We still have 9 spots left!

Like cooking chili? Have a secret family recipe? Then you might have what it takes to win 1st place at CAA's 4th Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off! Registration costs $20. Awesome animal-friendly prizes will be awarded to the top three recipes as determined by popular vote. Contestants must bring 24 cups of prepared vegan (no animal products) chili, a list of ingredients, and a crock pot (or something without an open flame to keep your chili warm).

The 4th Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off takes place on Saturday, March 2 at the First Unitarian Church, 900 Mount Curve Drive, Minneapolis. Beverages will be provided for washing down some spicy chili. Over 150 people attended last year's cook-off, and we expect a similar crowd again this year!

Check out the Facebook event and invite your friends.

We would like to thank everyone for helping us meet our goal of $15,000 in donations over the holiday season! Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, your donations were matched dollar-for-dollar. We are very grateful for your support!

With the start of a new year our conviction is renewed. Our volunteers are preparing for leafleting, tabling, and handing out free vegan food samples. The 4th annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off is right around the corner, and our humane education program has already scheduled presentations for local schools. We also plan to significantly increase the participation and visibility of Veg Fest 2013 as well as ramp up our screenings of the gripping, short documentary Farm to Fridge.

Our efforts and the overall progress of our movement wouldn't be possible without the generous support of donors like you. Thank you!

It’s not too late to donate for the 2012 tax year. We’ve had a great a 2012 and we look forward to even more successes for animals 2013. Can you make a donation to help us achieve our goals?

With your support, 2012 was a very successful year of advocating for animals! Compassionate Action for Animals held our first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest, a ground-breaking event where attendees sampled tasty vegan food, learned about ethics and nutrition, and, most importantly, saw that there is a large, positive movement that cares about animals. I want to continue that success in 2013. Can you make a contribution of $100, $50, or $10 to help make this happen? Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, your donation will be matched dollar-to-dollar for up to $15,000.

I’m planning our second Twin Cities Veg Fest, and we want to make it even more effective. Our plan is to significantly increase the targeted participation and visibility of Veg Fest 2013. Our goals include attracting two hundred more attendees, bringing in entertainment that will attract a new crowd, and holding it during the school year in the fall of 2013 to attract more students and have more food. We want move beyond simply gathering a large crowd. We want to attract those who are interested in making real changes to their diet. And my goal isn’t simply to have exhibitors and speakers that are veg-friendly, but to bring the most engaging local and national exhibitors, speakers that communicate our compassionate message, nutrition information that is accurate and reliable, and food that is tasty, healthy, and affordable. With your help, we can make this happen.

The 2012 Twin Cities Veg Fest is one of the biggest events we have ever put on, with 1,200 attendees, 40 exhibitors, and 6 speakers – and extensive media coverage. But it’s not just size that counts – it’s quality. Our event communicated the gentle, compassionate message that helps people to take steps to reduce animal suffering. This event was overwhelmingly positive and our speakers and exhibitors brought a thought-provoking, respectful message to our audience.

Compassionate Action for Animals had many more accomplishments in 2012:

• We screened Farm To Fridge, a new documentary that shows the brutal realities of factory farming, to 368 people.
• We hosted our first ever Veg Week Kick-Off Concert.
• We distributed 10,800 leaflets.
• The Bridges of Respect Humane Education Program conducted 35 presentations on animal protection issues, reaching more than 1,000 students in local schools.
• We hosted our 3rd Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off, bringing in hundreds of people to sample vegan chili.
• We added three national partners to VegGuide.org, Compassion Over Killing, Farm Sanctuary, and Vegan Outreach. This will greatly increase the exposure of VegGuide.org, giving everybody a useful tool to find veg options when eating out.

We did this and so much more. I’m grateful to all of the donors, volunteers, and businesses that contributed their time, energy, and passion to help animals.

Most of our funding comes from people like you – people who care about animals, and want to make a difference. Can you make a contribution of $100, $50, or $10? Your donation will be matched up to $15,000. You can make your donation online.

Thank you again for your generous support. We’re making a difference for farm animals, and I appreciate the trust you’ve given to me.

Yours for the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

As the year comes to a close and we look back on a wildly successful 2012 for Compassionate Action for Animals, we also look forward to great things to come in 2013. Can you make a donation to help us achieve our goals?

Thank you for making 2012 a very successful year! Compassionate Action for Animals held our first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest, a ground-breaking event where attendees sampled tasty vegan food, learned about ethics and nutrition, and, most importantly, saw that there is a large, positive movement that cares about animals. I want to continue that success in 2013. Can you make a contribution of $100, $50, or $10 to help make this happen? Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, your donation will be matched dollar-to-dollar for up to $15,000.

I'm planning our second Twin Cities Veg Fest, and we want to make it even more effective. Our plan is to significantly increase the targeted participation and visibility of Veg Fest 2013. Our goals include attracting two hundred more attendees, bringing in entertainment that will attract a new crowd, and holding it during the school year in the fall of 2013 to attract more students and have more food. We want move beyond simply gathering a large crowd. We want to attract those who are interested in making real changes to their diet. And my goal isn't simply to have exhibitors and speakers that are veg-friendly, but to bring the most engaging local and national exhibitors, speakers that communicate our compassionate message, nutrition information that is accurate and reliable, and food that is tasty, healthy, and affordable. With your help, we can make this happen.

The 2012 Twin Cities Veg Fest is one of the biggest events we have ever put on, with 1,200 attendees, 40 exhibitors, and 6 speakers – and extensive media coverage. But it's not just size that counts – it's quality. Our event communicated the gentle, compassionate message that helps people to take steps to reduce animal suffering. This event was overwhelmingly positive and our speakers and exhibitors brought a thought-provoking, respectful message to our audience.

Compassionate Action for Animals had many more accomplishments in 2012:

• We screened Farm To Fridge, a new documentary that shows the brutal realities of factory farming, to 368 people.
• We hosted our first ever Veg Week Kick-Off Concert.
• We distributed 10,800 leaflets.
• The Bridges of Respect Humane Education Program conducted 35 presentations on animal protection issues, reaching more than 1,000 students in local schools.
• We hosted our 3rd Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off, bringing in hundreds of people to sample vegan chili.
• We added three national partners to VegGuide.org, Compassion Over Killing, Farm Sanctuary, and Vegan Outreach. This will greatly increase the exposure of VegGuide.org, giving everybody a useful tool to find veg options when eating out.

We did this and so much more. I'm grateful to all of the donors, volunteers, and businesses that contributed their time, energy, and passion to help animals.

Most of our funding comes from people like you – people who care about animals, and want to make a difference. Can you make a contribution of $100, $50, or $10? Your donation will be matched up to $15,000. You can make your donation online.

Thank you again for your generous support. We're making a difference for farm animals, and I appreciate the trust you've given to me.

Yours for the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

The Humane League, a group whose mission is to save the lives of as many animals as possible and to reduce as much animal cruelty as possible, is joining VegGuide.org to help bring more compassionate dining information your way.

Compassionate Action for Animals is happy to announce that The Humane League is joining VegGuide.org as a partner.

The Humane League was founded by Nick Cooney in 2005 and he still plays an integral part in the organization's efforts towards reducing animal suffering. Nick was a speaker at CAA's Their Lives, Our Voices conference in 2010 and wrote the book Change of Heart, an important piece of advocacy literature.

We are thrilled to be working with The Humane League on VegGuide.org. We will work with them to continue bringing you information on compassionate dining options no matter where you live, work, or travel.

2012 was a banner year for Compassionate Action for Animals in many ways, including a successful first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest. Can you make a donation to help us have an even better Veg Fest in 2013?

Thank you for making 2012 a very successful year! Compassionate Action for Animals held our first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest, a ground-breaking event where attendees sampled tasty vegan food, learned about ethics and nutrition, and, most importantly, saw that there is a large, positive movement that cares about animals. I want to continue that success in 2013. Can you make a contribution of $100, $50, or $10 to help make this happen? Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, your donation will be matched dollar-to-dollar for up to $15,000.

We're planning our second Twin Cities Veg Fest, and we want to make it even more effective. Our plan is to significantly increase the targeted participation and visibility of Veg Fest 2013. To make this happen we need help from people like you – people who care about animals, and want to make a difference.

You can make your tax deductible donation online. Thank you so much for your continued support!

Compassionate Action for Animals celebrated Thanksgiving this year with the Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck, held on Saturday, November 17th. About 150 people attended the event and were well-fed with delicious vegan food.

Along with Tofurky roast and gravy donations from Turtle Island Foods, people brought dishes to share and some of the recipes are listed below. We are thankful for the company of the people who attended the event, the food they shared, and the impact they have on advocating for animals.

This community-building event brought together people interested in reducing animal suffering from all walks of life, and was a great opportunity to meet others with similar values and ideals. Although it was not a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, the potluck helped to create new social norms and give people a place to find support in their beliefs and actions helping animals.

The potluck was held in memory of Lauren Hanson, an avid CAA volunteer who passed away in September. CAA Executive Director Unny Nambudiripad gave a short speech about her contributions to animal advocacy and about our loss. We remember her as we celebrate this holiday season.

Thank you to Turtle Island Foods for the generous donation of Tofurky roasts and gravy, to the volunteers who planned and executed the event, and to the generous donors who support our work.

Please answer our three question survey to let us know what you thought of the potluck!

Here are the recipes from the potluck:

Unny N. and John C.

Butternut squash bisque

Adrianne P.

Sweet Apple Crisp

David S.

Wild Rice

Mike C.

Wild Rice Salad With Curry Mustard Vinaigrette

Kathy D.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Cassandra H.

Cranberry Salsa

Freeman W.

Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Allison L.

Quinoa Salad

Adam W. and Sam K.

Fudgy Fudge

Karin A.

Rice Crispy Treats

Kristine V.

Spring Rolls

Michelle R.

Three Green Gratin