Spring is a particularly busy time for groups engaging in educational outreach such as The Vegetarian Resource Group. Thankfully, we have had an amazing team of volunteers eager to represent VRG at various events during the month of April!

We started the month off exhibiting at Worcester VegFest in Worcester, MA on April 6th. Our amazing volunteers, Eric Sharer, MPH, RD, Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D and Arnie Alper, MD engaged with a steady stream of visitors about the many benefits of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, offered a variety of vegan cookbooks for sale and handed out tons of great educational materials to vegetarians and omnivores alike!

Volunteer Eric Sharer at Worcester VegFest

Later in the month, on April 24th, we switched gears and exhibited at the PA Academy of Dietetics Annual Meeting in Bethlehem, PA. Our wonderful volunteer and registered dietitian, Nora Allen, RD, LDN, took full responsibility for representing VRG at this professional conference, and acted as a wonderful advocate for healthy and nutritional vegetarian/vegan diets.

April 26th was a particularly busy day for VRG as we exhibited at two events in Baltimore: the Spring Into Good Health Festival in Pigtown, MD as well as Greenwork’s EcoFest in Druid Hill. The Spring Into Good Health Festival was sponsored by Paul’s Place, a community outreach center in Southwest Baltimore, and aimed to promote strategies for health and wellness for local residents. VRG was the only vegetarian group on site and many patrons took interest in decreasing the amount of animal products in their diets. This booth was particularly special because it allowed volunteer, Matt Baker, RN and staff member Nina Casalena, to better reach those from low-income backgrounds, who may have limited access to information about plant-based eating and the vegan lifestyle.

Volunteer Matt Baker at the Spring Into Good Health Festival

At Greenwork’s EcoFest, volunteers Mark Rifkin, MS, RD, LDN and Chris Dietrich engaged with environmentally conscious patrons about how vegetarian and veganism can be an important aspect of sustainable living. Mark even brought his own visual display on the impact of animal agriculture on the environment and global climate change.

April was a wonderful month for booths and I anticipate the rest of the season will bring many more amazing opportunities for veg outreach. I would just like to thank all of our incredible volunteers again for all of their patience and hard work! Everyone here at VRG feels extremely lucky to have each and every one of them on our team.

To volunteer at VRG outreach booths, please contact Nina at [email protected]
To support VRG outreach, please donate at www.vrg.org/donate
To join The Vegetarian Resource Group, please go to
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php