Angélique is on the left in this photo.
By Angélique Complainville
At the end of last Summer as I was about to start the most intense year of my academic career I needed something to look forward to. I was looking for things to do during the summer of 2018 when I came across The Vegetarian Resource Group website and saw that they were looking for volunteers. I wasn’t very hopeful that I would be able to volunteer considering English wasn’t my mother tongue (I am French) and I would only be able to stay for 3 weeks. But after reading about their mission and what past interns had to say about their experience I knew I had to take a chance/at least try. So, I emailed Charles, one of the Co-Coordinators, and he said that I could come and volunteer and he was so helpful.
Fast forward to the 11th of July when I landed in Baltimore and met Charles and Debra, the Co-Coordinators. They were both so welcoming, asking me questions and showing me the different streets in Baltimore as they drove me to where I would be staying. The next day I started my volunteering with a tour of The Vegetarian Resource Group office where Charles told me about how they went from a grassroots organization to the national nonprofit they are today. He gave me copies of all the books they had written and published as well as all the educational pamphlets the organization has created over the years. I actually recognized one I had used when I first went vegan called “Vegan Diets in a Nutshell.” As a future business student, it was really interesting talking to Charles about the business aspect of running a nonprofit as I possibly want to work at one once I finish college.
I volunteered for 3 weeks and I think that what made this volunteer experience so fun was all the projects I got to work on. I wrote two articles that related to France and veganism. I loved working with Debra on those because she was so encouraging and always had fun stories to tell. My favorite project was definitely the cooking video I did with Amy, a fellow intern turned friend. We spent the day filming and laughing especially while making crêpes. Every single week I had new projects to work on that were very diverse, from writing an article to running a booth through filming a cooking video. There never was a dull moment.
Also, on one of my last days, the VRG received new vegan products to review. I was so happy to have the opportunity to try new vegan products because we don’t have that many in France. I got to try vegan pot pies by Alpha Foods and write a review on them and let me tell you I wish I could smuggle them home because they were so yummy. It was a really fun moment because we all went to the kitchen and tried them, as well as some nutritional yeast seasonings that Amy was reviewing.
I really enjoyed my time as a VRG volunteer because I made some great connections with other vegans, which is terrific considering I don’t have this opportunity in France. I love that Debra and Charles gave me projects that suit my interests. They really make each volunteer experience so unique. Even though I only interned for three weeks contrary to some volunteers who work there for months, I still feel that I got the full nonprofit experience. Everyone I worked with made my time here that much more special. If you are thinking about volunteering with the VRG, do it. They will welcome you with open arms.
For more information on volunteering or interning, see:
https://www.vrg.org/student/index.phpp
https://www.vrg.org/getinvolved.php
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group education and outreach, donate at Donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group