This April I had the opportunity to work a booth for The Vegetarian Resource Group at the first ever Kale-A-Rama Festival. It was a perfect sunny day for the premier of this kale themed event in Greenbelt, Maryland. We had the pleasure of being placed right beside Everlasting Life’s Food Truck, which stayed busy all day, sending customers on their way with delicious garlic kale salad and vegan mac and cheese. Everyone and everything was decorated with kale. There was kale ice cream, kale smoothies, kale chips, and best of all kale doughnuts that were surprisingly fantastic.

My parents and I conversed with people who were already vegan, along with some that were beginning their vegan journey. Our visitors all had in-depth questions and positive feedback about how much they enjoy the vegan lifestyle. We spoke with a few athletes that were looking for ways to pack on muscle and a woman who had successfully lost 25 pounds and was able to stop using her cholesterol medicine. There were several parents who were successfully raising vegan children and a man that studies the effects of GMO products. As always, we shared useful information with everyone and, in return, received info we could share with others in the future.

Kale-A-Rama was an enjoyable festival that brought vegans together to discuss animal rights issues, listen to music, eat good food, and network with people that share similar beliefs. Events like Kale-A-Rama allow The Vegetarian Resource Group to distribute resources and establish connections with people throughout the country. It is important that VRG has a presence at similar events around the nation. VRG relies on volunteers to make this happen.

If you are interested in volunteering at a VRG booth at an event in your community, email vrg@vrg.org. For a list of other ways to become involved, visit: http://www.vrg.org/getinvolved.php

To support veg outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

They’ve just created a new vegan menu after 20 years in operation, so we’re sponsoring a vegan lunch. All dishes contain no fish sauce, and they said they will moderate the spice level of dishes. (However, everyone has a different notion of spices. So if you are sensitive to spices or have to have a lot of spices, you may want to go at another time.) They will be serving family style on the second floor. There are steps. Menu subject to change. Thank you to Mark Rifkin, RD for organizing this lunch, and for attendees who want to support restaurants adding vegan options.

WHERE
Thai Landing
1207 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

WHEN
Sunday June 23, 2PM

VEGAN MENU
Som Tam (Thai Papaya Salad with peanut dressing)
Pad Kra Prao (Tofu, fresh basil, carrots, string beans, bamboo shoots, and a little hot pepper)
Roti Massaman Pak (Chick peas with cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, and peanuts simmered in coconut milk with mild curry)
Pad Woon Sen (Vegan soy chicken with stir-fried tofu, bean thread noodles, baby corn, mushrooms, onions, snow peas, bean sprouts, and
green onions)
Tofu with Mushroom Pad Khing (Stir fried tofu with ginger, black mushrooms, button mushrooms, baby corn, snow peas, carrots and onions)
Rice

COST
$25 per person (includes tax and tip). You must prepay by June 13th. Seating is limited. You can pay online at www.vrg.org/donate; write Thai dinner and names of attendees in the Comments section. You can also send $25 per person with names of attendees to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203, or call (410) 366-8343 with a credit card Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Refunds can only be made if we can replace your seat, since we have to give Thai Landing a count ahead of time.

Hope to see you there!

WHERE
Café Th
2108 Pease Street
Houston, TX 77003

WHEN
Sunday, October 20, 2013, 6 PM

MENU
Spring rolls with tofu
Vegetable Noodle Soup with rice noodles, tofu, and vegetables including squash, portabello mushrooms, and bok choy
Yellow Curry with cauliflower, green beans, carrots, and potatoes
Vermicelli with Lemongrass
Stir-Fried Tofu with tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers
Rice
Tea

Cost: $25 per person. Includes tax and tip.

Menu subject to change. Please reserve early as seating is limited. Please send $25 to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. Or pay online at www.vrg.org/donate and write in Th Dinner and the attendees’ names in the comments. Or call (410) 366-8343 between 9 AM and 5 PM Eastern time, Monday to Friday to pay with a Visa or MasterCard. Refunds only if we can replace your seat.

6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, Loma Linda, California
February 24-25, 2013
www.VegetarianNutrition.org

Every five years this scientific conference on the health effects of plant based diets offers an opportunity for health professionals and researchers to learn from each other in plenary sessions, workshops, poster presentations and social gatherings.

Program Highlights

1. The Great Debate: Are all Omega-3’s created equal?
2. Vegetarian diet pattern and longevity
3. Are vegetarian diets the solution to healthy aging?
4. Role of plant foods in prevention of chronic diseases
5. Environmental cost of vegetarian diet patterns
6. Vegetarian studies around the globe
7. Myths and controversies surrounding soy
8. New frontiers in nut research
9. Plant versus animal foods: the eternal debate
10. Dairy foods: what is the verdict?
11. Why and how vegetarian diets prevent obesity
12. Challenges of defining vegetarian diet
13. And many more. . .

Sunday, November 18, 2012
5:00 P.M.
North Baltimore Mennonite Church
4615 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210

Admission is $4 per adult and children under the age of 16 are admitted free. Please bring a vegan dish that serves four as a contribution from each member of your party. A vegan dish is made without meat, fish, fowl, dairy, eggs, honey, or other animal-derived ingredients. Write the ingredients of your dish on a 3 x 5 card to accommodate guests with special diets. Also, please bring a serving utensil for each dish. Paper plates, cups, napkins, and plastic utensils will be provided; however, we suggest participants please bring their own reusable dishes and utensils in order to reduce waste.

If you are unable to cook, you may bring a prepared vegan dish for four from a local natural foods store or restaurant. We also encourage you to bring a non-perishable vegetarian canned food item to donate to North Baltimore Mennonite Church, who will distribute it to those in need.

Need recipe ideas? Check out our Vegan Thanksgiving page.

To volunteer or for more information email vrg@vrg.org or call (410) 366-8343.

We look forward to seeing you there!

After recently working a booth for The Vegetarian Resource Group at a fair in Baltimore with our daughter and seeing the expressed interest of the public, I thought it only fair to try to help get The VRG fever spreading south! County fairs in Southern Maryland consist of tractor pulls, quilt competitions, baked goods, farm animals and of course dogs – that is, hot dogs!

When I initially contacted the liaison for the rental space he asked what business I was with so that he could place us accordingly. When I told him I was a volunteer for The VRG, he said “Hmmm, never heard of them, but I do know we have lots of vegetable eaters down here.” Immediately, I thought we had an in! The fair houses a commercial building where vendors can advertise to the public with free samples, magnets, pens and raffles. As we were setting up our table on Thursday night, worry set in as the table across from us was a Cake Shop with free samples. We had a basket of fresh vegetables on display but not for sampling, the competition was on!

With that in mind the fellow vegans and vegetarians were pleasantly surprised to see The VRG display. Along with the smiles and excitement we were also met by raised eyebrows from the local cattle and chicken farmers who got a laugh at removing the “Don’t” from the “Be kind to animals don’t eat them” bumper sticker. One local wanted to know if we could put a food stand up since the only food offered at the fair was mainly meat. This led to many interesting conversations. We learned of local farms who offer organic CSA’s to others sharing when to uproot sweet potatoes and what fall crop should be planted. Many shared their health improvement since switching to plant based diets.

To our surprise, based on the visitors who stopped at the booth to either gain information or share, all had one frequent comment, “Wow, this is exciting to see!” With limited resources in the rural area, many were excited to learn about VRG. Some took time to look through recipe books, while others signed up for The VRG email list or subscribed to the journal. We encouraged them to add their name to a sheet to form a local group of vegetarians and vegans.

Of all of the vendors distributing information at this fair, I left feeling that we had won the competition I had set that Thursday night. The visitors to The VRG were fed a wealth of information. We may not have been giving out sweet treats but I am certain that what we gave out will have a positive impact! We are hopeful that we can continue to spread the word throughout the community to help those who are interested~ thank you VRG for letting us help you help others!

If you would like to to volunteer in St. Mary’s Country Maryland, or do outreach booths in other parts of the country, please e-mail VRG’s outreach coordinator Mary at vrg@vrg.org.

Sunday, November 18, 2012
5:00 P.M.
North Baltimore Mennonite Church
4615 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210

Admission is $4 per adult and children under the age of 16 are admitted free. Please bring a vegan dish that serves four as a contribution from each member of your party. A vegan dish is made without meat, fish, fowl, dairy, eggs, honey, or other animal-derived ingredients. Write the ingredients of your dish on a 3 x 5 card to accommodate guests with special diets. Also, please bring a serving utensil for each dish. Paper plates, cups, napkins, and plastic utensils will be provided; however, we suggest participants please bring their own reusable dishes and utensils in order to reduce waste.

If you are unable to cook, you may bring a prepared vegan dish for four from a local natural foods store or restaurant. We also encourage you to bring a non-perishable vegetarian canned food item to donate to North Baltimore Mennonite Church, who will distribute it to those in need.

Need recipe ideas? Check out our Vegan Thanksgiving page.

To volunteer or for more information email vrg@vrg.org or call (410) 366-8343.

We look forward to seeing you there!

By Aileen McGraw, VRG Intern

Over 100 exhibitor booths filled the grounds of the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center in Naperville, Illinois on August 11th and 12th for Veggie Fest 2012. Chicago Veggie Fest comprises one of North America’s largest vegetarian festivals, uniting vegans, vegetarians and advocates for healthy living. Each day ran from 11am – 8pm and offered international speakers, live music, food demos, and children’s activities.

The Vegetarian Resource Group provided a wealth of information from its booth alongside other health, mind and wellness outreach groups. Volunteers provided festival goers with literature, the most recent Vegetarian Journal issue, and kid-friendly coloring books; all free of charge. The VRG also sold books from the VRG bookstore, covering issues of vegan pregnancy, living a meatless work life, and tips on partying vegan-style. VRG bumper stickers and the online newsletter sign-up proved to be festival favorites.

Beyond the Vegetarian Resource Group booth, Veggie Fest’s food court dished out vegetarian favorites and vegan innovations. Plate in hand, many enjoyed live music throughout the weekend. Chicago-based indie group The Giving Tree Band played electric and acoustic sets, and Gizzae, Miss Chicago Marisa Bucheit, and Caribe Son International also took the stage. Live presentations continued with food demos from chefs, cookbook authors and wellness coaches. Their topics included Karen Calbrese’s entrepreneurial natural health and detox ventures, raw food diets, and cruelty-free foods from around the world.

Chicago’s Veggie Fest fused different cultures under a common passion for sustainable living. With the Science of Spirituality (SOS) as the festival host and His Holiness Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj as a speaker, the SOS had a strong presence. The food court served up international fare ranging from falafel to Masala Dosa and mango chutney in addition to classics like sweet potato fries or veggie corn dogs. Worldly demos, ethnic cuisine and cross-cultural music combined to showcase Chicago’s compassionate community.

Both local and international issues brought attendees with questions, conversation and newfound curiosity to the VRG. I volunteered as a VRG intern with Chicago coordinator Eric Sharer and his team. Volunteers from Chicago VeganMania stopped by to chat about upcoming ChicagoVeg events and ideas for gluten-free, vegan baked goods to bring the next day. One visitor wanted simple vegan recipes that could easily be adapted sans-gluten, for which we recommended Simply Vegan by Debra Wasserman and Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D. The fest’s cultural vibrancy reflected those in attendance: one passerby flipped through pages of a Jewish vegan cookbook and multiple attendees asked for information in Spanish. Others took the Vegetarian Challenge, pledging to try vegetarianism for a week and receiving a Veggie Fest and e-recipes as support tools. While most of the weekend’s crowd was familiar with vegetarianism, new challenge undertakers came with questions and concerns: what exactly are leather alternatives? Does veganism really save water? VRG volunteers provided insight and information to novices and well-seasoned vegans.

The VRG joined experts and professionals from Chicago and beyond. Walking through the venue, I met Chicago-native activist and author Marla Rose, vegan body builder
Robert Cheeke and Phillip Roach of The Giving Tree Band, all while connecting with first-time attendees and volunteers like me. The 11am – 8pm days were punctuated with dancing, taste testing and exploring stands of health and beauty providers, Veggie Fest 2012 memorabilia, non-profits and resource centers. The weekend marked the 7th annual Chicago Veggie Fest, celebrating a growing network of health-enthusiasts and mindful living.

If you are interested in volunteering at a booth like this, please e-mail Mary at vrg@vrg.org.

For a list of other ways to volunteer and get involved with the VRG, please visit http://www.vrg.org/getinvolved.php.

Donations from individuals like you help VRG continue to sponsor outreach booths like
 these. To donate, please go to http://www.vrg.org/donate.

For more information on Chicago Veggie Fest, visit http://www.veggiefestchicago.org.

In preparing to attend the 2012 Natural Products Expo, I had the opportunity to view a webinar sponsored by New Hope 360 and Natural Foods Merchandiser. This webinar discussed the current natural products market and how the gap between natural and conventional retailers is rapidly narrowing. Concerns mentioned by the presenters included:

• Sales increases for supplement stores, with reasons linked to a larger product mix and increased retail space
• Decreased sales for health food stores
• Increased internet retailers
• Increasing competitive threats from large retailers

Though there may be competition between avenues of distribution, after attending the Natural Products Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, it was clear from the crowds and enthusiasm amongst attendees that the natural products industry is flourishing. I had the opportunity to interact with activist, entrepreneurs, established businessmen and women and fellow non-profit workers.

The VRG’s booth was located in a back corner of the ‘New Products’ showroom this year. Last year we had been placed in a prime location so we were expecting a little less interaction at this expo. To our surprise we were even busier than last year!

We distributed information and offered resources to many different companies and individuals. Organizations wanted to work with us to get the word out about their product or service or distribute our resources to their consumers.

An employee of Choc and Nut, who came to visit VRG’s booth, discussed his efforts to break into the American food market with us. Look for an upcoming product review for his vegan version of Nutella.

Geetha Pai was looking for resources that could help her expand her operations. Geetha puts on cooking demos to show people how to cook healthy meals for their families and she founded a company that sells eco-friendly, handmade baskets and bags whose profits are shared with charities. She explained what an impact her cooking classes have on these families and filled us in on her charity work. Geetha was similar to so many that stopped by our booth at the Natural Foods Expo, sharing amazing stories with us and taking away useful information that will benefit their endeavors.

Walking around the expo was a great adventure and I discovered so many new products. For example, EdgyBurger’s vegan butternut squash, spinach and quinoa burger, washed down with Suvva Juice, a sweet, cacao based fruit juice was a pallet pleaser. My favorite treat was Maggie’s Conscious Vegan Cuisine black beluga lentils with Thai green curry. It was delicious!

I tried some samples from Lavera, a cosmetic company that offers over 100 vegan products. The organic wild rose and organic macadamia nut moisturizing cream truly moisturizes and smells great too! Andrew Eisenberg from Awearables, LLC introduced me to the new vegan alert wristband for children; a stylish wristband for little vegans that alert adults of children’s allergies or diet practices. I had the chance to chat with the founder of Smile Squared, a company that sells bamboo toothbrushes. For every toothbrush Smile Squared sells they send a toothbrush to a child in need who doesn’t own one, a simple idea that is making a huge difference!

I was exposed to the difficulties faced by those trying to break into the natural products market and how important it is to network with everyone you meet. For 30 years, VRG has always been happy when we can help new, innovative businesses.

The Natural Products Expo brought together businesspeople with similar interests and values, establishing connections that will continue to grow. I look forward to witnessing additional development of vegan products at next year’s show.

Vegucated Documentary
*Friday, October 5 @ 6:00p*
Screening of Vegucated an award-winning documentary that follows three meat and cheese loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. VRG Advisor Reed Mangels will be a panelist for a post-film discussion.

Powered By Plants: What We Know About Vegan Athletes
Enette Larson-Meyer, PhD, RD and Matt Ruscigno, MPH, RD
*Saturday, October 6 @ Noon-1:15pm*

Vegan Diets: What the Experts Say About Vitamin B12, Minerals, Protein, and Essential Fats
Ginny Messina, MPH, RD and Jack Norris, RD
*Saturday, October 6 @ 1:30-3:00pm*

*Register here: http://www.eatright.org/dpgevents