2014 Winners are featured here: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2014issue4/2014_issue4_scholarship_winners.php

In 2015, thanks to an anonymous donor The Vegetarian Resource Group will be awarding $20,000 in scholarship money to graduating High School seniors that have promoted vegetarian/vegan diets over an extended period of time in their community, school, etc.

The deadline to enter the 2015 contest is February 20, 2015 and details can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

Earlier this year, The Vegetarian Resource Group did a national survey conducted by Harris Poll of more than 1,200 U.S. youth ages 8-18. We asked the following:

Which of the following, if any, best describes your eating behavior? (Just select one choice.)

1. You never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry.
2. You don’t eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry at one meal per week.
3. You don’t eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry one full day per week.
4. You don’t eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry at many of your meals, but less than half the time.
5. You don’t eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry at more than half of your meals, but not all the time.
6. You never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs.
7. Not any of the above. No answer.

To see the results of this poll visit: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2014issue4/2014_issue4_poll_results.php

To see other polling results from The Vegetarian Resource Group go to: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll

Thank you to the Bank of America employee who recently made a donation to VRG, which was matched by Bank of America. To see if your large employer matches donations, see www.vrg.org/donate and select “Would you like your employer to match? You could double your donation.”

Thanks so much for your support!

Chanukah is a time that extended families gather together. Here are three vegan recipes you can share with your friends and family during this 8-day celebration.

Tofu/Potato Pancakes (from Conveniently Vegan)
Makes 8 pancakes – serve 2 per person

2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups water
1 box (about 10-12 ounces) extra firm silken tofu, crumbled
½ cup matzo meal
Small onion, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon dill weed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons oil

Place potatoes in water in a large covered pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes over a medium-high heat. Drain.
Place the cooked potatoes and remaining ingredients (except for the oil) in a food processor cup. Blend until smooth (about 3 minutes).
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown pancakes on each side for 8 minutes. Flip over carefully. Serve warm pancakes with applesauce.

Vegan Noodle Kugel (from Vegans Know How to Party)
Serves 5

Vegetable oil spray
One 12-ounce package wide vegan noodles (lasagna noodles work well)
1½ cups silken tofu
¾ cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
½ cup raisins
½ cup drained, chopped canned peaches
1½ cups peeled, cored, and cubed green apples
¼ cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a loaf pan (about 4 inches deep and 8 inches long) with oil. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain, and cool. Using a blender or mixer, puree tofu with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and zest.
In a large bowl, combine raisins, peaches, apples, and applesauce. Whip in tofu mixture. Add in noodles and mix until well combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.

Variations: For different flavors, use pineapple or apricots instead of peaches and dried cranberries and cherries or apricots instead of raisins. Whole wheat noodles can be used in this recipe.

Festive Cashew Cookies (from Simply Vegan)
Makes 2 dozen

2 cups raw cashews
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup molasses or maple syrup
½ cup water
¼ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Small jar fruit-only jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grind the raw cashews and rolled oats together in a food processor for a few minutes. Pour mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except for the jam. Mix all the ingredients together.
Form 24 round balls and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. With your thumb, form a small well in the center of each ball. Place a small amount of jam in each well. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Allow cookies to cool before removing from the cookie sheet. These cookies make a wonderful gift!

Support The Vegetarian Resource Group with VRG’s affinity Visa® Platinum Rewards credit card!

When a cardholder activates the card, The Vegetarian Resource Group receives $50. Then for the life of the program, VRG will receive a portion of every dollar that each cardholder charges. The VRG Visa® Platinum Rewards card offers qualified cardholders exceptional benefits including no annual fee, a low APR and reward points for shopping at participating merchants. View FAQs.

Add your support with every purchase when you use the The VRG Visa® Platinum Rewards card. To apply, see: http://www.cardpartner.com/app/vrg

Coffee mugs, key chains, t-shirts, and buttons featuring VRG’s slogan “Vegetarians Have Good Hearts!” are available at http://www.zazzle.com/vegresgroup. By purchasing these items you will be supporting our vegan outreach including sending literature to schools, doctor’s and dietitians offices, restaurants, hospitals, senior centers, and more. Thank you for your support!

By Dina Gharib
Former VRG Intern

When I applied for the VRG internship, I didn’t know what to expect. I was just beginning my junior year at UMBC and I knew I needed to start gaining professional experience. I was unsure of what I wanted to become, and saw that this internship would be beneficial to both routes I was considering, as well as my own personal beliefs. In a few short months spent at the VRG office, I am leaving as a completely changed person. I am now confident in my beliefs, as well as my capabilities. Before this internship, I was always too nervous to show others my writing or to talk with fellow co-workers or classmates in fear of judgment. I learned that no one is perfect; that everyone on this earth is trying their best to be the ultimate version of themselves. We learn, we listen, and we grow as individuals. I also learned that every single person on this earth has some wisdom to be shared. Whether you agree with their perspective or not, it is our duty as educated individuals to take all perspectives into consideration, especially if you’re a writer.

I’ve learned that we develop as people through experience and that multiple drafts are necessary in completing a polished well-read article. I also learned that criticism doesn’t have to be something you take to heart; criticism is meant to help develop your thoughts, and allows for the writer to hear other perspectives concerning your work. I was able to push myself to write as much as possible about topics that I am passionate about. I was able to work at outreach events, and meet and talk to like-minded individuals. I was able to spread my knowledge, as well as embrace wisdom from many other people that I probably would not have crossed paths with if I had not done this internship.

My first week consisted of setting up and working at the Natural Food and Products Expo East, one of the biggest natural food conventions on the east coast. Safe to say I was completely overwhelmed. I had no idea how big the industry was, and I felt right at home. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals who share the same passion as me is an experience that I will not forget. Along with the expo, I had the honor of working at The Vegetarian Resource Group booth at the first Vegan Soul Fest in Baltimore, Maryland. Along with attending these amazing events, I was able to write countless restaurant/food reviews and articles, including an interview I conducted with a local vegan doughnut business. The freedom to write about topics that interested me resulted in the creation of countless pieces that I am legitimately proud of writing. Luckily, since I started my internship with a bang, I also had the opportunity to end it similarly with VRG’s 33rd annual Pre-thanksgiving Vegan Potluck. At the potluck I was fortunate enough to meet over a hundred people who were equally as excited and passionate about food and vegetarianism. Being in a room filled with VRG readers and supporters who were kind yet passionate about a similar topic was the best way I could end months of hard work. While I know that my time here at The Vegetarian Resource Group is over, I’m certain that I am leaving with a lot more wisdom, passion, and friends than I could have ever imagined.

Contact The Vegetarian Resource Group if you would like to intern in Baltimore or long distance. Please send to [email protected] your resume or a link to a bio, with a note detailing your desired dates and times to intern, your skills, short term goals, long term goals, vegetarian/vegan knowledge, and what you hope to gain from the internship. You can see the work of past interns at: http://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

If you would like to support internships, you can donate at www.vrg.org/donate

You, your family, office workers, and friends will enjoy these vegan muffin recipes written by Debra Daniels-Zeller found in a recent issue of Vegetarian Journal. Gluten-free vegan options are included! See: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2014issue4/2014_issue4_muffin_mania.php

Support The Vegetarian Resource Group by subscribing to Vegetarian Journal today: http://www.vrg.org/bookstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

We received this information from Green America:

Parents who want to celebrate the holidays with gift ideas that are
better for their children and the world will find a wide range of
alternatives at www.safegreentoys.org, a new resource offered by the
nonprofit Green America. All of the highlighted toys avoid toxic
materials and are made from recycled, organic, and Fair Trade materials.

Holiday gift items featured on www.safegreentoys.org include the following:

Hooded bamboo bath towel, Andrews, SC. The fabric for Bamboosa’s baby
products comes from 100-percent organically certified bamboo fiber, or
is blended with organic cotton, Lycra, or recycled polyester. For the
infants on your shopping list, consider Bamboosa’s hooded bamboo bath
towel, which is generously sized and can still be used in the toddler
years. www.bamboosa.com

Board games, Naturally Playful, Aloha, OR. In addition to classic
products like recycled cardboard puzzles and organic stuffed animals,
Naturally Playful makes available cooperative board games made by a
family company in Canada. These games teach kids about cooperation,
while also educating about topics like loss of animal habitat (“Then
There Were None”), world geography (“Explorers”), and grammar (“Star
Words”).

Cotton kids’ T-shirts, Dhana EcoKids, Mill Valley, CA. One popular
item is Dhana’s 100-percent organic cotton kids’ T-shirts in the “Earth
Day Winter White Tree” design, featuring a tree formed from the
intertwining words rethink, revive, recycle, renew, regenerate,
remember, respect, reuse, restore, and recover.

Home-made gifts. For green gift-giving around the holidays, one
popular approach is a “do-it-yourself gardening kit” consisting of:
three to five clay pots, water-based paints to decorate the pots, a
small bag of potting soil, vegetable or flower seeds, a small shovel,
and a child’s set of gardening gloves.

For the holidays, you may also want to shop at these cruelty-free
retailers found on The Vegetarian Resource Group’s website here:
http://www.vrg.org/links/products.htm#retailer

Enjoy Naturally Sweet Treats this Holiday including TruJoy’s Organic Candy Canes!

TruJoy Sweets makes it easy to enjoy natural sweetness for your holiday gift giving! They are all free of artificial colors and flavors. They are also corn syrup free, Non-GMO project verified, gluten-free, vegan and kosher too. For more information visit: www.trujoysweets.com.