Hannah Marie Patzer just recently joined Compassionate Action for Animals’ Fundraising Team. We’re happy to have her on board. Let’s get to know this superstar volunteer!

Hannah grew up in a small town in southwestern Minnesota and then majored in music at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Guess what! Hannah sings opera. Her rich mezzo-soprano voice can be heard amongst the voices in the local choir Exultate. She also has a tattoo sleeve on her left arm featuring an array of fruits and veggies. And this tattoo-slinging opera singer is a volunteer for CAA. Now how did that happen?

A couple years ago, Hannah was dating a vegetarian guy who never talked with her about why he was vegetarian, but she wondered, “What’s that all about?” Then one day, she watched just a small portion of the documentary Food, Inc. Just seeing the image of live baby chicks moving down a conveyor belt, all squished and scared, Hannah resolved to go vegetarian. In the few days that followed, she read the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and went vegan. Soon after, she moved to the Twin Cities, where she found lots of vegan options. Hannah says, “It’s been smooth sailing ever since.”

Not long after moving to the area, she began volunteering for CAA. One of her favorite volunteer positions has been server for the Annual Banquet because it gave her the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of people. (By the way, you can sign up to volunteer at our Annual Banquet on April 9.)

Hannah looks forward to developing her skills for leafleting and pay-per-view, though she finds conversations in outreach situations a little more intimidating.

Of all of our CAA events, Hannah loves potlucks the most because they offer that vital sense of community. She says, “It can feel like there aren’t as many vegans around unless you purposely put yourself in a community of vegans.”

So why did she recently join the fundraising committee? “I just want to do more. All this is happening to animals, and what can I do? I understand that without fundraising you can’t have a nonprofit. It’s an integral part of CAA, and it’s fun to see the inner workings. I like being around people who are bouncing ideas off each other. Leadership and creativity are areas that I want to build on and being on the fundraising committee will open up opportunities for that.”

When she’s not advocating for animals, Hannah works as a receptionist at a private equity firm in downtown Minneapolis. In her free time, she loves reading, alternating between books about animal agriculture and novels. She also enjoys lifting weights, seeing friends, and going out to eat.

Speaking of food, what are Hannah’s favorites? Preparing food at home, she loves a standard stir-fry with whatever she has in her fridge. “Everything tastes good together. Throw in some Braggs Liquid Aminos and nutritional yeast and you’ve got a deliciously cheesy mess of vegetables.”

Her favorite restaurants include French Meadow (She recommends the Zen Salad, the Tempeh Reuben with fries, and the vegan special — always amazing!), Pizza Luce (Her favorite is The Rustler!), and the Thai restaurant Sen Yai Sen Lek (She loves any of their vegan options!).

When asked about her stunning tattoo sleeve showcasing fruits and veggies, Hannah says, “People look at my arm and say, ‘Oh, that makes me want to go and eat a raspberry.’” To them, she retorts, “Good, you should never eat an egg again.’”

Ha ha! We like her compassionate style and good sense of humor, and we’re so happy to have her join us on the Fundraising Team.

You’re welcome to join us, too! Our next Fundraising Team meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16 at the CAA Community Space from 7 to 8:30pm. You’re welcome to check out the meeting even if you’re not officially on the committee. If you’d like to attend, email Unny Nambudiripad at unny@exploreveg.org.