A major factor preventing numerous people from seriously exploring veganism is simply convenience. Those who’ve had no experience with veganism often find the thought of finding vegan options daunting, and because of this, COK has worked closely with dozens of restaurants to create or expand their meat-free menus. Our goal is to help make vegan eating as easy as possibly by ensuring that animal-friendly options are widely available.
This Fall, the DC VegFest is Back—and it’s Bigger than Ever!
The DC VegFest is a free outdoor festival highlighting the many benefits of leaving animals off our plates and showing just how easy it is to find delicious vegetarian cuisine in and around the nation’s capital. Hosted on George Washington University’s campus, this year’s event is scheduled on Sat., Sept. 24. Be sure to mark your calendar!
A Week of Feed-Ins: COK Serves 1,500 Vegan Food Samples to Los Angelenos
COK kicked off the month of June by dishing out over 500 vegan pizza samples from Cruzer Pizza along with hundreds of Compassionate Choices and Easy Vegan Recipes to West Adams Preparatory High School students at its International Issues Advocacy Fair. We offered a variety of familiar flavors — BBQ chicken, Philly Cheese Steak, Hawaiian, Meat, and Margherita — and each one was a hit! Students were amazed by the taste and empowered to learn about the benefits of choosing plant-based foods. Plus, they were excited that Cruzer Pizza is only minutes away from school.
Showing Off Our Veggie Pride in Austin, LA, DC, and Baltimore!
Throughout the month of June, teams of COK volunteers — from Los Angeles to Baltimore to Austin to Washington, DC — helped spread a message of compassion at several Pride celebrations.
Kicking things off on Sat., June 6, COK’s VegAustin Coordinator, Daniela Nunez, tabled at Queerbomb, a gay pride rally in Austin, TX, and distributed hundreds of copies of pro-veg literature, including the Summer 2011 edition of our Vegetarian Guide to Austin.
The following weekend, we set up educational booths at festivals on both the East and West coasts — for Los Angeles Pride and Capital Pride in Washington, DC.
COK Interns Dish up Compassion at Area Grocery Stores!
What better way to open up the hearts and minds of others than giving away delicious vegan food? That’s exactly how two of our outreach interns in DC, Andrea Roccanti and Shebani Rao, are spending their summer! With the support of VegFund, Andrea and Shebani hosted an “Ask-A-Vegan” table outside of a busy Giant grocery store in DC.
COK Spreads Compassion in the Classroom
Speaking with today’s inquisitive and energetic youth about compassion for animals can be one of the most encouraging and rewarding experiences. As a former teacher in DC, I’ve had the opportunity to visit a handful of schools, from elementary through high school, in and around the nation’s capital to meet with students and share information about animals, where our food comes from, and the many benefits of choosing vegetarian foods.
Free Vegan Food Makes Glee Fans Sing for Joy!
Last Thursday evening, on June 9, as thousands of Glee fans flocked to Washington, DC’s Verizon Center for the sold-out “Glee Live!” concert, COK interns and volunteers were on hand with trays of free vegan food and stacks of pro-vegetarian literature.
Ask Me Why I’m Vegetarian & New TryVeg.com Cards!
COK’s popular “Ask Me Why a I’m Vegetarian” t-shirt offers more than just a message. When you wear this shirt around town, it encourages others to strike up a conversation giving you the opportunity to discuss the many benefits of leaving animals off our plates.
And to help send this message home, every time someone asks you “Why?” you can now give them our new TryVeg.com business card, reminding them to visit our website for more information and to request a free Vegetarian Starter Guide. The back of the card offers an empowering message: “every time we sit down to eat, each one of us can stand up for animals, our health, and the planet simply by choosing vegetarian foods.”
Outreach Tips – Sharing Compassion at Festivals
During the spring and summer months, community-based festivals pop up everywhere, and they offer amazing opportunities to reach out to others about the benefits of leaving animals off our plates. Last weekend, Compassion Over Killing staff and volunteers were hard at work in both Washington, DC and Los Angeles staffing educational booths at two popular events: Strut Your Mutt on May 21 and WorldFest on May 22.