Volunteer for Minnesota Fall College Leafleting Day!

Join CAA on Tuesday, October 23, for a full day of leafleting at various colleges all across Minnesota! This is a great opportunity to alert young adults about the cruelties that animals endure in factory farms and provide positive alternatives. Please join us either as a leafleter, an on-site coordinator, or driver. This will be CAA's biggest event this season, and many are even taking the day off from work or school to help.

While leafleters will volunteer anywhere from an hour to several hours distributing the educational pamphlets, on-site coordinators will pick a college to attend for the whole day, helping other volunteers at that specific college with leaflets and refreshments. In order to make College Leafleting Day a success, CAA also needs drivers to help transport volunteers to their college of choice. Later in the evening, CAA plans to celebrate with food and great prizes for anyone involved in the day!

The following is a listing of cities we are hoping to have a presence in:

• Brainerd
• Duluth
• Mankato
• Minneapolis (and surrounding area)
• Morris
• Northfield
• Rochester
• St. Cloud
• St. Paul (and surrounding area)
• Winona

If you are interested in helping with any aspect of MN College Leafleting Day or have any questions, please send an email to Ben at ben@ExploreVeg.org. Also include names of any specific Minnesota colleges where you'd like to volunteer.

Time: Tuesday, October 23, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Various colleges and universities across the Twin Cities and Minnesota

For more information, click here.

Veg Week 2007 Wrap-Up

With CAA's Fourth Annual Veg Week coming to an end this past Monday, hundreds of new people have learned about veg and animal issues!

We kicked off Veg Week with a special presentation by Gene Baur, co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, who gave a compelling case for the rights of farm animals to live out their lives free of suffering and to create laws that codify these sentiments! Over 160 attendees came to the presentation, and many got a chance to interact with Baur, enjoy delicious food from Holy Land Restaurant, and take the Veg Pledge.

The week then continued with two film showings of Peaceable Kingdom, which were well received and provoked great discussion. During the middle of the week we held a great potluck attended by dozens of hungry Veg Pledgers and CAA members who got to sample a variety of tantalizing vegan dishes and win cool prizes. On Friday, we had a skilled chef prepare all-vegan tacos, barbecued mock duck, and chocolate pudding! During the cooking class, dietitian Suzanne Sorenson presented on planning for a well-balanced and nutritious vegan diet.

The week ended with two fun dine-outs at Evergreen Chinese Restaurant and Grumpy's Bar and Grill, where attendees could kick back and enjoy topnotch animal-free cuisine. Best of all, nearly 600 people ended up pledging to go vegetarian or vegan for the week!

Please support and thank the participating restaurants and businesses for helping to make the Veg Pledge Food Showcase and Veg Week possible through their donations and/or participation on the Veg Pledge Discount Card. See the full listing here

If you would like to help make future events like this possible, please consider donating or volunteering with us.

Volunteer of the Month: Cassie Anclam

Cassie Anclam has been vegetarian for many years and more recently became vegan. Wanting to do more, she contacted CAA to see how she could help advocate for animals and promote plant-based eating. Shortly after a meeting with CAA, she began coordination this past summer for our annual Veg Pledge Food Showcase.

Exhibiting determination and dedication, Cassie started the three-month planning period by contacting hundreds of local and national food companies for donations. After securing product samples for the showcase, Cassie planned logistics and coordinated the volunteer schedule that included dozens of helpers. All the planning and effort paid off, with this year's event being our most successful showcase. We were able to distribute free samples of tasty vegan food to 1,500 students and community members - with 400 people taking our veg pledge at this event alone! As a result hundreds of new people are now aware of more compassionate vegan alternatives to cruel animal products.

Reflecting on the event, Cassie said, "Meeting all the volunteers, educating the students about animal rights, and trying out the food were her favorite aspects." She went on to say, "It was cool to see non-vegan students shocked by how delicious all the food was!" Cassie's involvement in CAA remains grounded in the fact that, "we're achieving something that is commendable and important."

Enjoy the experience and fulfillment of planning events with CAA. Fill out a volunteer form today!

Presentation: "The Life of a McNugget" with Karen Davis

Hear Karen Davis, Ph.D., founder and president of United Poultry Concerns speak this weekend. This deeply moving presentation includes photos and firsthand accounts of the conditions experienced by battery hens raised for eggs and chickens raised for meat.

The talk will be followed by a book signing and refreshments, and is sponsored by Animal Rights Coalition, Fast and Furless, Chicken Run Rescue, and Macalester's Veggie Co-op.

Time: Sunday, October 14, 6:00 p.m.
Location: Macalester College, Olin-Rice Science Center, Room 150, 1600 Grand Ave., St. Paul