By Casey Brown, VRG Intern
Paul’s Place is an organization located in southwest Baltimore that serves its community, providing programs and services to empower and support individuals. These include a soup kitchen, food pantry, programs designed for the youth, and health and wellness programs that provide many benefits to this community. Paul’s Place also holds an annual Spring into Good Health Festival, which invites local health organizations to the area. People visiting the festival can hear about these beneficial programs or take part in fun activities like yoga or zumba to support their health.
It was my first time visiting this festival, and I was looking forward to it since the other VRG volunteer told me that it had been fun in the previous years. He said the people tended to be receptive to and supportive of our message. I definitely noticed this, as many people recognized our booth and were excited to pick up another copy of Vegetarian Journal. Everybody was so friendly, and many people expressed their interest in going vegetarian or vegan.
We were able to have great conversations with these individuals and address many of their concerns. Numerous people were interested in reducing their consumption of animal products for the health benefits. They found our “Heart Healthy Eating Tips” and “Veganism in a Nutshell” brochures to be especially helpful for addressing their concerns. Others expressed that they had been wanting to move towards a vegetarian lifestyle, but they were having trouble thinking of meal ideas. We were able to share some of our favorite recipes with them, as well as provide them with a copy of Vegetarian Journal, which contains many vegan recipes. They were also interested in signing up for our monthly newsletter, so they could receive additional recipes online.
One man described how he was having trouble finding a good replacement for vegan cheese, but he had given up all other animal products. We shared our favorite vegan cheese brands and discussed some of the stores in the area that might sell these products. He is hoping to find a good replacement, so he can officially remove dairy from his diet. A lady told us that she used to be vegetarian, and she felt much better when she was eating this way. She was planning to go back to vegetarianism, and she was glad she could pick up many of our different resources to help get her started again.
In addition to the conversations we had, we also had many children visit the booth with their parents. They were all excited when they found out we had something fun for them too – “I love Animals and Broccoli” coloring books! While we met with a lot of people interested in the lifestyle, we did meet multiple people who were already vegetarian or vegan. It was really exciting to hear their stories and learn about the reasons and documentaries that inspired their decision.
We informed multiple people that we would also be at Baltimore Vegfest next weekend at the University of Maryland Baltimore County campus.
To volunteer to help at other VRG outreach booths, contact Brigette at vrg@vrg.org
To support Vegetarian Resource Group education, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
Or join at http://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php