Summer Veg Food Giveaway this Sunday

Join Compassionate Action for Animals to hand out samples of veggie dogs and Tofutti Cuties ice cream sandwiches near downtown Minneapolis!

This food giveaway will focus on showcasing cruelty-free alternatives to popular summer foods: grilled hot dogs and ice cream. It will also honor National Veggie Hot Dog Day, which was established as a response to National Hot Dog Day.

If you would like to help volunteer at this fun and effective event, contact Chelsea at chelsea@exploreveg.org!

Time: Sunday July 27 at 12:00 p.m.
Location: Father Hennepin Park (near the Stone Arch Bridge), in Minneapolis

Volunteer of the Month: Anne McNamara

A Minnesota native, Anne McNamara first went vegetarian sometime in 1988 and vegan just one year later. Her affinity toward animal protection led her to move to California for a one year internship with Farm Sanctuary, which included hands-on work with rescued farm animals. Shortly after returning to Minneapolis in 2004 she learned about a dine-out at Galactic Pizza which was her first introduction to Compassionate Action for Animals.

Anne's involvement with CAA over the years has been varied, but most recently her contributions have included leafleting and, most notably, organizing the Their Lives, Our Voices conference. Through diligent and professional correspondences, Anne was able to secure an all-star roster of featured speakers that proved very inspirational for all those in attendance. Her help with transporting supplies and staffing the conference cannot be understated.

And what have her years of advocating shown her? Anne replies, "I've seen an amazing change in the way society seems to feel about animals over the last two decades, especially when it comes to farmed animals." This optimism is apparent in Anne's attitude towards activism, "It's important to me to be an admirable example of how good it feels to make a difference for animals--staying positive and nonjudgmental. Through my experiences volunteering with CAA, I've learned how vital it is to have the support and friendship of other activists."

Consider getting active for animals with CAA by filling out an online volunteer application today!

Recipe: Quick Vegan Pizza

A vegan twist on an old favorite, this recipe uses a flavorful toppings and a nutritional yeast-almond "cheeze" for a delicious result. Check out the recipe.

Article: Half of Baseball Buys Into Veggie Dogs

Eight years into her mission, vegetarian advocate Johanna McCloy has inspired half of the major league ballparks to add meatless alternatives.

By Jerry Crowe, as published in the Los Angeles Times
July 22, 2008

[Johanna] McCloy, who lived previously in Mount Washington, was introduced to baseball by a former boyfriend and says it was while attending a game at Dodger Stadium in 2000 that she hatched her idea of promoting meatless alternatives to standard ballpark fare.

"I was blown away by the size and scope of a baseball stadium," she says, "so I thought when it came time to eat, 'There's going to be plenty of options,' and there weren't. I was a vegetarian, and I was naïve."

...Through research, she found that no big league stadium offered veggie dogs. Encouraged by vegetarians and animal-rights supporters, she launched a website, soyhappy.org, and started lobbying concession managers.

"I just thought it needed to happen because there was a certain percentage of the fan base at any given stadium that probably would not be eating at all, would bring their own food or would resort to eating only peanuts," McCloy says. "It seemed like it made good business sense. It never dawned on me that it would take off like it did. I got this following -- it was bizarre -- and I went with it."

Read the full article .