Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)

Congratulations to Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF) for hosting their first fully vegan event and adopting a vegan menu policy for public fundraisers and events and a vegetarian menu policy for staff and volunteer events!

AARF is a nonprofit, no-kill rescue serving cats and dogs in the Atlanta area. They work to save as many animals as they can through their cat adoption rooms at AARF Pet Central and foster homes.

We are so thrilled that AARF served vegan food at their AARFstravaganza event! The event was a “picnic style” concert to benefit their foster/adoption program, pet food pantry, and community outreach. Local musicians, such as Michelle Malone, performed, and there were raffles baskets and silent auction prizes.

Their vegan food menu included:

• Veggie Straws

• Lotus Biscoff Cookies

• Lenny and Larry’s Complete Cookies

• Rip Van Dark Chocolate Wafer Cookies

• That’s It Fruit Bars

• MadeGood Granola Bars

• Kibo Chickpea Chips

• Bada Bean Bada Boom Bean Snacks

The event was a success, and AARF met their fundraising goal! Guest commented on how much they loved the food, and several people said they were very grateful for the vegan options.

We are thankful for all that AARF does to help animals, and we are so happy they’ve made the compassionate decision to adopt a veg menu policy. Thank you, AARF!

Food for Thought Annual Retreat 2023

Last week, the Food for Thought team had our annual retreat! Three of our four team members traveled to Animal Place, a farmed animal sanctuary in Grass Valley, CA.

Since our team is remote, we were so excited to get to spend time with some of Animal Place’s nearly 300 rescued animals like cows, pigs, chickens, and goats. We got plenty of snuggles and provided many pets. We also got to spend time with some of our colleagues at Animal Place in person!

On Saturday, we tabled at Animal Care Faire in Sacramento, CA and had some great conversations about the importance of having a vegan menu policy for shelter events and fundraisers.

Additionally, the team spent some time coming up with an action plan for the Food for Thought program in 2024.

We had a wonderful time and can’t wait for the next retreat!

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Cat Haven

We are excited to announce our latest Vegan Event Grant Recipient, Cat Haven! It’s their mission to lead their community in Baton Rouge, LA in becoming a no-kill community for cats and kittens. They provide care, shelter, and adoption services, and advocate for routine spaying and neutering for population control.

We are so grateful that Cat Haven served vegan food at their donor appreciation event! The event allowed board members and staff to connect with donors in a more intimate setting, and donors were able to learn about Cat Haven’s needs and future goals.

Their vegan food menu included:

• Tabouleh

• Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

• Mediterranean Stir-Fry Nachos

• Curried Potatoes

• Poke Bowls

• Cupcakes

Guests had a wonderful time, and several people commented on how great the food was and how much they appreciated the presentation. The organization said the event was a success. We’re happy to hear that!

A huge thank you to Cat Haven for making the compassionate choice to serve vegan food at their event!

Recap: Vegan Convergence of the Peoples #14

On Sunday, August 6th, Animal Place’s Food for Thought Program Manager, Melissa White, spoke on a funders’ panel at Vegan Convergence of the Peoples #14. The panelists included Dawn Moncrief of A Well-Fed World and Leslie Barcus of VegFund.

Melissa spoke about Animal Place’s history, including the sweet story of Zelda the pig, as well as Food for Thought’s mission, progress, and outreach methods, and our available grants. She detailed the policy grant, a one-time gift of either $1,000 or $250 to organizations that have recently adopted a vegan or vegetarian menu policy for their events. She also discussed the vegan event grant, a reimbursement of up to $1,000 in food costs for an organization’s first fully vegan event.

There were 37 people in attendance. The attendees were very engaged and supportive of Food for Thought’s mission of encouraging and inspiring nonprofit organizations like animal shelters to extend their compassion to all animals by adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy. One attendee commented, “Our shelters are great, but we need to think about ALL animals!”

At the end of the panel, Melissa encouraged attendees to check out our shelter report card to see if their local animal shelter has a menu policy in place. If they found that they didn’t, she suggested that they send a polite email to ask that they adopt a vegan or vegetarian menu policy. Because the audience was mainly vegan activists, they loved this idea.

Could your organization benefit from one of our grants? Click here to find out if you’re eligible.

Recap: NEFHS Conference 2023

The New England Federation of Humane Societies connects animal welfare professionals so that they can educate, collaborate, and network with each other. As part of their efforts, they hold an annual training conference. The conference covers basic knowledge for those just starting out, advanced lectures for those who are specialized, and progressive discussions to lead shelters into the future.

This years conference was held at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in beautiful Hartford, Connecticut. Food for Thought’s East Coast Coordinator, Tami Andrew, represented Animal Place with a table at the conference. She met a number of wonderful representatives from organizations in the northeast US. 

Though NEFHS tabling was a bit different from most conferences–the booths were not in a designated exhibition ballroom but instead in the lobby outside of the meeting rooms–it was still an overwhelmingly positive experience. Since people were always milling about the lobby for snacks, food, and coffee, there was time for casual conversation with guests, as well as fellow exhibitors.

Sharing Food For Thought’s mission to help nonprofit organizations extend their compassion to all animals by adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy was met with a lot of enthusiasm from the guests at NEFHS. There was a high number of people who already had an informal policy in place at their organization and were interested in making it official. Many other guests were in full support of FFT’s mission and interested in resources to help persuade their board, as well as grant opportunities to prove how successful vegan events are.

The NEFHS conference was a great example of our mission since it was a vegetarian event with lots of vegan options. The food ranged from sushi to sliders and included a smoothie station and hot apple cider! It was a lovely experience filled with sweet treats and great meets and we look forward to next year already! 

Recap: HSUS Animal Care Expo 2023

Where do animal people go to connect with each other, eat incredible vegan food, play with puppies, and learn more about animal care and advocacy resources? This year it was New Orleans for the annual HSUS Animal Care Expo.

In a crowd of nearly 3,000 animal shelter staff and advocates from across the country, the Food for Thought team was proud to represent farmed animals! The event was buzzing with joy… and not just because we were in the “Big Easy” with puppies. Being around so many people passionate about animals was invigorating.

Pictured Above: Tami Andrew (East Coast, left) & Hailey Myers (West Coast, right)

I met East Coast Coordinator Tami in person for the first time since joining the team as West Coast Coordinator last year. We had a ball chatting about farmed animal welfare and the Food for Thought mission in person with shelter staff and animal advocates.

Our conversations with HSUS attendees were overwhelmingly positive. People agreed enthusiastically that if we are working to save cat and dog lives we should also work to save cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals. It was so encouraging to speak with so many people who saw the connection between loving animal companions and loving farmed animals. I was surprised how many people came to speak with us because they already supported Animal Place or remembered having conversations with other Food for Thought representatives. 

Some people who remembered us from past events and outreach came to give us updates. One attendee told us about her organization’s progress in removing animal products from their menus. Another attendee told us she is pulling her donations from an organization that hasn’t made the change yet. We met someone who has done fundraisers for Animal Place before. She dreams of buying a property to help us foster animals. She runs Rocket Dog Rescue and wants to visit our sanctuary with her volunteers. Rocket Dog Rescue has been a Food for Thought Policy Leader since 2016! We met another attendee who has adopted chickens from Animal Place (pictured below). A handful of people came by to pass on a “hi” to Kim because they remember her starting the program.

The catering at the conference was exceptional. I’m sure it inspired many event-planning professionals! Taco bars, Mediterranean mezze platters, and Italian spreads are always delightful and easily veganized. I’m still daydreaming about the Thai noodles, tofu and veggie summer rolls, and seaweed salad. The desserts were all so good, but we really loved the baklava and the ube sorbet. HSUS has been a vegan policy leader for years and their events are proof of how exciting and delicious vegan catering can be.

Tami hosted a round table discussion. Most people agreed that organizations raising money to save animals shouldn’t support the slaughter or harm of other animals. The attendees described their strategies for broaching the topic with donors. Someone pointed out that supporters attend events because they care about the mission. They aren’t attending animal shelter fundraisers primarily for the food… so serving delectable vegan food that aligns with their mission of saving lives just makes sense!

Many attendees came to our table because they saw the cute plushie goat, pig, and chicken. We had so many lively discussions about how smart and sweet pigs, cows, chickens, and other farmed animals are and how they deserve the same love that cats and dogs do. Many people took either a brochure or signed up for more information. They expressed enthusiasm to discuss the program with their Boards. We left the event feeling very inspired by all the love for animals and excited for HSUS 2024!

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: HEART L.A.

Congratulations to Heart L.A. (Housing Equality & Advocacy Resource Team) for hosting their first fully vegan event and adopting a vegan menu policy!

HEART L.A. believes no one should have to leave their home because of their animals. Located in Los Angeles, CA, they are a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to keeping people and their companion animals together. Their housing advocates and attorneys help renters who are facing harassment or eviction because of their companion animal. HEART L.A. also educates animal welfare groups on the legal rights of having a companion animal.

In December 2022, they hosted their Under One Woof event. We love that they supported local businesses. Their DJ was a social worker, their centerpieces were made by a local nascent business, and their food was catered by a local queer/trans-Latinx kitchen collective. Their event venue was also accessible for people with disabilities.

Their vegan food menu included:

• Tostada bar: tinga, beans, vegan cheeze, avocado, salsa

• Vegan ceviche with chips or tostada

• Tacos dorados: jackfruit chikun or potato queso fresco

All of their attendees were impressed and satisfied with the food! There was some initial hesitation from meat lovers, but every single one of them loved the food. Vegans at the event were delighted to be able to eat all of the food on the menu. All of the food was gone within an hour!

We love and support HEART LA’s mission. We are honored that they chose Food for Thought to sponsor the food at their event. Thank you for including farmed animals in your sphere of compassion!

Policy Grant Recipient: Peace of Mind Dog Rescue

We are excited to announce Peace of Mind Dog Rescue (POMDR) as our new Policy Grant recipient! Their mission is to find loving foster and forever homes for senior dogs. They help dogs and people from Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties in California. They strive to bring positive change to the way society thinks about and treats senior dogs. They do this through rescue, foster, adoption, hospice, and education. They have a lifetime commitment to all the dogs who come into their care.

We love that POMDR adopted a vegetarian menu policy and published the policy on its website. Their policy states, “We believe that all animals should be treated humanely and with compassion throughout their lives. One way POMDR chooses to support the concept of compassion to all living beings is to serve only vegetarian food at all POMDR events, from small meetings of staff and volunteers, to large gatherings such as our annual Lucky Dog Gala. We recommend the same but do not control food options when outside organizations are the primary host or sponsor of an event.”

We are happy to award them the Policy Grant! We really appreciate their dedication to helping senior dogs. Thank you for extending your compassion to all animals!

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic

We are excited to announce another Vegan Event Grant Recipient, Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic! Their organization offers low-cost spay/neuter in Saint Louis, MO. Over 20,000 adoptable pets are euthanized annually in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. They establish programs and policies to decrease the number of unwanted dogs and cats euthanized each year.

We are honored that Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic served vegan food at their 10 Year Celebration event! They celebrated 100,000 spays and neuters which is incredible!

Their vegan food menu included:

• Party Ryes

• Impossible Sliders

• Pretzel Bites with Vegan Cheese

• Vegan Chick’n Wangs

• Vanilla Cake

• Ice Cream: Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Chip, Raspberry Sorbet, Lemon Poppy Seed

Guests enjoyed themselves and thought the food was delicious. The organization reported no difference in event success based on menu choices when compared to previous events. We love to hear that!

Thank you for serving vegan food at your event and congratulations on 100,000 spays and neuters!

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society

We are happy to award our Vegan Event Grant to Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society! Located in New Jersey, their organization provides a safe and peaceful haven for homeless, abandoned, or abused animals. They are dedicated to decreasing the number of cats and dogs euthanized in kill shelters. They offer adoption, trap-neuter-return, and education programs.

Karma Cat + Zen Dog hosted their annual event, Paws for Celebration, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. The event comprised of a buffet dinner, dancing, and a silent auction. Historically, this event has been vegetarian. This is the first time they are serving fully vegan food!

Their vegan food menu included:

• Baked Vegetable Lasagna

• Eggplant Rollatini

• Cavatelli & Broccoli w/ Aioli Sauce

• Green Salad

• Roasted Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables

• Spring Rolls

• Cakes & Brownies from Cats Luck

Guests enjoyed the food and raved about the desserts both at and after the event!

Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society visions a world where every companion animal is respected, fed, warm, happy, and not in danger of being killed because of being temporarily homeless. We are excited their organization extended its compassion to farmed animals. Congratulations on adopting a vegan menu policy!

Recap: Best Friends National Conference 2022

Food for Thought had a wonderful experience at our second in-person conference this year! Tami Andrew, our East Coast Coordinator, recently attended the Best Friends National Conference in Raleigh, NC.

OUR BOOTH

All the attendees who stopped by our booth were friendly and understood our mission. Many of them are vegan or vegetarian and aware of Food for Thought. It was great to meet some of our supporters!

Food for Thought Sticker

We offered fun giveaways for this conference. We gave out free “Choose Compassion” goat stickers and “Go Vegan!” bracelets. We also hosted a raffle. The prize included homemade dog bandanas and catnip toys sewn by Crystal, our Program Manager, and a decorative sign that says “You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it.” We asked attendees to leave their business card to enter the raffle. We will draft up a vegan menu policy for their organization after the conference.

Raffle Prize

We added fun facts about farmed animals and farmed stuffed animals on our table. Attendees loved them so much! They took photos of these and wanted to know if the farmed stuffed animals were included in the raffle!

VEGAN FOOD

Best Friends Animal Society is a Food for Thought Policy Leader and they served vegan food at this conference. It was delicious and many of the attendees complimented it!

Grant Opportunities to Help Your Organization Adopt a Policy!

Animal Place’s Food for Thought Program offers grant opportunities to help companion animal shelters adopt a vegan or vegetarian menu policy!

Photos from previous Food for Thought Vegan Event Grant recipients

WHAT IS FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

Food for Thought is a program of Animal Place, one of the oldest and largest sanctuaries for farmed animals in the United States. We help nonprofit organizations extend their compassion to all animals by adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy. This is a written, board-approved policy. It states your organization will only serve vegan or vegetarian foods at your events.

Contact Food for Thought and we’ll write a policy for your organization!

WHY ADOPT A POLICY?

Animal welfare organizations have a mission to protect animals. It’s inconsistent to raise funds for animals by serving animals.

Many people identify farmed animals as companions. Farmed animals include rabbits, chickens, pot-bellied pigs, goats, and other species. If any of these animals came into your shelter, you would provide them with the same level of care as a dog or cat. As a rescue organization, where do you draw the line between those you love and those on the plate at your events?

Adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy aligns your menu with your mission of saving animal lives. Learn about more reasons to adopt a policy.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

VEGAN EVENT GRANT

Does your organization want to try a fully vegan event? With the Vegan Event Grant, we’ll reimburse the food expenses up to $1,000 for your organization’s first fully vegan event. This grant is perfect for organizations that are considering adopting a policy but have some concerns. It’s a great opportunity to try out a fully vegan event and see how your supporters respond.

Apply for the Vegan Event Grant.

You may combine the Vegan Event Grant with the screening of the award-winning film The Last Pig for the ultimate event!

VEGAN TICKET SUBSIDY GRANT

With the Vegan Ticket Subsidy Grant, you'll host an event where attendees can purchase their meal option ahead of time. Charge your attendees half-price for the vegan meal option and we’ll cover the other half up to $1,000! Hosting a gala is a perfect example of how you can use this grant.

Apply for the Vegan Ticket Subsidy Grant.

POLICY GRANT

The Policy Grant is a one-time gift for organizations that adopt a new board-approved vegan or vegetarian menu policy. We offer $1,000 for a vegan menu policy or $250 for a vegetarian menu policy.

Apply for the Policy Grant.

Policy Grant Recipient: Animal Protective Association of Missouri

We are excited to announce the Animal Protective Association of Missouri as our latest Policy Grant recipient! Serving the people and animals of St. Louis is their top priority. The APA is dedicated to bringing people and pets together, advancing humane education, and creating programs beneficial to the human/animal bond. Services provided by the APA include a low-cost veterinary clinic, pet food distribution, and education programs.

This amazing organization has extended its compassionate work by adopting a vegetarian menu policy. The APA stated, “Adopting an animal-friendly food policy was a value-based decision that aligned with our mission and organizational brand. While the APA’s day-to-day efforts focus on companion animals, we are an organization dedicated to caring and advocating for the humane and compassionate treatment of all animals. For this reason, we wanted to also promote welfare-conscious consumption of food at all organization events and meetings.”

Thank you so much to the Animal Protective Association of Missouri for your compassion and your hard work! We couldn’t be happier to award this grant for their dedication to all animals!

Recap: Best Friends National Conference and AAWA Conference

Last month, Food for Thought attended two virtual conferences: Best Friends National Conference and The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Conference.

The Food for Thought team held virtual booths at both conferences. Our virtual booths showcased resources to help organizations adopt a plant-based menu policy. Attendees were able to visit the booth and browse our resources on their own time.

We were able to connect with attendees through private messaging. This allowed the team to hold conversations as if we were face-to-face. Several attendees expressed their desire to work with our program. We are very excited to work with them to adopt a plant-based menu policy at their organization!

We missed seeing everyone in person, but we are grateful to have made such meaningful connections in a safe environment. As the world begins to reopen, we can't wait to see everyone in person very soon!

Virtual Booth at Best Friends National Conference

Virtual Booth at The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Conference

Food for Thought Exhibited at 3 Virtual Conferences

Our virtual booths at the conferences:

Organizations are hosting virtual conferences because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Virtual conferences are a great opportunity to network while ensuring attendees’ safety. Last month, Food for Thought exhibited at three virtual conferences.: HSUS Animal Care Expo, Animal Care Conference, and New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference.

Similar to an in-person event, each exhibitor has its own virtual booth. Our virtual booth included resources on how to adopt a policy and our grant opportunities. We engaged with attendees through the public group chat, private message, or video chat.

We received lots of engagement this year! Everyone was very supportive of our program. Several attendees expressed interest in adopting a plant-based menu policy for their organization. Here are some quotes from the conferences:

“Your booth was definitely food for thought! Thank you for the great information!” - HSUS Expo

“Such an important organization & unique mission. Thank you for being part of Expo!” - HSUS Expo

“I appreciate you all soooo much! Thank you for being an Exhibitor here. Your campaign is amazing and your work is changing the world, one meal at a time.” - Animal Care Conference

Since the world is reopening, organizations expect conferences to be in-person next year. We look forward to meeting everyone face-to-face again!

Policy Grant Recipient: Leavenworth County Humane Society

Congratulations to our newest Policy Grant recipient, Leavenworth County Humane Society, Inc.! Based in Kansas, they are the only organization working to build and operate a no-kill shelter that is available to all residents in Leavenworth County. They also offer humane education, veterinary and training assistance, and they work to improve animal care protection laws. Their vision is to be the place where all animals are treated with compassion and have the opportunity to find a loving forever home.

Leavenworth County Humane Society, Inc. recognizes they are a leader in the rescue community who sets humane standards when it comes to the treatment of animals. According to the organization, they adopted a vegan menu policy because they “oppose any practice that causes a sentient being to suffer unnecessarily.” We love seeing shelters make this connection and choose to serve food that is respectful to all.

Thank you for your dedication to helping animals!

Policy Grant Recipient: Ohlone Humane Society

We’re excited to announce a new Policy Grant recipient, Ohlone Humane Society! This Californian-based animal welfare nonprofit advocates for all animals. They serve the Fremont, Newark, and Union City areas and rescue companion animals to native species. In addition to foster and adoption, Ohlone Humane Society provides several community programs including humane education, spay and neuter assistance, an urban wildlife rehabilitation center, and more!

We also love their mission statement: “Ohlone Humane Society strives to inspire respect and compassion for all animals, advocate for their interests and welfare, and instill in our community that all living beings have the right to be treated humanely.” Having a vegan menu policy, they are a perfect example of an organization whose menu aligns with their mission.

Congratulations on adopting a policy and thank you for all your hard work!

Policy Grant Recipient: Whole Dog Academy

Food for Thought is excited to announce Whole Dog Academy as our newest policy grant recipient! Based in Oregon, Whole Dog Academy works to improve the human and canine relationship. They educate shelter and rescue staff, veterinarians, dog trainers, and the general public on reward-based, force-free training. They offer several programs to their community including a Dog Trainer Certificate Program, a low-cost Community Training Program, seminars, workshops, animal behavior research, shelter dog training, and they even have a canine behavior conference called WagCon! We love that Whole Dog Academy's educational outreach keeps dogs in homes and out of shelters!    

Another reason to love Whole Dog Academy is that they have a vegan menu policy! They believe that their commitment to animal welfare does not end with canines. As they stated, "Whole Dog Academy understands that our organization has a responsibility to not only adopt, but to promote and educate about humane practices and the compassion that all animals deserve. Adopting a vegan-only menus policy is one step toward making our organization the best stewards of animal health and welfare that we can be." 

Congratulations on adopting a vegan menu policy! 

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Friends of Oakland Animal Services

We're excited to announce another vegan event grant recipient, Friends of Oakland Animal Services! This wonderful organization partners with Oakland Animal Services to take in over 5,000 homeless animals each year and provide critical services such as veterinary care. While they've had smaller events with vegan options, their first fully vegan event, Raise the Woof!, was so successful that it sold out!

Their guests loved the food! Here was their mouth-watering vegan menu:

• Broccoli, potato, and cheddar tofu quiche

• Smoked Gouda, bacon, and spinach turnovers

• Soy chicken salad spinach wraps

• Blue cheese almond stuffed baby portobello mushrooms

• Almond Ricotta stuffed shiitake mushrooms topped with tomato and basil-walnut pesto

• Tomato-basil bruschetta

• Olive tapenade with Miyoko's cheese

• Artichoke dip

• Caesar Salad kabob

They also completely ran out of dessert which were catered by Timeless Cafe! We're happy to hear that there was a wide variety of plant-based options for everyone to enjoy!

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Spay Neuter Project Los Angeles

Congratulations to our vegan grant recipient, The Spay Neuter Project Los Angeles! This incredible organization provides quality veterinary care to underserved communities in Los Angeles. Their low-waste and fully plant-based event, The Million Pet Soirée, was a huge success in raising money for their cause.

In addition to raising funds, The Spay Neuter Project Los Angeles received positive feedback about their vegan food. They served fruit and cheese platters, caprese pizza, salad with Gorgonzola dressing, sandwiches with veggies and cheese all from a dairy-free cheese shop called Vromage, veggie platters from Heirloom LA, and delicious vegan pastries from Cake Girl. What a perfect opportunity for their non-vegan and vegetarian guests to enjoy good vegan food!