By Casey Brown, VRG Intern

The other weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Abell Street Festival in Baltimore. This event is held every year, and it features live music, non-profit organizations, vendors, food, and much more. It started with “A Day at the Museum” Parade, where many of kids from the community came dressed up in unique costumes. Following the parade, the festival began and the crowd dispersed to look at the various non-profit organizations and vendors that were there.

Another intern, Alicia, and I spent the afternoon at the festival interacting with a lot of people from the community around Abell Street. Throughout the day we met with a lot of vegans and vegetarians and people who were interested in the lifestyle. Others noticed our booth and became really excited because they knew friends who were vegan/vegetarian, and they wanted to take some of our resources and recipes home to share with them. Our Baltimore Dining Guide was especially popular among them since they were able to find information on vegan-friendly restaurants in the area for occasions when they were dining out with their vegan friends and partners.

We also met a man who was recently diagnosed with diabetes and was turning towards a plant-based lifestyle as part of his treatment. He was eager for more recipes and information on plant-based living. We were able to provide him with a copy of our Vegetarian Journal, multiple brochures including “Vegetarianism in a Nutshell,” and books like Vegan Menus for People with Diabetes. He was grateful for the information we provided him and seemed more confident in his decision to opt for a plant-based lifestyle after receiving these resources.

We spoke with another person who used to be a vegan, and he was hoping to transition back into the lifestyle. He was interested in learning more about our personal transitions, and he made sure to take plenty of resources in order to motivate himself. We even met an 11-year-old who told us she transitioned to the vegetarian lifestyle just two days prior to the festival. She was thrilled to see our booth, and her family was able to get information on vegetarian diets for children through our “Vegan Nutrition for Pregnancy and Childhood” brochure and our “Vegan MyPlate” handout. They also made sure to get a copy of Vegetarian journal for more information and recipe ideas. We spoke with another individual who told us that he was raising his son as a vegan. He made sure to take those same resources home as well as one of our “I Love Animals and Broccoli” coloring books. Many people at the festival were from the Baltimore area, and they were excited to hear about the Pre-Thanksgiving potluck that The VRG will be holding at the end of November, as this is a great opportunity to connect with more vegans in the area and to get inspiration for new recipes (see http://www.vrg.org/local/201608local.php#s11).

The other intern and I enjoyed the “young and alternative” environment the festival provided. It was really inspiring to see how many vegans/vegetarians were in the community and to connect with so many people who are passionate about the vegan movement. We are looking forward to the Pre-Thanksgiving potluck, and we hope to see many of you there!

If you would like to volunteer at future Vegetarian Resource Group booths, contact Brigette at [email protected]

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

Or join at http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php