By Amy Dell, VRG Intern

The Vegetarian Resource Group had a booth at the Waverly Farmers Market on 32nd Street in Baltimore, Maryland. This event gave the organization an opportunity to engage with the community and provide resources and literature to those interested in vegetarianism and veganism.

As a VRG intern, I worked alongside another intern, Hannah Greene, and a volunteer, Certified Wellness Coach Marcy Schveibinz, to answer questions and represent the VRG to patrons of the Market. Many people expressed a desire to go vegetarian, or at least limit their meat consumption for health reasons. We were able to provide these visitors with a pamphlet detailing how to eat a heart-healthy vegetarian diet and explain that health is a common reason why people go vegetarian.

Some others conveyed that they were already vegetarian or vegan, but were interested in finding new recipes or events happening nearby. We offered them the Vegetarian Journal and suggested that they sign up for our newsletter to be notified of local events.

There were many children attending the Market with their parents. It was so much fun being able to offer the kids VRG’s “I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Book” and see their reactions. One little girl was so excited about the coloring book that she started jumping up and down and hopped away from the booth with her parents.

The most rewarding part of the morning was when a woman approached the booth looking for resources for her and her granddaughter. The woman explained that her 9-year-old granddaughter was curious about going vegan and that the woman wanted to support her choice and provide vegan food and information for her. This interaction reminded me of when I became vegan at 10 and how concerned, but still supportive, my parents were. I was so excited to be able to help another young vegan on her way through the transition into this lifestyle.

Overall, the experience was very rewarding and I would be interested in hosting booths at other local markets and events in order to provide the community with information and encouragement towards vegetarian lives.

If you are interested in volunteering at a VRG booth in the future, please contact Gene at [email protected]

If you would like to support VRG’s mission, please donate at Donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group

To join The Vegetarian Resource Group, go to https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php