By Anne Custer

My two month internship with the Vegetarian Resource Group has been a rewarding, educational experience. My first day on the job, I was generously given many books and pieces of literature all about veganism and educated on the definition and objective of a non-profit organization. This truly set the tone of my internship and I was anxious to get started and learn all I could.

I appreciate the freedom and consideration given here in the office. When I told Charles my short and long term goals, he gave me assignments based on my interests, skills, and what I want to do. I want to volunteer abroad through the Peace Corps and I was able to interview a past intern on her experience eating vegan while volunteering in China, Nepal, and Egypt, just to name a few. I want to spend part of a summer working on a vegetable farm so I was given another previous intern’s contact information who worked in Hawaii through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). After interviewing both Yasmin and Devlyn, I was able to write articles about these topics.

I posted on the blog about vegan options at SaladWorks, reviewed restaurants such as Ipanema Café in Richmond, VA and Liquid Earth Café in Baltimore, MD, and wrote answers to Teen FAQs based on my own experiences. My other projects included working on our retention survey with fellow intern, Ivy, reviewing new vegan products for the Veggie Bit section of the Vegetarian Journal, and creating questions for our online vegetarian game. As a future dietitian, I was given the opportunity to interview Molly McBride, RD for Veggie Action which spawned a new piece on “How to Become a Corporate Dietitian.” I even got to translate an article about Raw Southwestern Cuisine into Spanish due to my interest and background in the language. The main project I worked on was compiling nutrition information about different faux meats on the market and analyzing the data to come up with product charts for each type and brand of vegan meat. I wrote a comprehensive article about these substitutes including the nutrition and ingredient information as well as helpful comparison to meat.

While not in the office, I worked booths at the Richmond Vegetarian Festival and the Animal Rights Conference. This is where I could connect with fellow vegans, activists, and attendees answering questions, providing resources, and chatting about our shared experiences. These outreach experiences provided the opportunity to expand my knowledge of veganism and the interrelated issues of environment and animal rights.

I cannot thank the dedicated staff here at VRG enough. The work they are doing for the movement is truly incredible and I am grateful to be a small part of it. I was assigned tasks that directly related to my future career and life goals which is an irreplaceable opportunity. Seeing my work published online and in the Vegetarian Journal and being able to provide those resource to others is truly rewarding. I encourage any one who is interested in doing an internship to email [email protected] stating your information and interest and apply! You will be met with welcome arms and people who want you to succeed.

For more information on internship and volunteer opportunities, visit: http://www.vrg.org/student/.