donors for making it possible.
—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/27/12
Lynn
and I had loads of people line
up for samples at Boulder’s arts and music show.
We reached 250 people with booklets. Everyone
we spoke to was very receptive to the vegan
message – great outreach and seed-planting!
—Team Vegan member Lisa
Shapiro, 4/8/12
Loads
of highlights at Salt Lake City
Community College, including a professor very
moved by the booklet. The winner was easily
Nicole, a student who went veg after getting
a VO booklet last fall. She was super sweet
and begged for some leaflets to hand out on
her own. She plans to start leafleting with
her friend on the campus, and I am so excited
to work with her and intro her to some local
veg awesomeness!
—Team Vegan member Caleb
Wheeldon, 3/27/12
Gloria
and I had a great day at Duke.
One student said she was learning about this
in class. Also spoke to a student who went vegan because of a leaflet he received last year!
—Team Vegan member Rob
Gilbride, 4/4/12
Set
a new record at the University
of Arkansas, Fayetteville – 1,965. One of the
vegetarians I met said it was because of a booklet
he received two years ago – congrats to Vic
and Liev for handing out that booklet! At the
University of Central Arkansas, one student
returned after receiving the booklet to say
that he read it and now could not eat meat anymore;
I gave her a Guide too! At the University of
Missouri, Columbia, another student said she
went vegetarian after receiving a booklet six
years ago.
—Team Vegan member Rick
Hershey, 4/2/12
 |
So
fortunate to have such great help
from Emma and Casey today at UC Davis. So many
people say, “Oh, I’m already vegan / vegetarian”
at this school. Tons of ’em everywhere!!
—Team Vegan member Brian
Grupe, 4/4/12
At
UC Irvine, Suki, Trinity, and Malina
stopped with their leaflets saying they can’t
look at the pictures. Said they met a cute boy
handing vegan booklets out at Diablo Valley
College in northern California. I said, “Oh,
it must’ve been Brian.” They squealed,
“OMG, YOU KNOW HIM?” They were MORE
than happy to split a stack and leaflet the
campus with me!
—Team Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 4/4/12
Nina,
Maria, Joe, John, and I reached over 3,000 students
at the University of Pittsburgh! We had one
young woman [right] say that the booklet broke her heart
and that she is going veg. Another woman told
us that she’s been veg since getting a booklet
when Vic, Mara, and Nina visited her school
in November. In addition to this, met lots of
vegetarians, vegans, and people interested in
the plight of farmed animals. A huge day. Vegan
Outreach for the win!
—Team Vegan member Jon
Camp, 4/2/12
 |
| Team Vegan’s Nikki Benoit sends these photos of Chuck Dishmon spreading compassion at CSULA (above) and Rabbit Heart providing a voice for the animals at the College of the Canyons (below). |
 |
At
Minnesota State University, Mankato, one guy
turned down a leaflet saying, “That stuff
is horrible, but I could never be a vegan.”
When I told him that it was not all or nothing,
he stopped in his tracks and said, “What
do you mean? Tell me more.” After I explained,
he said, “I can do that. I can eat less
meat.” He said he was going to get the
vegetarian burrito next time he went to Chipotle.
—Team Vegan member Fred
Tyler, 3/21/12
After
14 years of leafleting, I set a new personal
best today at Bowling Green State: over the
course of 10.5 hours, I reached 1,800
students with Even If You Like Meat,
and handed out 12 Guides
as well.
Had a nice chat with a hunter who
stopped to get a booklet and express his genuine
concern for the intense and prolonged suffering
of animals used in modern farming. During
a slow period, I had a discussion with someone
who argued I should be working against abortion
rather than for animals. I explained that
I worked for animals due to the number who
suffer, the degree of their suffering, and
the rather whimsical reason they are made
to suffer. Before I could point out that no
one I knew had 35 abortions a year but many
people I knew did sentence 35 chickens each
year to brutal suffering and death for the
pleasure of eating them, a professor walking
past stopped to get a booklet and Guide,
and exclaimed that going vegan had allowed
him to lose 30 pounds and get off blood pressure
and cholesterol medication, as well as being
the morally decent thing to do. [Editor: see
this also.]
—Team Vegan member Joe
Espinosa, 3/22/12
Numerous
appreciative and enthusiastic responses at
Cal Poly Pomona, where I reached 1,750 new
students. I love offering a booklet to a couple,
having one say no, but the other
takes it. Then all of a sudden, Mr. McNo
is lookin’ at the booklet while Ms. McYes
thumbs through it!
—Team Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 3/27/12
Sunsational
day at the University of Southern Florida – people
were itching for our literature! Too many
highlights to recount, but one that stood
out was meeting a vegan who started taking
college classes at 14, is graduating at 19,
and going straight into a PhD program. She
went vegetarian when she was 5 and vegan
at 14 and is interested in a career in lab-grown
meat. Another woman overheard our conversation
and shared with us that she went vegetarian
after watching a video on food that Whole
Foods had employees watch so they are aware
of where food comes from. She is now on the
path to being vegan after talking with us.
Several others committed to either going vegetarian
or reducing their meat consumption, including
a gentleman from Russia. Connected with the
new president of the AR student group and
received tons of thank yous and additional
interest from high school parents who were
touring the campus with their kids!
—Team Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 3/23/12
 |
Jovan [Jimenez]
took an unpaid day to join me in leafleting
Marquette University [right], where we reached over
1,100 students! Various people stopped with
questions about what we were doing and what
they could do about the horrors in the booklet,
including one vegetarian who was interested
in getting involved with activism (he got
a Guide and an AML).
—Team Vegan member
Leslie
Patterson, 3/23/12
Was
surprised to reach so many people at Penn State Hazleton in a short amount
of time. During both class changes, I had
separate individuals come up to ask a bunch
of good, sincere questions. I think I got
through to one of these individuals. And I
overheard a young woman say to one of her
friends, not knowing I was around, “Did
you get that brochure on animal cruelty? It’s
so sad.” Her friend responded that it was sad.
—Team Vegan member Jon
Camp, 3/23/12
Phenomenal interactions at Texas Southern
University. I had a small audience interested
in going veg and gave a quick speech and
answered many questions; folks were really
into it. One young black man was really into
it and also very encouraging; he said he was
gonna give being veg a try, and that his sister is
vegan. A girl returned with a lot of
questions, and was very open-minded. Another
man mentioned getting an Even If You Like
Meat from his Spanish professor in the
past.
—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/22/12
 |
| Team Vegan member Elaine Vigneault snapped this picture of a couple reading Compassionate Choices at the annual Indie Music Fest in Las Vegas. |
The
local group had worked Weber State several
times earlier this year, so I was able to ask some students what they
thought about the booklet. Most people said things
like, “It’s so sad” and “I
wanted to stop eating meat!”
Today was really fun at Utah Valley University!
I had a really nice chat with a dudely dude
named Steve who listened attentively and asked
good questions about what I eat and told me
how his family tries to eat free-range, etc.
When I explained that free-range can be a
scam, he said he always wondered just how
much better it could be. Really nice guy,
very genuine, and since it was early in the
morning, it set a great tone for the day.
—Team Vegan member Caleb
Wheeldon, 3/22/12
Fellow
Team Vegan member Lisa
and I got up early this morning to hit Bergen
County Community College by 8:15am. It was
a long commute for us both but arguably the
most rewarding leafleting that we have had
lately. We were able to reach over 1,600 students
in just four hours! Very educational and amazing
interactions. We had many people asking about
how they could help. I met one woman who said,
“Wow! I was just thinking of going vegan.”
She, too, got a Guide. We met a girl who wanted
to get involved more so I gave her a Guide
and my info.
—Team Vegan member Katie
Pryor, 3/22/12
Great
day of leafleting at Appalachian State –
I even got sunburned! Highlight was a group
of students who now want to leaflet!
—Team Vegan member Rob
Gilbride, 3/22/12
 |
| Team Vegan member Lisa Hines spreads sunshine! |
What a day at
Southern Maine Community College! A hunter came over to thank me for
the information. He said he doesn’t buy any store-bought meat because
he doesn’t agree with factory farming. He was very nice and wished
me luck with my outreach. Later, another hunter (who called himself a “big-time”
hunter) said that the information in the leaflet looked interesting.
He politely asked for a 2nd leaflet to show to a friend. A man who looked
like a faculty member walked by and said, “People ARE reading that!” A
different man who also looked like a faculty member smiled and said, “Ah
yes.” A girl said the leaflet was being discussed in her class.
A different girl said, “This is great! I’m writing a paper
about this topic.” Two people in cars stopped, rolled down their
windows and asked for a leaflet. A cheerful vegan girl thanked me for
being there and said, “Don’t ever get discouraged if people are
mean. You’re doing a good thing. I know the cruelty information is difficult
and can ‘smother the soul,’ but keep up the good work.” A
man (who earlier stopped to talk about the discouraging disconnection
people have from food production) gave thumbs up and said, “Persevere!”
—Team Vegan member Lana
Smithson, 4/12/12
Sparks always fly at
Citrus College. A new vegan was excited to get a Guide and
get connected to the local vegan community. In the midst of other conversations,
a young woman comes back with her booklet asking for four more for her
coworkers. She works at
[a fast-food restaurant], where she and her colleagues are getting
sick. They’re realizing now why their own managers won’t eat that crap.
So thank you, golden arches, for churning out future vegetarians.
—Team Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 3/22/12
 |
| Team Vegan member Jon Camp makes the animals’ case at Syracuse University. |
Long and productive
day at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, where Victoria
and I reached 2,478 students. At one point, I saw about three dozen
waiting to cross a street, all reading their booklets.
Victoria said today at Nicholls State was her
favorite day of outreach so far; again, we had a lot of conversations. Some
students hung out between class changes. Loads of positive comments; I’m sure
many went veg today.
—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/16/12
Lisa and I reached
over 950 students during this beautiful day at Rutgers!
Many people reading and discussing the booklet, including two I watched
read it cover to cover! Several good conversations, and students
interested in helping out in the future.
—Team Vegan member Katie
Pryor, 3/16/12
Great chats with
students at Idaho State. For example, I spoke with
a girl who lived at home and whose dad pulled the “for every
animal you don’t eat, I’ll eat two” nonsense on her. She has
been trying to be vegetarian for as long as she can remember, and
gets so much criticism for it, but she told me she’s not giving up;
and even though it’s taking her a while, she hopes to cut out all
animal products from her diet in the next year. I told her how awesome
she was, and that she is making a huge difference for animals, no
matter what her dad says or does. We laughed, we cried, we shared
my Clif Bar.
—Team Vegan member Caleb
Wheeldon, 3/15/12
Switching to “Help
end modern-day slavery” upped the take rate to
about 60–70% today at the University of Connecticut. Good, wide-ranging
conversations, and many students reading. One student came back after
reading her Even If You Like Meat, and talked about wanting
to be a vegetarian. I gave her a Guide; later, she came
back again to get copies of Even If to distribute in her
dorm!
—Team Vegan member Karen
James, 3/20/12
 |
| John Oberg sends this picture of Ricky at SUNY Brockport: “I was reading it and was just like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it.’” |
Great day at
Lock Haven University and Mansfield University – schools that have
been hardly touched in the past. One young woman came up to say she’s been
needing a push, and that she’s read the booklet and is now going
to attempt to go veg. We have also received an email from a student who
received a booklet and now wants to get involved in outreach.
—Team Vegan member Jon
Camp, 3/21/12
Within an hour at
Moraine Valley Community College, two separate people came up who were
interested in going vegetarian. Another student asked about going veg
and getting active for animals. Later on, a student told me she had seen
the booklet in class and was considering making changes. Another instructor
told me he was using the booklet as an example in his persuasive writing
class. Then a very muscular student told me he was vegetarian.
—Team Vegan member Leslie
Patterson, 3/21/12
Southern Polytechnic
State was only my third time leafleting and my first
solo venture. I must admit I was pretty nervous pulling into the
parking lot. But one student, after looking over the booklet, sent
me to a better leafleting spot, and I was quickly able to set a record
for the school. The take rate was really high and students were pleasant;
I only wish I had brought more! I can’t wait to get out there on
my own again!
—Team Vegan member Laura
Adkins, 3/21/12
 |
| John Oberg snapped this picture of a Syracuse University student engrossed in learning the truth. |
Holly
Grupe joined
Julie, Steve, and me at Cal State Fullerton,
and we reached 3,600 students. Great reception
and many vegetarians and vegans.
—Team
Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 3/12/12
Anita
and Ray joined me for a great
day at the University of Nevada, Reno. They
did great, and we had good conversations. Within
the first hour of leafleting we met a (very
excited) woman who has been veg ever since getting
the booklet in the fall. She said her boyfriend
has decreased his meat consumption by 50% too.
Awesome!
—Team
Vegan member Brian
Grupe, 3/12/12
A
great day with really friendly
students at the University of New Orleans. Two
people said they were greatly affected by the
brochure and had salads for lunch. Another student
was really thankful to see me out there and
he asked about veganism. Another student was
head of the pre-vet club and took an extra 10
booklets to distribute to her group.
—Team
Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 3/13/12
I
used my day off to hit Richard
J. Daley College and the University of Chicago;
reached over 1,000 students. One woman said,
“Guess it’s a sign that I need to change
some things.” She was interested in vegetarianism
and was happy to receive a Guide
and encouragement.
—Team
Vegan member Leslie
Patterson, 3/14/12
 |
| The man who stares at goats (well, sheep): Brian Grupe! |
A
nice day to leaflet UNC Charlotte,
where I reached 1,000 students. One student
thanked me for being on campus – told me he
read the booklet last year and went vegan. Another
student said, “Respect, dawg, this is the
truth.”
—Rob, of Team
Triangle, 3/12/12
Massive
day of leafleting at the University
of Maryland, where Parker, John, and I (joined
briefly by a passing student) reached over 4,000
students. John nearly broke the all-time record
for the school all by himself!
We had so many
people stopping by to say that they’re veg,
vegan, or interested. One muscular dude said
he’s been cutting back on meat. He specifically
walked my way to thank me for doing this work.
He (and over four dozen others) got a Guide.
One woman said she’d be eating less meat because
of the booklet. Another woman bought John a
vegan cookie.
—Team
Vegan member Jon
Camp, 3/13/12
 |
| At SUNY Cobleskill, Jon Camp met Shorna, who’s been almost completely vegetarian since Vic Sjodin handed her a booklet on campus last September. |
Good
leafleting at Oregon State –
students were receptive and interested. I was
thanked for being there, received supportive
comments, and had productive conversations.
Also gave a booklet to the daughter of a long-time
friend – the family is deeply attached to eating
animals, but the daughter might be open to the
message.
—Team
Vegan member Nettie
Schwager, 3/8/12
Victoria
and I nearly doubled the previous
record for Louisiana Tech – 1,342 more students
reached! Watched many students reading their
booklets. Met six vegetarians in the first class
change alone – a huge change here.
—Team
Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/13/12
I met many interested students
at Essex County College, and I got in touch
with the AR club because of our time there.
Also met a guy from the newspaper who is going
to feature us and has invited us for an event.
—Team
Vegan member Katie
Pryor, 3/14/12
Good
day at the University of Connecticut,
where Anouk, Stephanie, Kathryn and I reached
1,226 students. Many amazing conversations!
A student stopped to tell me that she went vegan
two years ago after I gave her an Even If
You Like Meat.
—Team
Vegan member Karen
James, 3/19/12
 |
| Brian
sends this picture of Clifton Stone at the University of San Francisco. |
Great day at Cal
State Northridge,
where Alexandra and I reached 2,100 students.
Right away in the morning, I met a young woman
who wanted to change her diet. During my final
walking leafleting through campus, I see a guy
zipping up his backpack, telling a girl “Ya
know, I’m in a place in my life right now where
I just want to learn…” So nosy Nikki
walks over to hand him a booklet (cuz I was
sent by the Learning Fairies) and the girl yells,
“THAT’S WHAT I JUST GAVE HIM! Can I get
another one now?” So I gave her another
and a Guide. Crazy!
—Team Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 3/8/12
Clarion University
(in a rural part of PA) was very positive. One
young woman said to her friends, “I’m vegetarian.
I love him!”
A couple at California University of Pennsylvania
were out giving free prayers, and asked if I’d
like them to pray for anything. I said that
since I was out working to help animals, I’d
appreciate them praying for a decrease in animal
suffering. They both made earnest prayers for
God to grant me a good day of outreach, to keep
me warm, and to look after the animals he created.
I told them that I was heartened by their prayers
and that I appreciated them taking the issue
of animal suffering seriously.
At Edinboro Unversity, one student told
me farmers do what they do because it’s efficient.
I mentioned that I knew farmers did what they
did out of efficiency and not out of malice,
but that the efficiency takes a toll on animals
and the animals are my constituents, so I wanted
others to know about their suffering. I also
mentioned that I have family in Iowa involved
in animal agriculture, that I wasn’t out to
demonize anyone, and that compassion can be
extended to both humans and animals. We left
on good terms.
—Team Vegan member Jon
Camp, 3/5/12
 |
| John saw these SUNY Binghamton students engrossed in learning the truth after getting booklets from Jon. |
One ag student at
the University of Idaho had a talking point
prepared, so I was glad to have read Jon’s post
from Edinboro University. One guy reacted very
rudely and loudly, but I got the last laugh:
people noticed him acting this way and asked
me for the information I had. H8ers make us
famous!
—Team Vegan member Caleb
Wheeldon, 3/7/12
Cold but amazing day with Lisa
at CUNY Queens College. We met the Director
of Student Life and he is vegan! We
also met one girl who made a donation on the
spot.
—Team Vegan member Katie
Pryor, 3/7/12
Reached over 900 students
at Sacramento State. I probably met three dozen
vegetarians / vegans. This concludes a big week,
where I reached 5,374 students, which might
be one of the biggest weeks I’ve had since
working for VO.
—Team Vegan member Brian
Grupe, 3/9/12
Had 2 bicycle handoffs,
1 skateboard handoff, and 1 golf cart at Central
Connecticut State, where I reached 852 more
students. A student stopped to tell me that
she did a report on factory farming, utilizing
the VO literature I gave her last semester,
and she got an A+! She thanked me for being
there, and said she was glad that her class
learned about it, too!
—Team Vegan member Karen
James, 3/8/12
 |
| Nettie hoops it up for the animals at Chemeketa Community College. |
Quick session at
Harold Washington College, where one of the
vegetarians I met let me know that it was getting
a booklet from us 4 years ago that moved him
to stop eating meat.
—Team Vegan member Joe
Espinosa, 3/7/12
Good outreach at
Richard J. Daley College and the University
of Chicago. One woman took the booklet as a
sign to change; she was happy to get a Guide.
—Team Vegan member Leslie
Patterson, 3/14/12
Good day of outreach
at Louisiana State University. I spoke with
one student who used to be vegetarian for 4
years in high school but started eating meat
because of weightlifting. I pointed him to
the Robert
Cheeke pic in the back of the brochure and
Vegan Bodybuilding. Also met a couple of other
vegetarians who were happy to see a like-minded
soul. One of them was considering starting a
group on campus.
—Team Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 3/9/12
Amazing amount of interest
at Kean University. A number of students were
right at the tipping point and are now on their
way to veg. Also met a freshman who was vegetarian
for a couple of months but let her family scare
her into thinking that she would lose weight
and become unhealthy. I empowered her with enough
information to be able to call them on their
bullsh*t. Handed out a total of 22 Guides!
—Team Vegan member Lisa
Hines, 3/14/12
From a recent batch of requests for the Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating:
I received a booklet
at my community college on Tuesday, and I have
decided that I want to help reduce animals’ suffering
by going vegan.
—DJ
I just saw the booklet at
my college, so I want to try vegan. I don’t
like the abuse.
—LR
 |
| After taking a few steps to register the question, “Help animals?” a University of Arizona student reaches back to take a booklet from one-third of Team Green-Ball. |
I got the booklet at
a bus stop. Life changing!
—IL
I received the Compassionate
Choices booklet in 2009 at
my college and became a vegetarian. Received
another booklet this year and decided to research
and pass the word around. Thank you!!
—CR
I was handed a booklet on
campus, and I have now been a vegetarian for
almost 3 months. I’m planning on making this
a lifelong decision!
—CG
I walked into class (where
I am actually writing a paper on the negative
effects of slaughterhouses) and the booklet
was on the table.
—SM
People were handing out
informational booklets on campus. I read it
and it really is so shocking!
—DN
I got a really helpful booklet
at a local music festival about a year ago.
Although I just recently went vegan, about 3
weeks ago, I had always saved the booklet. It
was definitely persuasive, and was a definite
contributing factor into my decision to go vegan.
—GG
 |
| Immersed in learning what had been hidden at SUNY Binghamton; photo by Team Vegan member John Oberg. |
Click on any name to donate!
Today’s
leafleting at SUNY New Paltz brings
our four-week tour to its end. It was probably
the biggest month of college outreach I’ve
ever taken part in. Stats: 30 schools leafleted
(at 18 of these we set a new all-day record), 41,718 students leafleted,
and 3,210 miles driven.
It was such a
treat spending a month with [fellow Team Vegan
member] John
Oberg. He is the real deal. I think
it’s fair to say that I have a pretty hard work
ethic, but if anything, John encouraged me to
step up my game and work harder and better.
As always, none
of the work we do would be possible without
the support from you donors out there. I know
I’ve said this before, but leafleting
is not especially glamorous, but it really does
get so many people to consider the plight of
farmed animals and make changes (as evidenced
by all the people who told us on this trip that
they were deeply moved by the booklet). I’m
continually so grateful that there are those
of you out there who see the need for this work
and walk the walk by making it happen through
your generous contributions. This tour is dedicated
to you.
—Team
Vegan member Jon
Camp, 5/4/12
2,600+ students at Cerritos College with Chad
today. Quite a few meaningful handoffs, and
probably reformed a few former vegetarians.
One young man’s been battling these animal-abuse
facts for a while but loves the taste of animal
parts. We talked about many things, and I emphasized
the fundamental disconnect between our wishes
and reality. E.g., the only humans these animals
interact with in their artificially fattened
and shortened lives are plotting for and anticipating
their death. He got it – his dinner’s gonna
be different!
—Team
Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 3/7/12
 |
| Learning new things at the CT Veg Fest; photo by Team Vegan member Karen James. |
Huge
day at Washington State! My favorite
time of the day was my short excursion to leaflet
outside a talk on mindful eating, which was
supposed to be about helping chronic dieters
think differently about food (as in, don’t
use food to deal with your emotions). The instructor
asked for copies of the Even If brochure
to share with future workshops.
—Team
Vegan member Caleb
Wheeldon, 3/6/12
Amanda,
the leader of Vegan and Vegetarians at OSU,
tabled at Oregon State’s nutrition event, while
I went to leaflet my favorite spot. We reached
a good many people!
—Team
Vegan member Nettie
Schwager, 3/6/12
Victoria
and I had a long, windy day at
the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma
Christian University. Met far more vegetarians
and vegans than three years ago!
Monster day today
at Oklahoma State, where we reached almost 2,500
students – breaking the previous record
by 740! Many great conversations. Started leafleting
with new line to conservative crowd: “I’m
an animal lover, hope you are too.” Got many positive responses,
e.g., “I love animals too!” and
burly men saying, “Right on!” Hopefully
helps these folks make the connection in some
small way that it is incongruent to be an animal
lover and yet pay for the confinement, mutilation,
and untimely and violent death of animals.
—Team
Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/7/12
 |
| Shocked at SUNY Cobleskill; photo by Jon. |
Susan and
I had great interactions at Western
Connecticut State. I met Kylee, who turned vegetarian
9/22/07, after receiving a Vegan Outreach
booklet. She is now trying to go vegan! An R.A.
said she is hosting a vegan feed-in next week
on campus, and there is a group of about 15
that she works with. One student came back to
request 10 more booklets to hand out to her
friends! Another student told us she read the
entire booklet in her psych class. She said
she never knew about the horrendous conditions
and treatment of the animals in factory farms.
She stated that she could not put the booklet
down, and then requested 6 more to give to her
friends.
Susan met a student
who has been trying to be vegetarian for three
weeks and was worried about whether she could
stick to it. She was very excited
to receive a Guide,
and took a bunch of booklets to distribute at
her job. A cop said he knows he needs to go
veg, and was happy to get a Guide! One student
said that the booklet makes her sad. When Susan
responded, “That is because you have a
good heart,” her face lit up and she said,
“I can do this!”
—Team
Vegan member Karen
James, 3/8/12
Wow,
what a day of outreach at the
University of Southern Mississippi! The vast
majority of students were interested in the
literature, and a number of students were interested
in meat reduction. Even better: one woman pledged
on the spot to go vegetarian! Another student
had tried being vegetarian in high school, and
after talking to him he said he’d be trying
it again. A campus police officer even took
a leaflet and discussed it briefly. This was
one of my favorite schools to leaflet. Free
speech is alive and well in Mississippi!
—Team
Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 3/6/12
 |
| The power of Team Vegan. Jon reports from SUNY Cortland: “Jose came up to tell me that he got a booklet from us earlier today. ‘No more animal products for me. I’m serious!’” |
Click on any name to donate!
Despite
the rain, nearly 100% take rate
at Kean University, and almost 95% at Union
County College. One girl was really enthusiastic
and might be helping out in the future. We had
a really productive conversation with a student
who challenged our views with questions, but
we answered them all and he went away interested.
—Team Vegan members Katie
Pryor and Lisa
Hines, 2/28/12
Phenomenal
outreach at University of Texas
El Paso, where Victoria and I reached over 2,200
students. Lots interested, lots reading, many
conversations.
Today was a huge
day at the University of Oklahoma, where we
were joined by Logan, and reached 2,100+ students.
Way more vegs now than when I first
came here three years ago! One mega-Christian
dude mentioned going veg after getting a booklet
three years ago.
—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/5/12
At
Naugatuck Valley Community College, one
student told me he has reduced his animal product
consumption by half since receiving an Even
If You Like Meat from me last semester.
Another student said she went vegetarian in
June and wanted support – we talked a bit and
she got a Guide and my card. A professor
gave me his card, and said he would like to
interview me for the school paper so the students
can get a different viewpoint on animals raised
for food. As I was leaving, a student I had
leafleted earlier asked me if he could help
me. I gave him a stack of 50 Compassionate
Choices, and he started immediately!
—Team Vegan member Karen
James, 3/5/12
 |
| Brian sends this picture of Sitara, who was prompted to go vegan because of a booklet and has helped him leaflet. |
Took
a vacation day and was out of
bed at 1 am to make it to Central Michigan University,
where I reached over 1,200 students. Good conversations
too, including several about harm reduction
with students currently unwilling to go veg.
Eight more vacation days that will be used in
our work to decrease suffering and death.
—Team Vegan member Joe
“Stop” Espinosa, 3/1/12
Huge
new record with Eleanor at American
River College. Lots of students seemed
very interested; I chatted with one guy for
a solid 10 minutes who will probably go veg.
Also met a number of people who are almost veg / already
veg and thinking about going further.
One of the most
interesting people of the day worked at
Foster Farms many years ago. He said the booklet
was totally correct and it was a horrible job.
There was a constant ammonia cloud inside the
farm that made him feel sick constantly.
Laguna Creek High
School was simply awesome. Tons of these students
were already aware. Lots of comments like, “Oh
yeah I’ve been hearing about this,” or
“Yeah definitely, let me check that out,”
or my favorite: “Dude, my brothers have
been vegan for eight years!”
—Team Vegan member Brian
“the” Grupe, 3/5/12
 |
| Also at SUNY Cortland, Team Vegan member John Oberg met Vivi, who was very shocked by the information in the booklet. She’s moving back to France in a week and said she wants to get involved with exposing this animal abuse there. |
Great
day with Eric at Penn State Mont
Alto and Shippensburg University. The best was
at the end. Shortly after chatting with two
young women who take part in the school’s animal
advocacy club, and exchanging contact info,
two separate young women walked up to Eric and
were asking him questions about going veg. They
were really intrigued and asked about 10 minutes
worth of questions. Eric did a great job responding
with answers that were reasonable, honest, and
easy to understand.
—Team Vegan member Jon
Camp, 3/1/12
Unbeknownst
to me, it was high school senior
appreciation day at Irvine Valley College. When
I found out, I almost passed out with excitement.
At least 600 (of 1,500) booklets went into eager
high school students’ goody bags. You couldn’t
slap the giggle outta me.
Chatted with a
security guard whose wife is veg with three
vegan cousins. He can’t stand animal abuse,
but thinks some animals are here for food so
he’s OK with that, just not their abuse. I asked
him what kind of treatment can we expect if
their only purpose is to die…the interest
lies only in their dead bodies…how good can
it really get? Especially since they’re voiceless
and utterly defenseless. He was silent.
—Team Vegan member Nikki
“Hugs” Benoit, 3/6/12
 |
| Team Vegan member Katie Pryor provides enlightenment at CUNY York College. |
Two days in February:
Leslie,
Lori, Mike, and I reached over 650
at San Jose’s Women of Faith Conference, with
a mix of CVA and VO booklets. Today was drastically
different than when I leafleted this event several
years ago. The acceptance rate was fantastic
and we saw many hanging around the front reading
the brochures. Many women thanked us for being
there, I overheard quite a few comments like,
“Oh yes, this is important,” or
“We were talking about this the other
day,” etc.
Today at Modesto High School, one student told
me: “Oh sh*t! I got this from you last
time and it totally changed my mom!”
—Team Vegan member Brian
Grupe, 2/28/12
Despite
the cold, I smashed records at
Cal State, Channel Islands, and Oxnard College.
Good interactions; e.g., an older gentleman
came by with his Compassionate Choices, saying
he and his partner were now thinking of going
veg, saying they can’t fathom eating meat knowing
what is done to the animals.
—Team Vegan member Nikki
Benoit, 2/27/12
 |
| Team Vegan member Ellen Green leaflets the University of Arizona. |
Nettie
and I met a whole lot of vegetarians at [Western Oregon University],
and a lot of people who thanked us for being
there or said that they agreed with us. A woman
told me that she and her husband have stopped
eating factory-farmed animals because of a booklet
they received from us in the past, and were
exploring vegetarian meats. I got her email
and have followed up with her.
—Cobie deLespinasse, 2/27/12
Today,
in the face of ag students at
Michigan State, I changed my line to “Help
stop slavery.” Had history veered just
a little some 200 years ago, my family and I
might be the ones being made to suffer for the
pleasure of others, and perhaps these students would have
been pursuing a degree in improving the efficiency
of the human slavery industry. Was able to reach
nearly 900 students; one declared while
walking past me looking at the booklet with
her friend that she would never eat meat again.
—Team Vegan member Joe
Espinosa, 2/28/12
Another
day of presentations and booklet
distribution at Sparrows Point High. One of
the teachers said he and his wife have
been eating vegetarian since previously seeing
my presentation. Also got news today that a
student who saw the presentation yesterday went
veg; today, many vowed to try it.
—Aaron Ross, 2/28/12
Mike,
Peter, and I had great reception
at Alabama A&M. One student told me the
booklet might be just what he needs.
—Team Vegan member Jeff
Boghosian, 2/27/12
 |
| After getting a booklet and encouragement from Team Vegan member John Oberg at SUNY Oswego, Tyler pledged to try veg for at least a month. |
Victoria
and I reached over 1,350 students
at New Mexico State. One man said he read the
whole thing, said it’s terrible; got a Guide.
Another said he was excited to go veg, got a
Guide and encouragement. We also met
a supreme court justice for the state of Minnesota
who was visiting campus; he took our picture
with leaflets and took a Guide for
his favorite clerk.
—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 2/28/12
John
and I reached over 1,700 students
at College of William & Mary and Christopher
Newport U. Tons of amazing stories. One guy
said that receiving the booklet today was the
kick in the butt needed to finally go veg. A
young woman also said she was going veg because
of the booklet! Two guys stopped by to tell
John how they never knew much about factory
farming before reading the booklet and they
were really moved.
Another record
today at Old Dominion University – 3,000 Even
Ifs and 32 Guides. So
many people expressing interest in the materials!
The highlight was when a woman in the military
said, “My drill sergeant got one of those
and went vegan.”
—Team Vegan member Jon
Camp, 2/28/12
 |
| Lisa Hines spreads sunshine and compassion at Rowan U. |
Huge
record day at Pasadena City College.
Not one Tu/Th student will remain in
the dark about factory farms on this campus
thanks to today. I was there and rockin’
by 7:45, handing out 50 booklets in 4 minutes.
Wow-ee-wow! Heard from numerous veg / vegan /
veg-in-training peeps.
Met a convert
from seven years ago
(was in high school then); chatted with two
students I met last semester who’ve drastically
cut back their animal consumption – even
dairy! Great reception, even got fed vegan pizza
by an appreciative student!
—Nikki Benoit, 2/21/12
So many conversion stories
at Ohlone College, with Katie and Alex. Alex
had also helped out last year, and has since
gone vegan. A student waived me over inquiring
about the recipes on the back. He said, “I
might want to try this vegan thing out.”
Sweet! I gave him a Guide. Alex texted me later
and told me that he was watching 4 people in
his English class read the brochure while class
was going on. He texted again a few minutes
later and said the guy in front of him had turned
around to ask him about the brochure. They chatted;
he was really impacted by it and said he’s
going to go veg!
Was great to have
Jeni with me today; we reached over 1,100 students
at Santa Clara University and Mission College.
I met a veg professor at SCU who was overjoyed
that we were leafleting. At Mission we met two
Marine recruiters and one said he and his wife
were vegan! He thinks his wife might like to
help out. He was a well-spoken and healthy-looking
dude and said he had been vegan for four years.
It was interesting to hear about being veg in
the military.
—Brian Grupe, 2/21/12
 |
| Andrea Powell (above) and Sheryl Slopey (below) make the animals’ case at The College of New Jersey. |
At City
College of San Francisco, we were
joined by an enthusiastic volunteer, Danielle
(courtesy of Brian G.). Great busy leafleting
the whole time – lots of vegetarians and vegans,
lots of good conversations! We reached nearly
1,700 students, and handed out at least 15
Guides, and could have used more if
we didn’t run out.
—Darina Smith, 2/16/12
Cold
but record day at Queensborough
Community College, where Lisa, Lisa, and I reached
1,563 more students. Many thanked us for being
there. Also met Emily, who received a booklet
from us four months ago and has been vegan ever
since! This made our Valentine’s Day.
—Katie Pryor, 2/14/12
Marine
and I met a lot of vegetarians and vegans,
and we also heard a few people say, “I’ve
been wanting to go vegetarian.…” We also
talked to a few guys who don’t live up to the
stereotype of your “average vegetarian
guy,” so that was nice to see stereotypes
broken and people who don’t typically take an
interest in going vegetarian stopping to ask
us questions and meal ideas, and thanking us
for our work.
—Kenny Torrella, 2/22/12
 |
At
the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee,
more students than ever expressed support for
our work. One of the many vegetarians I met
stated that getting the booklet from me last
semester is what moved her to stop eating animals.
—Joe Espinosa, 2/14/12
Great
day at Morgan State, where we
reached a record 2,100 students. One student
said she ate a vegetarian lunch today because
of us, and another student said he was going
to cut back his meat intake dramatically.
Another great
experience today at the University of Delaware,
where we reached 2,500 more students. Met a
ton of vegetarians / vegans. As one student
took a leaflet, she said, “I’ve heard a
bunch of people talking about this today.”
That’s one of the great things about leafleting
en masse: you completely raise the issue and
spark a conversation throughout the campus.
—Kate and Aaron, 2/22/12
Wide
support at the University of Mississippi.
Many people mentioned the booklet was sad, or
offered an approving “Thank you.”
I met a vegetarian of 8 days and one of 7 months;
both had many questions. I also had several
great conversations with people aware of the
issue from getting a booklet in the past.
—Jeff Boghosian, 2/22/12
 |
| Rutgers readers. |
 |
Over
500 students reached at Johnson
County Community College. One student said that
she wasn’t going to eat chicken anymore, and
another student said that he was going to go
back to being vegetarian again. I answered a
lot of questions.
At Kansas State’s
food court, the Denny’s serves a $5 Amy’s vegan
burger. For 50 cents more they made me a vegan
burrito with the burger in it along with an
entire avocado, mushrooms, onion, peppers, cilantro,
lime, and pico – yum! It is great being able
to refer students there.
—Rick Hershey, 2/22/12
Victoria
and I set a new record at the
University of New Mexico – over 2,000! One
girl came back and said she read the whole thing,
it made her cry, she is going vegan. Another
male student said that he was going vegan.
—Vic Sjodin, 2/24/12
The
take rate was very high at WT White High School
in Dallas. One girl wanted to get involved, so
I took her email. Talking to two boys, one called
a friend to tell him someone was giving out
info about vegetarianism and to come over to
where we were; his friend came over right
away to talk to me and told me he has been cutting
out meat since he witnessed his grandmother
slaughter a chicken and felt terrible about
animals getting killed.
—Nora Kramer, 2/15/12
Big
day for John, Parker, and me;
reached over 1,700 students at York College
and Millersville University. Many great encounters.
A pair of young women stopped by to say that
they read the booklet and are both going vegetarian
as a result. A dude stopped by to say that he
used to be veg, and the booklet was going to
push him to go back to being veg. A young woman
said that she would not be able to go completely
veg, but, as a result of the booklet, was pledging
to cut back on her meat consumption.
—Jon Camp, 2/23/12
Accompanying a donation and order for booklets:
I’m so thankful I
got the booklet at my college. After I read this (and
cried for a few days), I immediately swore off
meat and eggs. I just had no idea about these
atrocities. Now I want to show others. Thank you,
thank you, thank you.
—JS, 4/15/12
 |
| Emma Tamayo provides a voice for the animals at Sacramento City College. |
Mieke and I had
really good interactions
at Southern Methodist University, including
a great conversation with a guy who told me
he didn’t want to take the booklet because he
had seen it before and it made him “feel
bad and almost change.” He said he didn’t
want to read about how the animals were suffering
since there was nothing he could do about it.
Um, yes there is!!
I talked to him
about vegetarianism and, when he balked a bit,
I mentioned Meatless Mondays, which I have found
to be incredibly helpful to bring up when people
are resistant to immediately going veg. When
I’ve said to dozens of people, “You could
be vegetarian one day a week, couldn’t you?”
I have not met a single person who did not say
yes, and their whole energy and resistance seems
to shift.
—Nora Kramer, 2/9/12
Good conversations at
MiraCosta College. At San Diego Miramar College,
lots of people expressed interest. One student
said he quit eating KFC because of this. I explained
that all chicken we have access to is treated
this way. He gets it, and even knows athletes
fair well on plant-based diets. I Guided
him and we parted, him with opened eyes and
heart. Twenty minutes later, with booklets in
hand, he walked past again smiling, sayin’ class
was canceled…karma!
—Nikki Benoit, 2/13/12
 |
| At VCU, John Oberg with the skateboard handoff. |
863 Even If You Like Meats
and 7 Guides at Eastern Illinois University.
Most memorable was the high number of regular-looking students who seemed to have genuine
care and curiosity when asked to help stop violence.
—Joe Espinosa, 2/7/12
Fabulous acceptance
rate at
Florida A&M. A student said he’s been thinking about
transitioning to a vegetarian diet. While turning the pages
of the booklet he said, “These photos are
going to help me do it!” He thanked me
for being there.
—Lana Smithson, 2/13/12
Jonathan and I
reached nearly 2,000
students today. Fresno High School’s
students were extremely receptive;
a very good use of time.
We both had great conversations at Fresno City
College. I had a 10-minute chat with a very
inquisitive and non-combative guy who later
revealed that he was a farmer. He conceded I
had a lot of good points and kept both of his
leaflets. Met a student who told us getting
the brochure last year had caused her to cut
back significantly on meat. One woman told us,
“That’s it, I’m not eating
meat again.”
—Brian Grupe, 2/8/12
Reached nearly 900 kids
with CVA
booklets at Acquire the Fire this evening. Most
of the kids were eager to accept a booklet and
they always seem to be a friendly and polite
group. One guy said that he had received a booklet
from me last year but had lost it, so he was
glad that I was here again. Others said that
they thought that Jesus ate meat, and I replied
that the conditions in his day were quite different
than they are today, and that I didn’t
think that Jesus would support factory farming.
—Rick Hershey, 2/10/12
 |
| Vegan since getting a booklet three months ago at Los Angeles City College. |
Annie and I had
great conversations
at Lane Community College. A young
man read the booklet, then came back and asked
how he could eat more humanely. He was open
to my suggestion that he start eating some vegetarian
meals. A woman read the booklet and came back
for a Guide. She said it’s really important
that people get this information, and that she
had met some people once who worked in the animal
industry and told her some things that really
upset her. A young woman said she’s nearly vegetarian.
She used to be completely vegetarian, but she
says she thinks maybe she wasn’t getting enough
fat in her diet. I showed her Jack’s
article on nutrition in the Guide,
told her that he recommends eating a serving
of nuts every day and has more information on
the website, and that she can e-mail him with
questions. She seemed happy to get this information.
A man told me he thought plant protein wasn’t
as good for building muscles as animal protein.
He was surprised when I opened the Guide and
showed him a picture of Robert Cheeke.
At Linn-Benton
Community College, a young woman was glad I
was there, because she used to work in the poultry
industry and it was terrible. She saw live animals
being thrown in trash cans, and she said, “What
those videos don’t show is the smell.”
—Cobie deLespinasse, 2/13/12
Scout
led the way again to another record,
this time 1,750 at Georgia Tech. Met vegans,
vegetarians, and meat-reducers. One student
stopped to help leaflet, too.
Great conversations
today at Florida Atlantic University and Broward
College. People were very supportive of our
cause, including many faculty. I had many good
conversations with people asking about organic,
free range, and where to buy cheap veg products.
I also met someone that got a brochure at the University
of Maryland (Baltimore County) yesterday! She
asked if there was a major campaign going on.
:)
—Jeff Boghosian, 2/14/12
 |
| In addition to Katherine; Nina, Joe, John, Jon, and Maria met this woman at the University of Pittsburgh, who has been vegetarian since getting a booklet last year. |
Yuri
and I reached over 2,300 students
at Florida International University. One woman
told me she had gotten a booklet in Gainesville
a long time ago, and both she and her husband
went vegetarian because of it – two people from
one leaflet! A different woman said she’s a
brand new vegetarian and doesn’t really know
how to do it. Of course she got a Guide
and encouragement!
Today at Hillsborough Community College, Sydnie
read the entire booklet and was moved to come
back and help leaflet. One guy who refused a
booklet at first because he “loves meat”
ended up taking one after I talked to him about
considering the issues without necessarily going
veg. He appreciated the idea of reducing meat
consumption.
—Lana Smithson, 2/6/12
Of
my three outings today, Long Beach
City College was the highlight. Steve, Julie,
and I set a new record – 1,950! Met a woman
who’s been vegan six years cuz of a booklet
she got at Laney College in Oakland! Then, Denise
went vegetarian on the spot thanks to a booklet!
Today at the College
of the Desert, I was joined by a student who
was sickened by the booklet and inspired to
help leaflet. I was also joined by Brittney,
who went vegan a year ago after I handed her
a booklet, and was making her leafleting debut
today. Earlier, while I was leafleting at Mt.
San Jacinto, I had a great conversation with
someone who wanted more booklets for her posse.
While chatting, my 20-year-old omnivorous niece
in Boston was texting me about the benefits
of eating vegan, asking for resources. Folks:
this is what evolution smells like.
—Nikki Benoit, 2/7/12
 |
| Jaime Hecht encourages enlightenment at the Reason Rally. |
The
students at Columbus State Community
College were very receptive! Every time we visit
this school, more and more people tell us they’ve
gone vegetarian!
—Sarah Von Alt, 2/3/12
Great
day at Harrisburg Community College.
A woman opened up the booklet, turned around,
and thanked me. It was so sincere, it warmed
my heart. One man said he thinks the treatment
of farm animals is awful, but he still eats
meat. I told him that it isn’t an all-or-nothing
thing. He can make smaller changes and still
make a difference. My go-to line is: “If
everyone ate vegetarian for one day every week,
we would save over a billion animals a year.”
I suggested Meatless Mondays or giving up chicken.
He seemed to like those suggestions.
—Lisa Hines, 2/8/12
Reached
2,350 students at the University of
Maryland, College Park. Tons of conversations.
A student told us that she went veg from reading
a leaflet, and another said she had been thinking
about going vegetarian recently and said the
leaflet made her want to do it even more now.
Awesome day!
—Kate and Aaron, 2/3/12
 |
| Cathy Berlot reaches out at Susquehanna U. |
Boy, did
the Eugene leafleters turn out
today at U of O! Adeline, Sarah, Lin, Abigail,
and I reached 1,080 more students; we also met
many vegetarians and vegans, and others who
thanked us for the information. I offered an
Even If You Like Meat to a woman, and
she said, “Oh, I think you’ve got the wrong
person. I like meat too much.” I asked,
“Do you think one night a week you could
eat a vegetarian dinner?” We talked about
the fact that she was already cutting back on
meat because of her cholesterol level, the fact
that she didn’t think she could be a vegetarian
because she likes meat too much, and that it
doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I offered
her a Guide, and she asked, “Oh,
does this have alternatives?” She happily
took it.
—Cobie deLespinasse, 1/31/12
Truman College
is a great spot to leaflet, and
we met many very interested people. For example,
we talked with two girls who were very interested
and said they never wanted to eat meat again.
Another older woman told Krystina she had changed
her mind about what she would be having for
dinner. Yet another who told her our booklet
was the reason she went vegetarian a year ago.
Success!
—Danyelle, Krystina, and Tyler,
2/7/12
 |
| Another University of Nevada, Reno student learns the truth from Anita Dombovari. |
It’s
good to be reminded
that although most of the bad news about
animal mistreatment relates to incidents, the
good news tends to be more about trends. Must
have something to do with the direction that
the arc of history bends towards!
—CT, 3/21/12
Two days in February:
Monster
day of outreach with Diane and
Vic – we reached over 2,300 students at West
Valley College and San Jose City College. Many
comments, and one woman said she was changing
over to vegan.
Today at Evergreen Valley College, Diane, Jessica,
Jeni, and I set a new record – nearly 2,000
more students reached! We all had a ton of conversations
today. So many on this campus are wiling to
change and already making changes. Awesome to
witness.
—Brian Grupe, 2/1/12
Beautiful
day leafleting with Lisa at CUNY
John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Lisa had
a conversation with one man who said, “No
thanks, I like meat.” She replied, “Then
this brochure is for you! The title is Even
If You Like Meat!” He came back and
spoke to her and after the conversation he said
that he would cut down on meat, possibly doing
a “meat out” day each week. Amazing work.
—Katie Pryor, 2/1/12
 |
| UConvert: Karen met Albana, who went veg two years ago after getting a VO booklet at the University of Connecticut. |
At
the University of Illinois at Chicago,
I spoke with a Muslim student who had gotten
the booklet and came back to talk. She was quite
disturbed at the way laying hens are treated.
I shared with her that seeing the way birds
are treated in modern farming is what originally
moved me out of agriculture and onto animal
protection work, as it makes clear that there
is nothing animal agriculture will not do to
animals to cut costs / improve profits.
—Joe Espinosa, 2/1/12
Kimberly,
Joanna, and I had an awesome time
leafleting Grand Central Station. Great conversations
with people interested in going veg!
—Victoria Randall, 2/2/12
While
leafleting Brooklyn’s Boys and Girls
High School, a parent or teacher said she wanted
to go veg. She had good questions and planned
to do it once and for all. Later, a guy passing
who read my sweatshirt asked for a vegan booklet.
—Casey, 2/2/12
891
Even If You Like Meat booklets
and 9 Guides
at Northern Illinois University. I had several
quality conversations with students who claimed
“it’s just too hard to be vegan.”
I explained it isn’t about being perfect, it’s
about reducing the amount of suffering in the
world and living in tune with your values. Once
you explore vegan options, a whole new world
of food opens before you, and the choice becomes
easy. At the end of my day, a school newspaper
reporter came out and interviewed me for a story.
—Jon Bockman, 2/1/12
 |
| Eleanor Thomas opens another mind at Sierra College. |
I
had a rewarding day of outreach at
CCBC today. I saw a girl reading a booklet with
a look of shock and disgust on her face. I went
over and talked to her. Reading the Compassionate
Choices pushed her over the edge and she
went vegetarian on the spot! In addition, I
sparked up some good conversations with people
about everything from ritual slaughter to organic
farms.
—Aaron Ross,
2/2/12
I love leafleting
Georgetown – full of such smart
and inquisitive folks. Kitty met a young woman
who went vegan as a result of us being there
a year ago, a vegetarian who got the Even
If today and is seriously considering going
vegan as a result, and a professor who is currently
writing a book on animal rights. I met a woman
who wants me to put her in touch with the Georgetown
animal advocate I know, and a professor who took
down my contact info because one of her students
wants to start a club on campus.
—Jon Camp, 2/2/12
Many conversations
at Clark Atlanta and Georgia State.
I met one student who was absolutely thrilled
to get a leaflet and wants to get involved.
I also met a professor who’s been vegan for
31 years! At GS, I’ve never gotten so many contacts
in 2.5 hours time.
—Jeff Boghosian, 2/2/12
Over
1,600 students at Miami Dade’s
North and Kendall campuses! Outreach was amazing
– so many positive and productive interactions!
I saw LOTS of people reading the booklet: Sitting
and reading. Walking and reading. Standing in
groups and discussing it. A number of people
said they wanted to eat fewer animal products.
One guy said, “This is going to be in my
head now. I didn’t know how bad things are.”
A girl waved her booklet in the air and said,
“This is a sign! I was thinking about going
vegan! This is THE sign!” A different girl
said to her boyfriend, “That’s it! We’re
going TOFU! These pictures are just too sad.”
An older woman stopped to talk. She said she’s
been vegetarian since age 13, and her family
has always given her a really hard time about
it. She was so thankful that this outreach is
going on.
—Lana Smithson, 2/2/12
 |
| At Cal State Los Angeles, Gonzella changed because of a booklet one year ago and is going strong! |
We
reached over 3,000 students at
George Mason U, and had a lot of great feedback.
One student told us she got a leaflet two years
ago and has been vegetarian ever since. Several
students told us they were going to eat a vegetarian
lunch, and many others said they were disturbed
by what they read. Had a good conversation with
a skeptical student, and afterwards she thanked
me and said I gave her a lot to think about.
Another student said that it was, by far, the
best guide about vegetarian eating he has ever
received.
—Aaron and Kate, 3/19/12
At
Northwestern University, one guy
said he had been changing his diet after receiving
the booklet from a friend. He liked the emphasis
on preventing suffering and that veganism was
not presented as all-or-nothing. A girl stopped
who said she had been thinking about the booklet
since receiving it last year, was upset about
the animals but had questions about abortion
and thought babies were more important. We talked
for a couple minutes and ended up agreeing that
caring about humans and animals does not have
to be mutually exclusive; she was happy to receive
a Guide.
—Leslie Patterson, 1/25/12
 |
| Five years ago, Jan got a booklet at UMass Amherst, and went vegan that day! She recently helped David leaflet. |
Over
600 students at Laney College,
and 200+ at College of Alameda. Lots of great
conversations. Two young ladies pledged to go
vegan on the spot!
At Diablo Valley
College and Los Medanos College, Vic, Katie,
and I reached over 3,000 students. Lots of productive
and interesting conversations. No fewer than
five people told me they were going to change
their diets to do better by the animals.
Today at the College of Marin, a number of students
told me they read the booklet all the way through,
and Carol and I met two people who had changed
their diets because of getting a booklet in
the past. One guy has been veg for three years
after getting our brochure. His girlfriend also
went veg with him!
—Brian Grupe, 1/26/12
Reached
over 500 at New York U. Also met
a vegan vender who had Compassionate Choices
already on display! At Whole Foods, a cashier
saw some booklets in my hand and said she got
one at Borough of Manhattan Community College
and even did a speech on it, too!
—Casey, 1/24/12
 |
| Lisa Hines spreads enlightenment at Essex County College. |
Chris
and I created quite the buzz on
campus and met some really incredible people
at Nassau Community College, where we reached
over 1,500 students! Many people interested
in learning more. In fact, the construction
guys a floor below us yelled up and asked me
what we were handing out. I told them and they
were really engaged. After their lunch, they
asked us for booklets to show their friends.
—Katie Pryor, 1/26/12
Harold
Washington College was buzzing today.
Krystina met one student who had just written
a paper about animal rights. One professor said,
“I agree, I’m a vegan,” pointing at
the leaflet. She asked me, “Don’t you feel
better?!” and of course I replied, “Yes,
I do!!” She gave me a big smile.
—Danyelle Hamilton, 1/27/12
A
number of students at Illinois
State were interested in taking the first step
to help animals; reached over 900 others, too.
A faculty member stopped to let me know that
a new Animals and Society course had begun,
with two full sections.
—Joe Espinosa, 1/24/12
Quickly
handed out all 300 booklets at
the University of Cincinnati. One student was
particularly thrilled, as he needed a start
on his factory farming paper.
—Helen Gaynor, 1/27/12
 |
| Deeply engrossed in learning the truth at the University of Maryland. |
At
UNC today, the 1,200+ students
I reached were much more receptive than any
time in 2011. I heard from many vegetarians
and at least five vegans. I could have given
out more Guides but ran out after 12. Great
conversations as well, including one faculty
member. I also got booklets into the hands of
an assistant director of dining services and
an assistant director of career services.
—Brandon Becker, 1/26/12
Despite
the wind, a solid day at Florida
Atlantic University – over 1,500 reached. Quite
a few students seemed especially happy to get
the information. Also, a professor thanked me
for being there and said she would share the
information with her students.
Over 1,000 today
at two Broward College campuses and Florida
Atlantic U. One girl who got a leaflet ran back
over to me. She said she’s a former vegetarian
and excitedly said, “I want to go veggie
again!” She happily accepted a Guide.
The very last student I leafleted was delighted
to get the information. We talked for a while
and she said she’s excited to change her diet!
—Lana Smithson, 1/31/12
 |
| Karen reports from Western Connecticut State: “Kylee, the student in the black shirt, went vegetarian 9/22/07, after receiving a Vegan Outreach booklet. She is now working on vegan. The other three students said they were going to cut their consumption of animal products in half.” |
Wendy,
Susan, and I set a new record
at Southern Connecticut State – 1,498! We met
about 30 – that’s right 30
– vegetarians, and about a dozen vegans! I
had a professor tell me that she was so glad
we were there. She said some students were arriving
at her class and putting the booklets to the
side, saying they were not going to read them.
She asked them, “Why are you here, if not
to learn?” and got them to read the pamphlets!
Later, a student took a Compassionate Choices
from me, then came back and asked for 30 for
her dorm!
—Karen James, 3/12/12
Today
was my day off from work so I
headed down to Purdue to represent the animals.
It was a cold day, in the 20s, but I had long
underwear, three sweatshirts, snowpants, coat,
boots, etc., basically looked like a Russian
nesting doll but it worked to keep me going
for 5 hours. Great reception from the polite,
friendly students. This is a heavily agricultural
school, but still I heard from many veggies,
including recent converts, and noted many vegan
options in the union.
—Leslie Patterson, 1/18/12
Yesterday
was the best day of the semester!
Denise, Virginia, Jyoti, and I reached over
3,100 students at the University of Central
Florida. Dozens of great conversations. For
example, one girl came back to Denise, said
she was going veg, and got a Guide.
One dude mentioned, “I never thought about
it that way.”
Today was another
phenomenal day at Florida International University
and University of Miami. Several came back to
say they were going veg. Two others that they
were going from veg to vegan. Another girl after
class said, “good pamphlet,” with
enthusiasm. Another student came back to ask
for more leaflets to show friends and family.
—Vic Sjodin, 12/1/11
 |
| Vic snapped this pic of another new vegan at the University of New Mexico. |
Many
conversations at George Fox University.
Near the end, a young woman who had been reading
the booklet approached me and asked, “Are
you saying that God didn’t intend for us to
eat the animals?” I said, “In many
cases it’s hard to tell what God intends. I
look at a lot of things in this world, and I
don’t know why God made them the way they are.
I just keep trying to reduce suffering. My view
is that when I see suffering, I want to stop
the suffering.” She said politely, “It’s
interesting to hear other people’s views on
these things.”
—Cobie deLespinasse,
1/23/12
Reached
over 1,000 students at University
of Missouri, St. Louis. I heard from about 25
vegetarians and 5 vegans today; plus one student
who after visiting said that she was going vegan!
She was also interested in helping out leafleting.
One student said that he went vegetarian because
he received an Even If You Like Meat
from me a year ago. He too said that he was
interested in helping leaflet. Another student
said that he is a hunter and asked me about
hunting. I said that I am often able to make
allies with hunters to oppose factory farming.
A great day of outreach!
—Rick Hershey, 1/18/12
 |
| Logan Narcomey spreads compassion at the University of Oklahoma. |
Dang,
we crushed it today! New record
for College of San Mateo; day total of 1,938
for Diane, Jessica, and me. A ton of vegetarians
and vegans at Canada; I can’t believe
how far this school has come. So many little
stories including an athletic guy who has been
wanting to try vegan and a young lady who enthusiastically
showed me the “Love animals, don’t
eat them” pin on her backpack. So awesome!
Jessica noted
a few guys walking along holding Compassionate
Choices, and one said, “I could never
do that myself – killing animals and all that
– it’d be hella gross.” There was something
about that – the first glimmer of thinking:
wait a minute – real people are actually
killing all these animals.
—Brian Grupe, 1/18/12
Record
day at University of South Florida.
After getting a leaflet, a girl happily said,
“This is great information. Go, you!”
A student remembered me from when I leafleted
a movie screening of The Cove a couple
years ago! He said, “Good to see you’re
still doing this. Keep up the good work.”
—Lana Smithson, 1/23/12
At
Valencia College, we talked to
a woman who is determined to go vegan but was
having a stumbling block with bread, so we recommended
that she go vegan in every other aspect of her
diet and address the bread issue later. She
loved the idea and left saying that she and
her family are on the road to veganism! Also
talked to an African-American student who wants
us to do a presentation at his church. He also
said his goal was to go vegan. Also talked to
a Hispanic student who was super psyched to
get info on vegetarian eating.
—Jeff Boghosian, 1/19/12
 |
| Chad Johnson takes action for the animals at Cerritos College. |
From a recent batch of Guide requests:
At
my community college, Oxnard,
a young woman asked my friend and me if we loved
animals. We said yes and she handed us Compassionate
Choices. Her question made the difference, I
wouldn’t have looked at it otherwise. She didn’t
give me a guilt trip and was friendly. I didn’t
feel pressured, I just feel I want to try this.
—OH
Through
a pamphlet passed out around my
school, I have been a proud vegetarian for about
6 months now!
—CA
At
Montgomery College, Kit was a
bit nervous to start leafleting, but after she
handed out the first booklet, she was enthusiastically
handing out one after the other. She emailed
me afterwards to say that she is now addicted
to leafleting and is looking forward to her
next outing.
One woman was
asking me about why I was vegan, my thoughts
on hunting, etc. I said that a lot of my thoughts
were guided by the basic “Do unto others”
tenet and she finished the phrase, saying she
totally gets it. It made me realize I want to
use that phrase more since it’s one already
so ingrained into our way of thinking and one
pretty much everyone agrees is worthy of following.
—Jon Camp, 1/23/12
 |
| While Jeni leaflets, Adriel talks with Israel (far right). After reading the booklet and asking questions, Adriel helped hand out booklets! |
 |
For our last outreach in Mexico,
we gave a talk today to a group of high school
seniors. It went really well, the students seemed
really into the lit and the teachers were also
open to vegetarianism. Israel’s mom is so into
it, she took a stack of 50 booklets and gave
it to everyone in her yoga class and said there
was a lot of discussion. She made a list of
all the other people she wanted to give it to,
down to her hairdresser; there went another
50 booklets. We also gave a stack here and there
to professors who wanted to give to their students
and to activists who requested them. Now we’re
out of lit!
Many thank yous
to the Arriola family, and especially Israel
and Anima Naturalis, and, of course to Drew,
who funded the trip! Countless animals have
been saved, and this trip has ignited an unquenchable
thirst to keep pushing for veganism as a major
solution to many of the world’s ailments and
to try and prevent as many animals as possible
from harm. Hasta la Victoria siempre! Por los
animals del mundo,
—Vic Sjodin & Jeni Haines,
2/16/12
I was ordering at
Pei Wei yesterday and the man taking my order
asked if I am vegan. He told me that he has
been trying to go vegetarian but finds it hard
although he really wants to do it. I whipped
a Guide out of my purse and he thanked me and
seemed really excited!
Also, a few months
ago, I leafleted a guy I went to high school
with. He told me that he had been considering
vegetarianism, so I gave him a Guide and had
a short conversation with him. A few weeks ago,
he emailed me to tell me that he has been vegan
since Thanksgiving and wants to get involved
in leafleting!
—Kirby Mauro, 1/13/12
 |
| A student reads the leaflet in front of a famous mural at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. |
Reached over 700 students
on the first day of the semester at Southwestern
Illinois College. It was a great day of outreach!
For example, one student said, “That’s
it; I’m going vegan.”
—Rick Hershey, 1/17/12
A truly amazing day at
Virginia Commonwealth University, where John,
Jordan, Parker, and I reached almost 4,000 students
– the most booklets handed out on a Virginia
campus ever! Engaged a ton of individuals who
were asking about getting active, going veg,
etc., as evidenced by the dozens of Guides
handed out.
—Jon Camp, 1/18/12
New record at the
University of North Florida, where I reached
over 1,500 students. Good reception; e.g., I
saw one student stop in his tracks to read the
pamphlet, and then he found a bench so he could
sit to continue reading. A different student
handed me a pro-veg flier he had made, and thanked
me for leafleting.
—Lana Smithson, 1/18/12
From a recent batch of Guide requests:
Someone
at the University of British Columbia
was handing out your Compassionate Choices
booklet. As a result, I have decided to
become a vegan.
—SC
Because of your booklet, I’ve
decided to go vegan. Keep up the great work.
—SN
 |
| Went veg at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa. |
I was given the brochure
at El Camino College. I was really struck by
the stories and the pictures so I want to give
it a try. I love animals and I didn’t know about
the procedure farms use to raise them. It is
so cruel and sad that I had contributed to this
horror. So I want to help by not purchasing
animal products. Thank you.
—OM
A young lady in Chicago,
IL at my school (Malcolm X College) was passing
out literature. I was very interested in this
lifestyle change.
—ST
Someone
handed me a pamphlet at Harvard
University. It was just what I needed –
I’ve been struggling for a while with the question
of whether to return to vegetarianism or not,
and this information was just what I needed
to inspire me to go for it. It was really encouraging
that the pamphlet said it’s okay to make exceptions
occasionally if that will make a mostly vegetarian
diet more sustainable for you. Taking it one
day at a time is much less intimidating than
the idea of never ever eating any meat again
ever. Thank you so much for helping me do this!
—CL
 |
More from Mexico:
Great
outreach at Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico
City, where we reached almost 2,000 students at the school’s bus stop / metro station. Captive audience = score! Jeni quickly made friends
with the man in charge of the bus stop, and he expressed a lot of interest
in going veg; they left hugging and exchanging emails.
Today at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
Iztapalapa, Israel’s 13-year-old nephew, Cesarin (right, with Israel),
joined us – it was great to have his help.
We reached 3,100 more students. Again, countless
people reading the booklets. People came back
to ask for another leaflet or a few for family
and friends. Many wanted to get involved with
Anima Naturalis, so Israel was busy. One student
wants him to give a talk, so they exchanged
info. A professor (talking with Israel below)
asked for more leaflets to give to his students,
and he thanked us for leafleting. A few other
students said “good job” or patted
us on the back. Too many conversations to get
into it – just massive interest in the booklets.
—Vic Sjodin & Jeni Haines,
2/15/12
 |
CUNY John Jay is amazing. I had students tell me they
were learning about factory farming in their
classes, while other students came up to ask
me for the information. Also heard from many
people who had gotten a leaflet the last time
I was there.
Chris and I reached
1,600 students at Nassau Community College today,
and had loads of great interactions. Yet another
student said he was learning about factory farming
in their environmental science class. He said
it was the main topic of the semester.
—Katie Pryor, 11/28/11
High
take rate and high interest rate at Paradise
Valley Community College, where Kirby and I reached over
700 students. People were appalled by factory
farming and many committed to making changes
in their diet! I even got a hug from one student
who was deeply touched.
Today, Ardita,
Ioana, Jeff, Jessica, Kelsey, Kirby, Stephanie,
Zubair, and I reached 3,700 more at Arizona
State – there are definitely going to be some
new vegetarians in Tempe! E.g., one girl even
said that it made her want to cry, so I gave
her a Guide
for her path to veg.
—John Oberg, 11/29/11
 |
| At Christopher Newport U, these students stopped by to tell John how they never knew much about factory farming before, and they were really moved by the booklet. |
Awesome morning at
Florida International University, where lots
of people said they were already veg. One woman
told me she was going to work on being vegan.
My favorite for the day was a couple of students
who came back after taking leaflets and said,
“I’m going vegetarian!” I asked, “Really?”
One guy said, “After looking at these pictures?
Definitely!” They were rushing to a class
to go take a test, but they came back by for
a Guide.
—Linda Bower, 12/1/11
At St. Louis Community College
in Wildwood, I had a great interaction
with the security guard who hung out at my table;
he is 70 and has been vegan his entire life!
He even helped do some outreach.
I want to echo
the voices of my colleagues, and remark that
I, too, have noticed a significant reduction
in student antagonism toward what we are doing,
as well as what seems a better acceptance rate.
I think that this is reflected in my numbers
this semester. It is gratifying to see this
difference that we are gradually making, and
we have our generous donors to thank for making
this change possible!
—Rick Hershey, 12/1/11
Jessica, Josh, Yvonne, and
I all got great feedback at Pasadena Community
College, where we reached 3,421 more students.
Josh got two vegan conversions in less than
45 minutes, while making connections left and
right! Beautiful way to kick off the new year!
—Nikki Benoit, 1/9/12
 |
| Pomona-bound lifelong vegan Ellen Green helps pave the way for U of AZ-bound classmates. |
It felt wonderful to leaflet again
now that school is back in session;
Nettie and I reached 1,385 students at Chemeketa
Community College. One student told us that
there’s a nutrition professor there who teaches
“this,” showing videos, etc., and
most of the people who take the class end up
becoming vegetarian. Nettie met someone who
got a booklet two years ago and went vegan.
I met a young man who is vegan. He says that
during his first couple of months as a vegan
he was really angry with people who weren’t
vegan, but he’s doing better now. I gave him
an A
Meaningful Life and showed him The
Animal Activist’s Handbook.
—Cobie deLespinasse, 1/9/12
A solid day at Northern
Virginia Community College, where I reached
over 900 students. One guy let me know that
he read the booklet and that it really got him
thinking; I gave him a Guide. Also,
I got the contact info for two individuals interested
in getting involved. Incidentally, I received
an email last week from a student who got a
booklet from me the last time I was at this
school. She has since gone from veg to vegan
and now wants to get more active.
—Jon Camp, 1/10/12
At the MLK parade, Lynn,
Ann, and I handed 650 people copies of Compassionate
Choices – I had only three people turn
me down! We all had great conversations with
folks who had no idea animals were raised so
horrifically, and many asked what they could
do to help the “poor animals.”
—Lisa Shapiro, 1/16/12
 |
Katie, Leslie, Tiana, and I had
a great time at Las Positas College, where we
reached 1,498 students, totally saturating the
school! People walked by me with their brochure
open and their faces pressed to the pages. I
made sure to thank them for checking it out.
Also met another woman interested in getting
involved.
—Brian Grupe, 1/17/12
In the 20s with
snowy wind that
almost knocked me down three times, but was
able to reach 666 students at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Met 10 vegetarians / vegans, and had surprisingly good reception,
given the weather and the number of times I’ve
leafleted here.
—Joe Espinosa, 1/17/12
Our message of
non-violence
seemed to resonate with many at DePaul University,
and Joe and I were aided by the strong presence
of Monsignor Egan (above), whose statue is inscribed
with the question, “What are you doing
for justice?” I heard from several young
people who had stopped eating animals, and many
eagerly accepted Guides. One woman
told me her whole office was trying veganism
together!
—Leslie Patterson, 1/16/12
 |
| 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, 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
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| 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
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| Nikki Benoit reports, last Wednesday at Santa Monica College, Mario went veg on the spot, and then helped change more lives! |
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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
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| 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
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| 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
More selected feedback available here.
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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 fully tax-deductible. Vegan Outreach POB 30865, Tucson, AZ 85751-0865 |
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