Vegan Action
Wendy Gabby Day: Building Community
By Lucía Rivera
Planting the seeds of veganism far and wide is what activist Wendy Gabbe Day is all about. As an author, blogger, and festival coordinator on the West Coast, Gabbe Day describes herself as "vegan at a very core level," which helps guide her entire life.
Although vegetarian since birth, Gabbe Day became vegan around age four. She stated she "was very fortunate to grow up in a compassionate home."
"I've been formally working to promote veganism for about 12 years. But my advocacy began at a much younger age, as I supported my friends in transitioning to eating more plant-based foods," Gabbe Day said.
In 2019, she coordinated the Santa Cruz VegFest which hosted 100 vendors and 5,000 "excited and energized" attendees. The event was created under the umbrella of Vegan Outreach and helped share the benefits of a vegan lifestyle with her community.
"I truly love coordinating VegFest and other large events, working with a passionate planning committee, and seeing all the pieces come together. It was a wonderful experience to bring the vegan community and the veg-curious together for a fun day filled with food, education, and community building," she said.?
In addition to the annual festival, which was delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic, Santa Cruz VegFest also organizes movie nights, hosts speakers, holds webinars, and coordinates more events that are promoted at www.facebook.com/santacruzvegfest.?
A key aspect of Gabbe Day's work as a vegan activist is community building, which for her goes alongside "supporting people wherever they are in their diet and lifestyle choices."
Another way Gabbe Day encourages healthful veganism is through her cookbook, Scatter Vegan Sweets. It features recipes for over 85 vegan sweets like cashew lemon bars, maple oat peanut brittle, and raw coconut cherry truffles.
"I wrote the book to share our simple and wholesome plant-based sweets with friends," Gabbe Day said.
Growing up, Gabbe Day's father would make "some of the most fun and unique vegan dishes" as he was a vegan cooking instructor. Gabbe Day's two children, ages 5 and 8, are third-generation vegans and her blog, Lively Days, features many of her family's favorite recipes.
Lively Days offers almost 100 vegan recipes at www.livelydays.com. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts are all represented with easy-to-follow directions and colorful pictures.
All these efforts combine to make vegan activism part of normal everyday life for Gabbe Day.?Her book can be purchased at www.livelydays.com/scatter-vegan-sweets.
Lucía is a high school student and long-distance VRG intern in southern California. She has been vegetarian for almost 10 years and spends her spare time volunteering, baking, and reading.
