Upcoming Events & Announcements

Read this newsletter on our website.

Sixth Annual Vegan Valentine's Potluck

Looking for a fun way to celebrate Valentine's Day? Want to taste some delicious veg food? Come to our veg potluck on Friday, February 6! Bring your sweetheart, a friend, or come solo. This is a great opportunity to meet other animal-friendly people, eat good food, and play some fun games. Although some food will be provided, this is a potluck, so be sure to bring a vegan dish/drink that serves five to eight people and, if possible, eating utensils!

Mark your calendars and invite all your friends and family!

Time: Friday, February 6, at 6:00 p.m.
Location: Coffman Union, room 303, 300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis

Volunteer of the Month: Lauren Hanson

Growing up in Oakdale, a suburb of the Twin Cities, Lauren Hansen first became a vegetarian in high school. Facing skepticism and worries from her parents, Lauren checked out books from the library to educate herself and present a compelling case. Her passion for vegetarianism and animal advocacy was ramped up when she started studying at the University of Minnesota for dental hygiene and was encouraged to join Compassionate Action for Animals.

Lauren's first year as a freshman has been jam-packed as an active volunteer for CAA, in between her studies and tutoring of first graders at a local elementary school. Lauren has helped staff our Veg Week events, distribute leaflets at colleges for Outreach for Animals Week, and staff our informational tables.

But most notably, Lauren was a key organizer of the very popular Twin Cities Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Potluck this past fall. Having planned logistics and a volunteer schedule with professionalism, this feast brought together over 200 attendees with everyone leaving stuffed and satisfied.

Volunteering with CAA has been very rewarding for Lauren. She hopes that with the continued advocacy of groups like CAA "someday people will realize that we don't need to use animals". Reflecting on her involvement, Lauren enthusiastically said, "I've met many great people and never had so much fun."

Feel Inspired? Fill out a volunteer application today!

Join Our Team of Tablers

In order to educate the community about animal issues and give them a chance to learn more about what they can do to help, CAA volunteers regularly staff informational tables at Twin Cities colleges and universities, festivals, and other venues. By offering free literature, recipe booklets, and fun stickers to the public, we make it easy for anyone interested to have access to a variety of helpful vegetarian and animal advocacy resources. Tabling is also a great way to have one-on-one interactions with the public, answering questions they may have and educating people on the animals' plight.

Join our team of volunteer "tablers" and help make the Twin Cities a more animal and veg-friendly place! Please e-mail our tabling coordinator, Brandon Whited, brandon.whited@umn.edu, with your schedule and preference for community and/or campus tabling opportunities. Even being able to staff our table one hour every couple of weeks can be very helpful!