By Dina Gharib
VRG Intern

Volunteer, Matt Baker RN, and Volunteer Coordinator, Nina Casalena, engage with a visitor at Vegan SoulFest in Baltimore, MD.

On October 25, the Vegetarian Resource Group hosted a booth at the first annual Baltimore Vegan SoulFest. The Soulfest was a hit thanks to our fellow vegans at The Land of Kush restaurant and Better Health, Better Life as well as the hundreds of other participants as well as all the other participants. Rightfully named, Vegan SoulFest consisted of people from all different walks of life. The amount of compassion, respect, and joy in the air was quite a sight for any passerby. With reggae music blaring through the speakers, delicious vegan food being served and fresh coconuts being fractured open, it’s obvious that Vegan SoulFest was an absolute success.

As the venue began to overflow with a variety of people with peeking interests, VRG was there to supplement the information they needed. We had numerous people visit our booth with different goals in mind. Each one of these goals came with a considerable amount of questions that we were happy to answer. We had individuals who were simply curious about how to begin a vegetarian diet, how to convert from a vegetarian to a vegan diet, or merely new ways to incorporate vegan cheeses into meals for children. Regardless of their goals, VRG was loaded with literature and passion to spread throughout the festival.

Left to right: Louisa Smith, Nina Casalena, Matt Baker RN and Dina Gharib exhibiting at Vegan SoulFest in Baltimore, MD.

My experience working at the booth was one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Coming from a family who isn’t vegetarian or vegan can be really hard sometimes, but it’s days like this that remind me that I’m on the right path. I had an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge through like-minded individuals who were truly passionate about making a difference. I also met many people who were hoping to take the leap to vegetarianism but were unsure of how to approach it with their families. Coming from a similar past, I was able to give them advice, along with delicious recipes featured in our Vegetarian Journal that would help ease their transition. Overall, Vegan SoulFest was the perfect opportunity for The Vegetarian Resource Group to spread all of our hard work and knowledge throughout a diverse community.

Thanks to our volunteers Matt Baker RN, Louisa Smith and Dina Gharib.
To volunteer at VRG outreach booths, please contact Nina at [email protected].
To support VRG outreach, please donate at www.vrg.org/donate.