Inside Summer Distro: Hot! Hot! Hot! • Adopt a College Amazes!

• Letter to a Young Matt

Vegan Outreach
News Fall 2009

Team Vegan: The Cutting Edge! • Matching Opportunity • New Handbook for Activists
Vegan Outreach’s philosophy is that each sentient
individual has a right to his or her body and life.
To that end, we promote living so as to contribute
to as little animal suffering and death as possible,
focusing on “preaching to the convertible” with our
booklets. Since Vegan Outreach’s founding in 1993,
over 10 million booklets have been distributed.

Financial Statement
Fiscal Year Total Revenue Total Expenses
2007–2008 $731,542 $710,726
2008–2009* $707,912 $750,090

Your Donations at Work for the Animals!

FY ’08–’09* Functional Expenses
as a Percent of Total Expenses

  Programs (87%)
  Support Services (7%)
  Fundraising (6%) Changing Lives Every Day
*Based on preliminary data
Welcome to Vegan Outreach’s annual print newsletter. On these pages,
we’ll show you what your donations have accomplished in the past year.
The Independent Charities Seal of You’ll see activists in action and read a sampling of the stories we hear daily
Excellence is awarded to charities about people whose lives have been changed because of your support.
that have, upon rigorous independent

Photos: © iStockphoto.com/Lee Pettet (front cover lambs); © iStockphoto.com/zilli (piglet); © iStockphoto.com/Anatolii Tsekhmister (duckling); © iStockphoto.com/Jose Manuel Gelpi Diaz (chicks); © iStockphoto.com/Altay Kaya (monitor); Jon Camp (Nick); Casey Constable (beachgoers); Jessica Dadds (concertgoers)
review, been able to certify, document,
Because of your contributions, millions have learned the hidden realities of modern
and demonstrate on an annual basis
that they meet the highest standards agribusiness and have received honest, detailed information about pursuing a cruelty-free life.
of public accountability, program
effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. Because of you, every day brings us closer to the compassionate world we all desire.
Of the 1,000,000 charities operating
in the United States today, fewer than
2,000 have been awarded this Seal.
Double Your Donation!
Board of Directors Impressed by Vegan Outreach’s concrete results, a number
Matt Ball, Executive Director
of dedicated members have pooled their money to create
Jack Norris, RD, President
Mark Foy an end-of-year matching challenge.
Kevin Gallagher
Anna Lesiecki This means, from November 1 through December 31,
Director of Development & Programs your donations to Vegan Outreach’s work will be
Anne Green, PhD matched, dollar for dollar, up to $70,000!
Director of Outreach
Jon Camp
Enjoy the newsletter, and please support Vegan Outreach so this work can continue! Thanks!
Director of Finance & Administration
Bill Duarte
Designer & Researcher
Lauren Panos
Advisor
Steve Kaufman, MD A Weekly Dose of Vegan Goodness!
Privacy Policy
Delivered Free Every Wednesday
Vegan Outreach does not share, sell, or trade
any of our members’ information. Subscribe to Vegan Outreach’s enewsletter for
inspiring stories, exciting news, product recom-
We’d love to hear from you! mendations, recipes, and much much more:
Vegan Outreach VeganOutreach.org/enewsletter
POB 30865, Tucson, AZ  85751-0865
vegan@VeganOutreach.org Vegan Outreach is also on Facebook and Twitter!

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Of all the email newsletters I receive, yours is the best. You provide the most relevant and interesting info. —SC, 6/27/09

2  Vegan Outreach News|Fall 2009


No Doubt was an excellent concert to leaflet, lots of young and thoughtful people. One young lady took a leaflet
from me, pointed straight to the ground in front of my feet, and told her two friends, “Right here, in this very spot.
This is where I went vegetarian.” You know it happens all the time, and once in a while, we’re in earshot to hear it.
—Stewart Solomon, 8/5/09
Building on lessons from previous years, Vegan
Outreach’s summer outreach was the most focused
and efficient ever, with refined leafleting techniques
and a special Warped Tour booklet cover.
Activists, including traveling members of the Humane
Leagues of Philadelphia and Baltimore, handed booklets
to over 165,000 young people at this year’s Warped Tour!
Kyle Tveten, Twila Hoyle, Derwin Wilright, Jr., and Lucius
Wesson provided VO booklets to more than 4,000 teens at
the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans on 7/24/09.
Leafleting the Lutheran Youth Convention, we came
across about 40 vegetarians, whose comments made
our day. “I appreciate you guys being out here!”
“Keep it up!” “You’re doing great work!” and countless
other remarks were warmly offered. Some might say
40 is nothing. A few years ago we would have met
zero. Let’s see what we get next year.
—Derwin Wilright, Jr., 7/25/09

Overall, summer leafleters across the continent directly

reached 319,563 individuals at concerts, festivals,
and other venues. As a result, requests for our Guide
to Cruelty-Free Eating poured in every day!

Nick Cooney (above) and fellow HLP
activists teamed up with Petra Halasova,
Lubica Janovova, Darina Smith, and Jon
Camp at the Milwaukee Warped Tour
stop on 7/30/09 and reached 6,200 fans.
I received a booklet at the Warped Tour, and I ended up reading the
entire thing. Of course, everyone has an idea of what animal cruelty
is, but actually reading the facts proves that being vegan would
definitely help the fight. I plan on pursuing the lifestyle.
—AB, 7/7/09

Above: Concertgoers check out their special Warped Tour

Why Vegan? booklets at the Portland, OR show
on 8/16/09—just 2 of the 4,125 young people
reached by Yvonne LeGrice, Ramona, Jessica
Dadds, Marsha Rakestraw, Sylvia Mayorga, Lori
Alexander and her three children, Jimmy, Emily,
and Lois. Left: At Galveston Beach, TX, Casey
Constable found hundreds of young people
willing to consider a compassionate diet.

At the Ani DiFranco concert, I gave

a woman a Compassionate Choices,
and she showed it to her husband.
He looked at the cover image and
said, “It’s a chick!” in a dismissive way.
A little while later, the couple walked past
me and the man pointed to the booklet:
“This is very compelling.”
—Julie Rothman, 7/12/09

Fall 2009|Vegan Outreach News  3

 Amaze s!
AAC on Students My, how we’ve grown!

O ne Milli During its inaugural year (2003–2004),

Eileen Botti (above), Jennifer Greene, Heather Kramer, and
Over
ch ool Year! Vegan Outreach’s Adopt a College

in One S
Peter Bass reached 2,918 SUNY students on 4/27/09. program reached 81,779 students.

CUNY John Jay was amazing—Sean Diener and I
handed out over 1,200 booklets in just a few hours.
A couple of the highlights: “I just wanted you to know
that pamphlet made me go vegetarian last time you
were here.” One student to her friend, “Oh yeah, I got
that—I think I’m going vegetarian!”
—Eileen Botti, 5/6/09
Since then, AAC has exploded, becoming the
premier grassroots campaign in the country.
During the 2008–2009 school year, hundreds of activists took the animals’ message
directly to 1,178,906 students at 985 schools around the world!
Your support has allowed dedicated activists to go straight to thousands of new people, every day,
in every U.S. state, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Italy, and now Australia.

You can follow this semester’s progress at AdoptaCollege.org

I went to my alma mater, UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico),

and gave out 206 booklets in a heartbeat. Reception was very close to perfect.
While there, I had lunch with a dear friend. Yesterday I received an
email from him that said: “I want to let you know that I was
very persuaded by our conversation and the vegan booklet.
I’m heading that way.”
—Italia Millan (at right, with friend), 6/20/09

Tom Schlieske (above), Jon Camp (below), Joe Espinosa, and

Sean Hollick handed out 3,000 Even If You Like Meat booklets
plus 25 copies of our Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating at Illinois Students Handed a Brochure:  Fall 2003 – Spring 2009
State University on 8/18/09.
3,500,000 3,500,000
Leafleting at the University of Illinois, Chicago, one
young woman told her friend, “You have to take one 3,000,000 3,000,000
of those! It’s what turned me into a vegetarian.”
—Jon Camp, 6/17/09 2,500,000 2,500,000

2,000,000 2,000,000

1,500,000 1,500,000

1,000,000 1,000,000

500,000 500,000

FALL ’03 SPR ’04 FALL ’04 SPR ’05 FALL ’05 SPR ’06 FALL ’06 SPR ’07 FALL ’07 SPR ’08 FALL ’08 SPR ’09

Semester Totals Cumulative Semester Totals

Photos: Jennifer Greene (Eileen); Jon Camp (Tom, Vinia); Tom Schlieske (Jon); Don Hughes (Italia); Leah Wagner (students); Casey Constable (Jenn)

4  Vegan Outreach News|Fall 2009

 I believe very much that Vegan Outreach’s Adopt a College is the most effective form of animal rights activity in terms
of numbers of animals saved and in terms of creating lasting changes to society. Leafleting is being done on a
weekly basis at Melbourne University, so friends and I have moved on to Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
This is the most effective animal rights advocacy that can be done, and I am happy to work with you. Mizzou students read Even If You Like Meat—3 of the 3,913
people reached by Leah Wagner and Rick Hershey on 4/8/09.
—Roy E. Taylor, Australia, 5/31/09

At Northwestern, one man stopped and told me we

should worry about human suffering first. I said we
Leafleting Leaders:  Fall 2008 – Spring 2009 School Year can prevent terrible suffering simply by choosing
Top Adopt a College Leafleters State Schools Booklets Leafleters with Totals > 1,500 Booklets vegan foods. After talking a bit, he said it seemed like
Vic Sjodin* PA 150 156,681 Animal Protection & Rescue League* the right thing to do and that he would give it a try.

Jon Camp* MD 161 123,320 AgireOra* —Leslie Patterson, 7/17/09

Darius Fullmer
Brian Grupe* CA 154 73,536 Eleni Vlachos
Eileen Botti* NY 82 68,048 Lana Smithson
Twila Hoyle
Brianne Donaldson* CA 54 60,677
Brandon Becker
Casey Constable TX 61 59,841 John Bowers
Joe Espinosa IL 35 57,035 Vegas Veg*
Linda Bower
Rob Gilbride* NC 104 49,092 SMART*
Fred Tyler* MN 87 41,387 Jessica Dadds
Darina Smith
Florida Voices for Animals* FL 27 30,128
Rose Ann Skirha
Eric Paul* CA 49 26,658 Penn State Vegetarian Club*
Rick Hershey* MO 13 26,465 Michelle Cehn
Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition*
Humane League of Philadelphia* PA 30 25,753 Kenny Torrella
Stewart Solomon CA 12 25,693 Kira Vincent
Jeff Boghosian Vinia Vongchareun (above), Amber Coon, and Jon Camp
Leslie Patterson IL 30 22,379
Heather Kramer handed out 950 booklets at Syracuse University on 4/17/09.
Humane League of Baltimore* MD 34 19,345 Jennifer Greene Jenn George (below), Vic Sjodin, and Casey Constable
Outreach Alliance for Kids and Animals* reached 1,600 students at UMass Amherst on 4/24/09.
Leah Wagner TX 26 17,482
Eric Griffith
Miranda Robbins* CA 19 16,055 John Sakars My daughter and I both went vegan a few years ago
Jim Skirha IL 11 14,191 Eva Helsel from brochures received on a college campus, so we
Jenny Jacobs know firsthand that Vegan Outreach works.
Barbara Bear CO 5 11,489
Monica Ferroe
Compassionate Action for Animals* MN 10 11,307 Jane Shakman —Laura Stuebe, 6/18/09
Mercy For Animals* IL 11 10,719 Tom Schlieske
Katherine Groff
Maureen Wilson OR 14 9,800 Amelia Mayer
Loren Hart NC 17 9,048 Alicia Koberstein
*Activist group or paid to leaflet throughout or part of the school year

Distribution Totals:  August 1, 2003 – September 22, 2009

Schools Leafleted 1,433 Students Handed a Brochure 3,570,343

Fall 2009|Vegan Outreach News  5


At Dakota County Technical College, one woman said, “Don’t start me on that.
I worked on one of those nasty places. I know.” I also talked to an older gentle-
man who took a group of Boy Scouts to a turkey farm. He said he had to leave
within half an hour because it made him sick, the way they treated the animals.
He said, “They acted like they weren’t even living beings.”
—Fred Tyler, 5/4/09
Within the first five minutes at San Jose State, I met a young lady who told me
she went veg from receiving a VO booklet previously. She said she had no idea
how anyone could NOT go veg once the information is in front of you.
At American River College, an African-American student asked about specific
pictures and even compared factory farming to slavery. I told him a lot of
people have been offended by that comparison and he responded to that saying,
“Man, we all suffer, we’re all the same.”
—Brian Grupe, 5/5/09
6  Vegan Outreach News|Fall 2009
One thing long-time vegans often forget is how hard it can be to
be vegan in this society. But if I think back to when I went vegan
about two decades ago, I do remember some of how hard it was.
Not so much finding vegan food (although it was much harder then),
but living in a nonvegan world. I had finally come to recognize the
brutality that went on behind the scenes, but it seemed that no one
around me cared.
Of course, I had to show them—show them how ethical I was,
how much cruelty I could purge from my life, how far I would go
for the animals. Being vegan became my defining characteristic,
and I became obsessed with justifying and glorifying veganism.
I’m afraid that if my 21-year-old self met my 41-year-old self, prior
me would consider older me an intellectual coward, a pathetic sellout,
a traitor to veganism. I fear there is nothing I could say to change
my prior mind. But sometimes, I do think about what I would say,
if I had the chance.
“  Now, knowing what suffering really is, and
knowing how much there is in the world,
all my previous concerns seem—well,
to put it kindly, ridiculous.
”
The single most important lesson I’ve learned in the past
20 years is that the irreducible heart of what matters is suffering.
Back then, although I was sure I knew everything, I really didn’t
know anything about suffering—I worried about abstractions
and words and principles; I argued about exploitation, oppression,
liberation, etc. I didn’t take suffering seriously. Since then, though,
I’ve developed a chronic disease, and experienced times when
I thought I was going to die, times when I wished I would die.
Now, knowing what suffering really is, and knowing how
much there is in the world, all my previous concerns seem—
well, to put it kindly, ridiculous.
I don’t know how I could convey this to my younger self,
who had never really known suffering. Yet it seems clear
to me now—when we make a decision, we should decide
based on what leads to the least amount of suffering. This is
the bottom line—that something is good and right and ethical
if it causes less suffering than the alternatives.
As the saying goes, a smart person learns from their own mistakes,
but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. Another
mistake I had to make for myself was the trap of “do some-
thing, do anything!” If there was some action going on
 Lots of good interactions today at the Boulder Farmers’ Market. A number of
people approached me for a brochure (I love when that happens). A woman
who walked away with the Compassionate Choices, then came back later to
thank me for being out there, said she had no idea this happened to animals,
and she was proud of me for leafleting. I thanked her and gave her a Guide.
—Barbara Bear, 8/2/09

“for the animals,” I had to do it. It never occurred to me to consider

exactly what constructive purpose the action served, how much
actual good was going to be accomplished, or what were the alter­
native uses of my time and resources. I thought only of showing
my dedication, of expressing my outrage.

But of course, expressions of outrage aren’t going to bring about

animal liberation. I finally realized that if I really cared about some-
thing more than venting my anger, my actions had to be a part of
a reasoned, logical strategy—grounded in how the world actually is,
learning from what history teaches us about how societies change,
what psychology and sociology teach us about human nature, and
what our capabilities are at the time.

After years of unfocused, self-centered, angry activism, I finally

came to realize that if I really cared about the animals,
I had to maximize the amount of good I accom-
plished with my limited time and resources.

Leafleting the Portland Saturday Market was a great experience. I can’t even
remember how many times I heard, “Awww” and “Ewww.” Girls huddled around
the booklets. One girl took a booklet and said, “This is why I’m vegetarian! This
stuff is real!” Another woman stopped walking and just stood there looking
down at the booklet in disbelief. “This is horrible,” she said to her friends.
—Jessica Dadds, 5/13/09
Photos: Compassion Over Killing (hens); USDA (turkeys, calves); Jon Camp (Matt); © iStockphoto.com/narvikk (piglets)

“  …if I really cared

about the animals,
I had to maximize
the amount of good
I accomplished with At the University of Wisconsin at Madison, a woman let me know that her
my limited time daughter had become vegan due to getting our booklet, and another student
let me know that the booklet had moved her to become vegetarian. A university
and resources.
” staffer told me she buys all local and organic animal products. I pointed out
that there is no nice way to cut animals’ heads off. She acknowledged this.
—Joe Espinosa, 7/22/09

Fall 2009|Vegan Outreach News  7

 “  Everyone eats every day,
so every person we meet
is a potential major victory
for the animals.
”

Photos: Jon Camp (Loren, Darina, Michele); Eileen Botti (Jessica, Jennifer, Kevin); Italia Millan (Don)
And to do so, I had to set aside my ego, and
stop focusing on what most outraged me,
personally. Rather, I needed to start from
the two fundamental lessons that took me
so long to learn:

1. Suffering is irreducibly bad, and thus

eliminating suffering is the ultimate good.

2. Every time we choose to do one thing,

Loren Hart (above) and Jon Camp reached 1,095 students at UNC Asheville and
Western Carolina University on 3/30/09. Jennifer Greene (right) and Eileen Botti
handed out 1,128 copies of Even If You Like Meat at SCCC in Selden, NY on 4/30/09.
For many years, I was turned off to the idea of becoming vegan, due to most
people and web sites being so hard core. I am very impressed with how you
show that doing what you can is more important than being pure. I decided
to switch to vegan a few weeks ago.
—JE, 6/14/09
we are choosing not to do another.
From these two facts comes Vegan Outreach’s
first principle, our bottom line and guide:
eliminating as much suffering as possible.
Everything we do derives directly from that—we make our choices
based on which option will lead to the least amount of suffering.
Based entirely on this first principle, we choose to focus on exposing
the cruelties of factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses, while
providing honest information about how to pursue a cruelty-free
lifestyle. Let me repeat—our emphasis on ethical eating derives
from our first principle, not vice versa. No specific diet has any
value in and of itself. Rather, the importance of promoting cruelty-
free eating is that it allows us to have the maximum impact on the
amount of suffering in the world.

Everyone eats every day,

so every person we meet is
a potential major victory for
the animals. For each and
every person you convince
to go vegetarian—through
your own action or by fund-
ing focused advocacy—you
double the impact of your life’s
choices. Choose to be a part of
a dedicated outreach program,
Kari Nienstedt and friend at Farm Sanctuary.
and every single person who
changes because of your out-
reach and donations will save as many animals as you will save with
every choice you make every day for the rest of your life.
Jessica Almy (above), Kevin Satter (opposite page), Will Fisher, and Eileen Botti
provided 890 NYU students with copies of Even If You Like Meat on 3/27/09.
But if we want to be the best possible advocates for the animals, we
can’t give anyone any reasons to ignore the terrible and unnecessary
I found your site when looking for information so that I can feed a super-militant
suffering on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. It is absolutely
vegan friend of mine. Your approach to veganism is the first time I have seen it
essential that we stay focused on the animals. We are not the issue.
presented in such a way as to not be absurd or demeaning. While I may never
Although it took me years to accept this, veganism is not an end in
be able to be 100% vegan, you have at least opened my mind to the possibility.
itself—it is only a tool for reducing suffering. Our purpose can’t be
—BE, 7/15/09 to “win an argument with a meat eater.” Our goal has to be to get

8  Vegan Outreach News|Fall 2009

people to open their hearts and minds to the animals’ plight.
It all simplifies to this:

*
  Buying meat, eggs, and dairy causes unnecessary suffering.

*
  We can each choose not to cause this suffering.

If we take the long view—and are willing to devote our limited time
and resources to the work that needs to be done—we should be
deeply optimistic. If we take suffering seriously and are committed
to optimal advocacy, we can each create real, fundamental change,
every single day.

Because of the number of

individuals suffering and
the reason behind this
hidden brutality, I believe
that animal liberation is
the moral imperative of
our time. We can be the
generation that brings Darina Smith (above), Jon Camp, and Mercy For Animals activists Bill, Bridget, and
about this next great ethi- Alexis seized the opportunity to place booklets into the hands of hundreds of new
people during the busy, weekend-long Custer Fair in Evanston, IL.
cal advance. We should
Don Hughes and friend at SASHA Farm.
revel in the freedom and
opportunity we have, the Both days at Evanston Custer Fair were very busy, with a ton of kids in their
chance to be a part of something so profound! This is as meaningful teens and twenties. It was very gratifying to watch so many of these kids read
and joyous a life as I can imagine. the booklets right on the spot. I had about 20 people say they were veg; others
were just starting out, hungry for information.
We have no excuse for waiting. Taking meaningful, concrete action There is so much more to leafleting than mechanical passing out of pamphlets.
for the animals doesn’t require anything more than our choice. Each one of us is no less than a spokesperson, a face and a voice of the move-
You don’t need to start a group. You don’t need to pass a law. ment, an individual who changes people’s hearts. What can be more exciting?
You just have to make the choice to be a part of this vital work.
—Darina Smith, 6/24/09

“  We should revel in the

freedom and opportunity
we have, the chance to
be a part of something
so profound!
”
In the end, in our hearts, we know
that, regardless of what we think of
ourselves, our actions reveal
the kind of person we really
are. We can each make the
choice, right here, right now,
Michele Castillo (above), Rachel Boonin, Scout Kilbourne, and Jon Camp handed out
to join together and dedicate 800 copies of Even If You Like Meat at UNC Wilmington on 2/20/09.
our lives to a larger purpose, to maximize
the amount of good we accomplish, to
I was moved to make a donation after reading some of the essays on your web
really change the world for the better.
site. I seem to find myself bombarded by the most discouraging and sometimes
vitriolic viewpoints these days about animal rights and veganism. Your essays
were a much needed reminder that there are still sane people in the animal
Excerpts from a talk presented in Chicago on June 7, 2009 by Vegan Outreach’s cofounder rights movement who are doing good work.
and executive director, Matt Ball (shown on page 7, leafleting the University of Arizona).
The full text of Matt’s talk is available at VeganOutreach.org/articles/youngmatt.html —VM, 7/13/09

Fall 2009|Vegan Outreach News  9

 Team Vegan: The Cutting Edge!
Considering Team Vegan 2008 raised over $85,000 to promote veganism,
Team Vegan ’09 had big shoes to fill. John and Fany set the pace, pledging
a $75,000 matching challenge to the dozens of runners across the country.

Team Vegan’s athletes rose to the challenge. Not only did they train endless
hours and run thousands of miles, but they ran to family and friends to
make the match for the animals.

Chicago activists Leslie Patterson and Joe Espinosa regularly use their vacation time to reach
new people on campuses in surrounding states; above is Leslie in action at Ohio’s Kent State
University, where she and Joe handed out 757 copies of Even If You Like Meat on 4/14/09.

Our first vegan bake sale was a great success—we raised hundreds of dollars for
VO, handed out hundreds of VO booklets, answered a ton of questions, and gave
people who were trying to become vegan lots of encouragement! I wish you could
have heard some of the great conversations. The ripple effect will be amazing.
—Becky Koechell, 6/27/09

Alex Bury, Kathy Buckley, Joe Connelly, Lisa Towell, and Henry Chen celebrate
Team Vegan’s success at the post-race party in San Francisco.

After the last drop of sweat was rinsed away and the final Clif bar consumed,
Team Vegan ’09 put $168,331 to work for the animals!

For more about the incredible folks behind Team Vegan’s success, please
see VeganOutreach.org/articles/teamvegan09.html and TeamVegan.biz

Order Vegan Outreach Booklets &

Shop Our Merchandise Catalog!
Mikael Nielsen braves a cold Chicago night at Harold Washington College to explain the truth New Book! We’re thrilled to announce the
behind modern agribusiness and the compassionate alternatives to meat, eggs, and dairy. arrival of The Animal Activist’s Handbook, coauthored
by VO’s Matt Ball & PETA’s Bruce Friedrich. On sale
from VO for 33% off the cover price!
Thank you for your outreach program. I’ve wanted to become a vegetarian for
several years. Your pamphlet, which I picked up at Union Square, NYC, made it Also available from our catalog:
clear to me that NOW is the time. It’s been two weeks now and I’m not going back!   VO message shirts, tote bags, & bumper stickers
 Meet Your Meat tabling video & veg cooking DVDs
—TC, 7/7/09
  display prints, booklet holders, & more!
For more activists’ stories and samples of the feedback we receive every day from those
whose lives were changed by your donations, see VeganOutreach.org/feedback
VeganOutreach.org/catalog
10  Vegan Outreach News|Fall 2009
 Now Is Your Chance! Last week an acquaintance of mine, surprised to find
out I was leafleting, told me she received a leaflet
somewhere when she was 12 years old (she’s in her

Save Animals, mid-20s now) and hasn’t eaten meat since. “It was
all because of that,” she told me. “They really work.”

Change the World! —Brianne Donaldson, 4/15/09

Team Vegan knew that the biggest hurdle to bringing

about a veg world is a lack of money. Following John
and Fany’s lead, another group of dedicated individuals
have pooled their resources to increase everyone’s
ability to make a difference for the animals.

I became a vegetarian and eventually a vegan because of being

handed one of your booklets while in college. It changed my life!
Photos: Joe Espinosa (Leslie); Leslie Patterson (Mikael); Jon Camp (Alex, Aaron); Jack Norris (Team Vegan); © iStockphoto.com/Kitch Bain (chick); © iStockphoto.com/Jason Mann (piglet); © iStockphoto.com/Heiko Potthoff (cow)

—BS, 5/10/09

Multiply Your Money

These donors, dedicated to maximizing their impact,
will double contributions to VO up to $70,000!
Your donation is critical, and will directly determine
how many new people are reached—and how many
new vegetarians there are—in 2010. Please be a mean-
ingful part of this efficient, effective, focused work by
having your donation doubled, dollar for dollar, today.
Contributions received in November and December
are eligible for matching. You can make a secure online
donation at VeganOutreach.org/donate or mail your
donation to the address on page 2. Thank you!
On 2/9/09, Alex Arbogast (above) and Jon Camp spoke out for
the animals at Virginia Commonwealth University, providing
copies of Even If You Like Meat to 1,300 students.
In two cases today [at the Galleria Mall in Houston],
I overheard a person telling their friends Why Vegan?
is what made them go vegetarian. A third person told
me she had gotten the booklet earlier in the day, and
that she is a vegetarian now.
—Eugene Khutoryansky, 5/30/09

About two years ago, your booklets started me down the path
to reexamining my food choices. Now I am a vegetarian—
thank you! Please know that your booklets do work!
—PC, 7/15/09

Your donation = more booklets = more vegetarians = more animals saved.

Despite sub-20° temps, Aaron Ross (above) and Jon Camp

handed Even If You Like Meat booklets to 445 students at
Wesley College and Delaware State University on 1/16/09.

Your VeganHealth.org web site is needed as much as

undercover whistle-blowers in factory farms.
—JT, 6/13/09
New Blog!  VO’s cofounder and pres., Jack Norris, RD, has
launched a blog to keep people informed of the latest in
nutrition news and any updates to the VeganHealth site.
Visit JackNorrisRD.com to subscribe today!

Fall 2009|Vegan Outreach News  11

 The Animal Activist’s Handbook
The new book coauthored by Vegan Outreach’s cofounder and executive director, Matt Ball
Definitely the best, most compelling, and most fruitful book I wish this book had been written when I first got involved
I’ve ever read for anyone who considers themselves in the animal protection movement—it would have made
(or would like to become) an animal advocate. my early years as an animal advocate a lot more effective!
—Nick Cooney, dir., The Humane League of Philadelphia —Paul Shapiro, sr. dir., HSUS factory farming campaign

If you want to get the most bang for your activism buck, Animal liberation will happen—but it is dependent on
read this book today. This is not feel-good activism, but optimal advocacy. That’s why every animal rights activist
potent advice to achieve realistic change. needs to read this book.
—Debra Probert, exec. dir., Vancouver Humane Society —Virginia Messina, MPH, RD

The Animal Activist’s Handbook punches way above its The Animal Activist’s Handbook is a quick read that could
weight. Rarely have so few pages contained so much intel- inspire its readers to a lifetime of activism in behalf of
ligence and good advice. Get it, read it, and act on it. Now. human and nonhuman animals.
—The Huffington Post
—Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation

In a way never before attempted, let alone accomplished,

The Animal Activist’s Handbook will elevate your activism Ball and Friedrich provide the reasons, rationale, and tools
and forever alter who you are and who you want to be. for a meaningful life.
—Rory Freedman, coauthor of Skinny Bitch —Compassion Over Killing

As seasoned activists, Friedrich and Ball have gained the experience and wisdom needed to Bruce Friedrich and Matt Ball are important voices in the
identify the best strategies for animal advocacy. In addition to practical advice, they give us animal protection movement. Their book is a straight- Order Tod
an inspiring message of hope—a hope grounded on the knowledge that each of us can forward, thoughtful, and practical guide to being the Save 33% ay!
off
make a significant difference in the lives of many animals. most effective activist you can be for your cause. VeganOu the cover price a
treach.o
rg/catalo t
—Stephen R. Kaufman, MD, chair, The Christian Vegetarian Association —Gene Baur, pres. & cofounder, Farm Sanctuary g

This book is not only for those who advocate.
Others just wanting to know the ethical and
practical case for compassion for all beings
will find this a thorough resource that can be
read quickly and grasped easily.
—Charles Talbert
I’ve been deeply changed by this book.
Whether you’re beginning or continuing your
advocacy journey, your efforts will undoubt-
ably be strengthened by what’s inside.
—Ryan Townsend
This is a thoughtful book about a serious topic.
But the writing is so engaging and personal
that it reads more like a letter from a good
friend. It’s an excellent book and a must-read
if you care about anything in this world.
—A. Bury
I love how the book focuses on EFFECTIVE
advocacy the whole way through—not what
feels the most cool or satisfying, but what will
really help animals in a tangible way.
—K. Welsh
This book is simply amazing. It gave me a breath
of fresh air regarding animal rights, and really put
my mind at peace that we, animal lovers, really
ARE making a difference. This book is essential
for any vegan, vegetarian, or animal lover!
—Melanie Sears
I love this book so much I carry it in my purse
and read paragraphs from it at various times
throughout my day. This is how I want to live,
and this book is essential to my life.
—Bonnie Shulman
The Animal Activist’s Handbook
is the book I have been waiting for. Boy do
I wish this book had been around years ago!
—Nettie Rose
Thank you so much for writing Handbook!
How I wish there was a book like this around
years ago. It would have saved me from
making many of the mistakes you discuss
in the book. There is such a need for this book.
I can’t say enough about how helpful it is.
—NS

AnimalAdvocacyBook.com