Oh, wait–it never was! But we’re here to change all that.
To start, we focus a lot of our outreach on university campuses, encouraging young people to shift their eating habits to a more plant-based diet with the understanding that when more of us withdraw our support from the cruelty of factory farming, we can make a big difference in the lives of farmed animals.
While CAA represents many facets of the Twin Cities community, we’ve had an active presence on the University of Minnesota campus for many years. During the school year, we host weekly campus meetings that are open to university students. In the fall of 2016, we’ll be meeting on Mondays at 6:30pm in Coffman Union Room 305. Join us!
And whether you’re a university student or not, you can utilize this list of places to dine near the University campus. This new blog post highlights twenty-five places where you can find affordable vegan food in the areas of Stadium Village, Dinkytown, the West Bank, and the St. Paul campus. And our very own student volunteers offer recommendations on exactly what you should order.
Speaking of the university, we’d be remiss not to mention Twin Cities Veg Fest, which will be held on the campus for the fifth year in a row on October 29 and 30. Please join us for this annual celebration of compassion at Coffman Memorial Union. We expect that thousands will attend, including many students. Invite your friends today!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
I’m happy to share that our fundraiser for Twin Cities Veg Fest was a huge success. We not only reached our stretch goal, but we also surpassed it by quite a bit. Thanks to everyone who made a contribution and who helped to spread the word. With these funds, we’re in a great position to make this year’s Twin Cities Veg Fest a big success.
Below, you’ll find a list of our upcoming September events, including our monthly potluck and dine out. We’re also spreading the word about a special panel discussion about the impacts of factory farming in Minnesota as well as a number of upcoming opportunities to help get the word out about Twin Cities Veg Fest.
We hope you’ll join us for one or more of these fun and inspiring events in the month of September.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
September Events
- Veg Fest Postering – Off Campus (Round 1)
- Veg Fest Postering – On Campus (Round 1)
- Veg Fest Postering – Off Campus (Round 2)
- Veg Fest Postering – On Campus (Round 2)
- Panel Discussion – Factory Farming in Minnesota: Time for a Change?
- Tuesday, September 20, 7-8:30pm
- Rauenhorst Ballroom in the Coeur de Catherine on the St. Paul campus of St. Catherine University (Building 3 on this campus map)
- Please RSVP on the Facebook event page.
- September Dine Out: Afro Deli in Minneapolis
- September Potluck: Vegan Harvest
- Sunday, September 25, 5:00 – 8:00pm
- 1080 County Road C2, Roseville, MN
- Please bring a vegan dish to share!
- If your last name begins with A through H, bring a main dish.
- If your last name begins with I through P, bring side dish.
- If your last name begins with Q through Z, bring a dessert.
- RSVP on the Facebook event page or email Justin at justin@exploreveg.org.
- To sign up to volunteer, contact Justin at justin@exploreveg.org.
Great news! We reached our initial fundraising goal for Twin Cities Veg Fest with time to spare and have introduced a stretch goal. Can you help us get to $6,000 by tomorrow, August 31 at midnight?
Need a boost of motivation? Check out this new video of highlights from last year’s Twin Cities Veg Fest. It shows just how awesome this annual celebration of compassion really is. And just think: this year’s festival will be not just one but two days of fun! Of course, we’ll continue to make this festival free for everyone to attend, and that’s all the more reason why your support matters. Help us reach a bigger and more diverse audience with this universal message of compassion for all.
We are very grateful to everyone who has already made a donation. With your support, this year’s Twin Cities Veg Fest will be the biggest and best one yet. If you haven’t given yet and would like to, now is the time. Donations of any amount are welcome and will help us get closer to our goal. Please give today!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Just a few weeks ago, I made my big announcement that I’ll be stepping down from my post as executive director at CAA by the end of the year. It will surely be a bittersweet transition for me, especially since I’ve made so many great friends here. At the same time, I’m really excited to see where the organization goes next and how new leadership will invigorate our community and help us reach our goals.
The CAA hiring committee has just announced that they are now accepting applications for a new executive director through September 26. Could you or someone you know be the one to take my place? If you’re feeling inspired by this opportunity, I hope you’ll submit an application or help us spread the word about the job opening. The hiring committee would love to have a diverse pool of candidates from which to choose.
Positions like this in the animal advocacy field are rare, and they require a special combination of skills. All in all, this is an fantastic opportunity to lead a thriving animal advocacy organization and to have a deeply rewarding experience, knowing that your day-to-day work is helping to nurture a more compassionate community.
Speaking of nurturing compassion, I hope that you’ll contribute to our fundraiser for Twin Cities Veg Fest. Make a donation today and help us reach our goal by August 31. We’re not far, but we need your help to make it the rest of the way. Donations of any amount are appreciated and will help us to make this year’s celebration of compassion truly magnificent. Please give today!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
We’ve just published a new video with highlights from last year’s Twin Cities Veg Fest. Check it out! Huge thanks to festival sponsor TWVS for putting this film together for us!
The video gives you a glimpse of what our annual festival is all about and includes interviews with The Herbivorous Butcher, Mercy for Animals, Mistress Ginger, and more!
It’s fun to think that last year’s Twin Cities Veg Fest was just a one-day affair and that this year we’ll be expanding the festival to two days, Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30. That’s means more exhibitors, more speakers, more cooking demos, more vegan food, and a better chance that you’ll have the time to get there to enjoy it. It will also mean less crowding, since the event will be spread out over two days.
Of course, we make this festival free for everyone to attend, so with the extra day, we double our chances of getting even more people to come to the festival. And that would be great since it’s our goal to reach more and more of the general public with this celebration of compassion.
You can help make this newly expanded festival a success. You can help make it free for all to attend. How, you ask? By making a contribution to our Generosity campaign by August 31! We’d love to have your support as we venture to make this year’s Twin Cities Veg Fest the biggest and best one yet.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
After five years as the executive director for Compassionate Action for Animals, I realize that I’m ready for a change, and I’ll be stepping down from my staff position in January of 2017. I intend to stay in Minneapolis and will continue to advocate for animals. I’m not yet sure what the future holds for me, but I feel confident that this is the right next step.
I was one of the founding members of CAA in 1998, and I’m proud of how we have grown and the directions we have gone. We are truly thriving. I believe in the work we do, and I encourage you to stay involved. Donate, volunteer, come to our events, and speak out for animals. Continue helping to make CAA a vital presence in the Twin Cities for effective animal advocacy.
I know people tend to think of me as backbone of CAA, but actually CAA is not just one person. It’s an entire community of individuals who are coming together to speak out for animals in all kinds of ways. We really couldn’t be where we are without all of you, so thank you. I’m very grateful for everyone’s contributions to CAA, and, more personally, I treasure all the great friends I’ve made through this work.
If you’d like to learn more about my transition, please check out this article on our blog. Also, sometime soon, we’ll announce that we are looking for a new executive director. Stay tuned for that in case you or someone you know might be interested in applying.
In the next few months, we’ll be focused on ramping up to our big Twin Cities Veg Fest, which will be two days this year, October 29 and 30. Right now, our fundraising campaign for the festival is underway. Please make a contribution today and help us reach our fundraising goal by August 31. With your help, we can continue to make this annual festival free for everyone to attend.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Having just come back from the YEA Camp at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, I’m feeling super excited to take action for animals here in my own backyard. CAA has a couple fun events coming up over the course of the next month. Join us for some compassionate fun and help us make this world a better place for all living beings.
One big thing you can do to support our work over the next month is contribute to our campaign to raise funds for Twin Cities Veg Fest. Donations of any amount are appreciated and will help us reach our goal by August 31. Give today, and we can make this year’s festival the best one yet!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
We had a fantastic time last night at our big Summer Soirée. The food provided by Reverie Cafe + Bar was amazing, and it was so great to get to hang out with our compassionate community. Check out the fun videos from the event on our Twin Cities Veg Fest Facebook page. (One of them shows me juggling!)
The climax of the evening was our big kick-off for our Indiegogo campaign to support Twin Cities Veg Fest. The fundraiser is off to a booming start thanks to the many who gave at the party and directly following the event.
We invite you to make a contribution today to help us reach our goal by August 31. All funds are used to support Twin Cities Veg Fest, which will be held this year at Coffman Memorial Union on Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30.
Twin Cities Veg Fest does not charge admission, so while we do receive sponsorship and exhibitor fees, that income does not cover our expenses, which include venue rental, printing for advertising, and purchasing food to give away at the event. To cover these costs, we depend on the generosity of individuals like you. Every dollar you give supports our mission to help make the world a more compassionate place for everyone. Make a donation of any amount today and help make Twin Cities Veg Fest 2016 the biggest and best one yet!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Recently, a number of CAA volunteers and staff members visited Farm Sanctuary where they met Sophie and Jimmy, two rescued pigs who ran away with their hearts, so to speak. After having just spent four days at the Animal Rights National Conference, these animal advocates were most moved to spend time with the animals themselves.
To see pictures of Sophie and Jimmy and other rescued animals, check out our recent blog post, Reflecting on the 2016 Animal Right National Conference. Alongside the pictures of the happy cows and pigs, you’ll read about some of the ways the conference inspired those who attended. We’ll surely take this inspiration with us into the work we do for the Twin Cities community.
One of the biggest ways that we speak out for animals is with Twin Cities Veg Fest, coming to Coffman Union on October 29 and October 30 this year. We’re already in high gear with planning and fundraising and…partying? Yep, we’re gonna have a big ol’ celebratory bash to kick off our festival fundraiser. We’d really love to have you there to help us ramp up to our biggest Twin Cities Veg Fest yet. Here are all the details:
- Summer Soirée: A Benefit for Twin Cities Veg Fest
- Wednesday, July 27, 7:00 – 10:00pm
- Reverie Cafe + Bar, 1931 Nicollet Avenue South, Minneapolis
- Tickets are $25. Reserve yours today! (VIP tickets have sold out!)
- All tickets will get you lots of vegan food with a picnic-inspired theme, including a vegan Cheese Plate, TLT sandwiches, Pickled Potato Salad, Watermelon Cucumber Herb Salad, and more!
- The event also includes a mini-variety show featuring a few familiar faces, including vocalist and CAA volunteer Hannah-Marie Patzer and cabaret performer and vegan cookbook author Mistress Ginger. And I’ll be juggling for you!
- Fun door prizes await!
- RSVP on the Facebook event page and invite your friends!
I hope to see you there!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Our compassionate community is thriving and making big waves. The newest evidence of this is that the Twin Cities’ own vegan butcher shop will appear on the Food Network on Friday. Tune in at 9pm for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and see The Herbivorous Butcher show off their plant-based meats and cheeses. You can also celebrate the TV appearance at a special Herbivorous Butcher event at Du Nord Craft Spirits on Friday at 8pm.
Speaking of special events, CAA has a big one coming up, and we hope you’ll join us. Our Summer Soirée: A Benefit for Twin Cities Veg Fest is happening in just a couple weeks on Wednesday, July 27 from 7 to 10pm at Reverie Cafe + Bar.
Tickets are on sale now! All tickets get you lots of delicious vegan food. A VIP ticket includes food, a complimentary drink, and a special glittery cookie basket personally made for you by Mistress Ginger and hand delivered to you at the party. Get your tickets today. (There are only 2 VIP tickets remaining!)
Remember, this Summer Soirée is a benefit for Twin Cities Veg Fest. While there, we’ll kick off our Indiegogo campaign to support the annual festival, which will be held at Coffman Memorial Union on Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30.
We hope you’ll join us for this special event on July 27 at Reverie and help get our festival fundraiser off to a booming start.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
