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Photos from the 17th Annual Vegan ThanksLiving Potluck
Thanks to all who attended our 17th Annual Vegan Thanksgiving at Coffman Memorial Union!
And the winner is…
Between September 20 and October 20, sixteen Twin Cities restaurants created vegan appetizers and main dish specials for the first Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge. You tried them and voted, and now the results are in!
Home for the Plant-Based Holidays!
Happy November! For many, it’s the month to kick off a season filled with friends, family, and the coziest dishes our Earth has ever produced. But for many veg folks, it can also be a time of unpredictable social situations, especially when attending a predominantly omnivore celebration. But fear not! All of the vegan holidays I’ve spent have been stuffed full with a classic green bean casserole, the creamiest dreamiest sweet potatoes, a pillowy pumpkin pie, and long post-nourished food-naps.
Veganism at the Holiday Table: Four Tips for Talking with Family
Going home for the holidays often involves finding a balance between celebrating with family, answering questions from relatives about veganism, and finding a seasonal vegan-friendly dish to eat with everyone. Read on for some of Ava’s tips to effectively share a message of compassion for animals at any holiday celebration while keeping your own wellbeing in mind.
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Making Minneapolis the Next Fur-Free City: An Interview with Matt Johnson
I met with Matt Johnson, the campaign director for Fur Free Minneapolis, which is an initiative to ban the sale of new fur within city limits, to talk about the campaign.
Following in the footsteps of LA and San Francisco, Matt believes Minneapolis will be the next fur-free city. The campaign has gathered more than 2,000 letters to City Council Members and the Mayor and more than 13,000 signatures on their online petition. Read on to learn more about this groundbreaking campaign, Matt, and what you can do to help.
International comfort food | November 2019 | Vegan Recipe Club
From carrot dogs to seasonal stews, we hope you’ve enjoyed trying out new vegan recipes that push the boundaries of what plants can do.
What’s ThanksLiving?
The traditional Thanksgiving holiday has many potentially positive elements: thankfulness, food, family, and tradition. It also encourages denial about the real experiences of turkeys and Native people.
We’ve decided to change the name of Compassionate Action for Animals’ traditional celebration from “A Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck” to “A Vegan ThanksLiving Potluck” as a way to refocus our celebration on the lived experiences, and resistance to oppression, of both human and non-human animals. Our goal is to retain many of the positive elements of the traditional holiday while expanding its meaningfulness with greater knowledge and action.
Volunteer Shout-out: Shannon Lasnetske!
Meet Shannon, a member of the University of Minnesota CAA Student Group and one of the volunteer coordinators for Twin Cities Veg Fest 2019. Read on to learn who encouraged her to go vegan, her involvement with the animal rights movement, and what she’s working toward while in school.
Who (or what) inspired you to go vegan?
When I was 16 years old I was scouted by a modeling agency in New York and they told me that if I could lose weight they wanted to sign me to work with them. On my way home at the airport my grandma, who was with me, bought me a book called Skinny Bitch to help me lose weight. It wasn’t a big book and I finished it on the plane before I was home. I had no idea it was actually a book about veganism, but it is what ultimately introduced me to the plant-based diet. I didn’t think I could do it, but I tried it for a day which turned into a week, and before I knew it I had been on the diet for months.
Was it a linear process?
For me, it definitely was not a linear process. When I first read the book that I previously mentioned, my main concern was all about weight-loss. After about a year of plant-based eating and trying to lose weight for a modeling career, I gave up on all of it, even being vegan. At that time I forgot about the animals who were also mentioned in the book. About a year after that I met someone who helped reintroduce me to veganism (it wasn’t hard). After that, I was plant-based for a couple of years. About three years ago I learned more about the animals and what they go through for animal-tested products and for products like leather and wool, and that’s when I really embraced the vegan lifestyle, cruelty-free toothpaste and all. My process was a mess, but at this point, I know I’ll be 100% vegan for the rest of my life.
What is your favorite way to advocate for the animals?
Outreach! I really love talking with people about veganism. I’ve had so many good conversations with people and I’ve learned so much since I’ve started advocating for the animals. I also like protesting and working with the AV Cube.
How did you get involved with CAA?
If I remember correctly, I think what happened was I googled vegan groups in the Twin Cities and found the CAA website. One of the events listed on there was video outreach on the UMN campus, so I showed up on the date and time listed on the website and met a really cool group of people doing some amazing stuff.
What do you do when you’re not volunteering?
There aren’t any animal rights groups that I am officially apart of, but I love meeting new people and going to activist events whenever I find them online. When I’m not volunteering I’m studying. I’m a full-time student, and I have a part-time job working as a medical scribe as well. When I’m not studying for my classes, my favorite hobby is studying languages.
What are you studying in school?
I’m now majoring in Chemistry, French, and Arabic and minoring in Biochemistry. I really love being a student.
How does your major tie into what you are passionate about?
I’m passionate about learning and about languages, in which case what I’m studying is directly related to my passions. But I’m also a premedical student. I hope that once I’ve finished all my schooling, I can advocate for animals and champion a plant-based diet for health from a well-respected platform as a medical doctor.
What would you tell a new vegan to help them on their journey?
I think the best advice I received when I first went vegan was to not be too hard on myself for mistakes and to take it one day at a time. For new vegans, mistakes can happen! Mistakes are a good opportunity to learn, don’t give up and don’t be beat yourself up. And even if you were vegan before and you did give up on it, you can always go vegan again!
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Are you a University of Minnesota student? Get involved with the UMN CAA Chapter! Visit our student group page to learn more about meeting times or our volunteer page to get involved.
Comfort food | October 2019 | Vegan Recipe Club
If this month’s recipes are any indication (aside from the changing weather), we’re heading into fall. Selections for October include:
- Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (Kelly, 2012)
- Stuffed and Rolled Seitan Roast
- Darker Seitan
- Lighter Seitan
- St. Patrick’s Day Irish Stew
- Nom Yourself (Mattern, 2015)
- Southern Fried Buttermilk Tofu
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Vegan Cheese (Aron, 2017)
- Dill Havarti
- Ricotta
- YamChops (Abramson, 2018)
- Carrot Not Dogs
- Carrot Lox
- Tomato Sashimi
- Keeping Up With Coco and Lala
- Chicago Style Carrot Dogs
You can download this month’s recipes here.
Local Heroes: Farm Sanctuaries
Hilda was so sick she couldn’t even stand. And the shadows swirling around her didn’t seem to care. She blacked out, and it’s lucky she did because where she was about to end up would almost surely have sealed her fate: on a pile of her dead friends. She wasn’t known as Hilda, then. But the soft bed of hay she found herself resting on when she came to was her start down a path to healing and love.
The farm sanctuary movement was born when Gene Baur rescued Hilda behind a Lancaster, Pennsylvania stockyard 1986. He sold vegan hotdogs out of his VW van in Grateful Dead concert parking lots to raise funds for his aptly-named Farm Sanctuary, where Hilda lived 10 long years. Today, there are about 100 sanctuaries across the United States with six in Minnesota and one in western Wisconsin. Let’s take a look at how our local sanctuaries are contributing to the movement.
Meet some of the sanctuaries around the Twin Cities
ANNA LAKE ANIMAL SANCTUARY IN UNDERWOOD SINCE 2017
Anna Lake is a microsanctuary that is home to 20 chickens, five ducks, and three cows. They provide rescue, education, and adoption. The microsanctuary movement believes that rescue can be just as effective on a small scale. annalakeanimalsanctuary.com
CHICKEN RUN RESCUE IN MINNEAPOLIS SINCE 2001
Chicken Run provides shelter, vet care, love, and adoptive homes to rescued chickens. They’re the only urban chicken rescue of its kind. They educate the public about how adopting animals impacts their lives and encourage all to help further positively impacting the lives of chickens by adopting a vegan diet. chickenrunrescue.org
FARMASTE IN LINDSTROM SINCE 2016
Farmaste offers rescue, a safe haven, and rehabilitation to unwanted, injured and abused farm animals. They offer many community outreach programs and camps to promote compassionate and mindful living that inspire folks to rethink what they can do to impact the lives of farmed animals. farmaste.org
LITTLE ACORN SANCTUARY IN CASTLE ROCK SINCE 2018
Little Acorn is Minnesota’s newest sanctuary and has big dreams about the role they will play in the lives of farm animals that have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. Their current residents include goats and chickens. They offer private tours, as well as volunteer opportunities. They work hard to educate the public about the harmful effects of factory farming. littleacornsanctuary.org
ROOSTER REDEMPTION IN CENTER CITY SINCE 2016
Rooster Redemption currently provides sanctuary for 23 abandoned, exploited, and mistreated roosters. They choose to refrain from giving regular public tours but can make special arrangements for visitors. roosterredemption.org
SPRING FARM SANCTUARY IN LONG LAKE SINCE 2016
Spring Farm was one of the first farm animal sanctuaries in Minnesota and is “committed to ending farm animal cruelty and promoting vegan living through our rescue, rehabilitation and education efforts.” Owner Robin cares for 20+ residents while educating the local community through events and tours about the environmental effects of industrial animal agriculture and the conditions animals endure. springfarmsanctuary.org
SOULSPACE FARM SANCTUARY IN NEW RICHMOND, WISCONSIN SINCE 2015
SoulSpace opened in 2015, has 40+ residents, and “works to inspire change in the way society views farm animals and support people in their quest to live a more compassionate lifestyle.” People of all ages can volunteer or take a tour. They host one- and four-day education programs. And in 2017, owner Kara opened a vegan Airbnb (guests are asked not to consume animal products on sanctuary grounds during their stay) on her farmhouse’s upper level to further fund and fulfill their mission. soulspacesanctuary.org
More than just a home
Minnesota and Wisconsin are fortunate to be home to so many of these important allies in the animal rights movement. Their residents experience healing and the chance to be themselves. Visitors learn how advocating for changes to factory farming and adopting a plant-based diet can make an impact. Volunteers put their passion for animal rights into action through direct care and education.
At their heart, farm sanctuaries are safe spaces of change and healing for both their residents and surrounding communities. We are so grateful for the work these sanctuaries and their residents do! Each year, CAA organizes group visits to some of our local sanctuaries. To pre-register for one of these life-changing trips, visit exploreveg.org/events or email [email protected] to learn more and get involved.
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This article was originally published in the 2019 issue of Twin Cities Veg Living.
Emily Kampa is a writer, animal lover, and foodie. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her wife Laura and their American Staffordshire Terrier, Pip.