By Whitney Blomquist

This April I had the opportunity to work a booth for The Vegetarian Resource Group at the first ever Kale-A-Rama Festival. It was a perfect sunny day for the premier of this kale themed event in Greenbelt, Maryland. We had the pleasure of being placed right beside Everlasting Life’s Food Truck, which stayed busy all day, sending customers on their way with delicious garlic kale salad and vegan mac and cheese. Everyone and everything was decorated with kale. There was kale ice cream, kale smoothies, kale chips, and best of all kale doughnuts that were surprisingly fantastic.

My parents and I conversed with people who were already vegan, along with some that were beginning their vegan journey. Our visitors all had in-depth questions and positive feedback about how much they enjoy the vegan lifestyle. We spoke with a few athletes that were looking for ways to pack on muscle and a woman who had successfully lost 25 pounds and was able to stop using her cholesterol medicine. There were several parents who were successfully raising vegan children and a man that studies the effects of GMO products. As always, we shared useful information with everyone and, in return, received info we could share with others in the future.

Kale-A-Rama was an enjoyable festival that brought vegans together to discuss animal rights issues, listen to music, eat good food, and network with people that share similar beliefs. Events like Kale-A-Rama allow The Vegetarian Resource Group to distribute resources and establish connections with people throughout the country. It is important that VRG has a presence at similar events around the nation. VRG relies on volunteers to make this happen.

If you are interested in volunteering at a VRG booth at an event in your community, email [email protected]. For a list of other ways to become involved, visit: http://www.vrg.org/getinvolved.php

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