A huge congratulations is going out to from us here at Vegan in NJ to Lady and the Shallot in Lawrenceville, who are celebrating their first anniversary! They will be celebrating in style and more information can be found on their Facebook event page.
Our own monthly volunteer day at Skylands Animal Sanctuary will take place on Saturday. We are full with volunteers, but be sure to join our private Facebook group, Instagram, and this blog so you get a heads up at the next one!
The 9th Annual NYC Vegetarian Food Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday the 18th and 19th. Scheduled are speakers, cooking demos, kids activities and more. The festival will be a showcase of 100% vegan innovation, with revolutionary plant-based food, products and fun for kids and adults alike. Attendees will enjoy free food samples as well as meals for sale.
Anonymous for the Voiceless's Cube of Truth is a peaceful static demonstration akin to an art performance. Two demonstrations will be held Saturday. There will be one in Bucks County, PA and another in Jersey City. These demonstrations operate in a structured manner that triggers curiosity and interest from the public; we attempt to lead bystanders to a vegan conclusion through a combination of local standard-practice animal exploitation footage and conversations with a value-based sales approach. Masks, signs, and outreach literature are provided. Black upper clothing appropriate for the weather is essential, and please bring a fully charged laptop or tablet if you have one. Interested volunteers should join this Facebook group.
NJveg will answer questions and provide free literature on the benefits of a plant-based diet at Pennington Day on Saturday. They need volunteers for this and other outreach. Come out for an hour, or the entire event. Help spread the word that a plant-based diet saves animals, protects the environment, and improves your health! No experience is necessary. They particularly need help setting up (at 9am) and packing up (to about 4:30pm). If you’re interested in joining NJveg’s outreach team, please contact them at njveg.org@gmail.com or 609-557-7077.
If you missed the last VGN MKT in Brooklyn, another one will happen this Sunday. Vegan Market At Market Hotel is a monthly indoor pop up market with some of the area's best vegan vendors. There is plenty of food but also apparel, bath & body products, and cosmetics. All of the vendors are 100% vegan all of the time. They are an all ages event with a full bar for those 21+. As always, admission is free.
On Sunday, May 19th, Chilis on Wheels will be providing plant based meals to those in need in the New Brunswick area. These meals are provided every third Sunday of the month. They are also looking for volunteers to help and can be contacted at newbrunswick@chilisonwheels.org.
God's Creatures Ministry will be hosting a Spring for Life Dinner on Sunday evening. More info can be found on their event page and also here.
Crust and Crumble in Asbury Park and Label V Events will be hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, May 18th. Join them for a Vegan Pup Up on the Patio to raise dollars for Dali the Dog! Crust and Crumble will be having a vegan BBQ fundraiser to help sweet Dali get the surgery she desperately needs. Dali was born with a congenital condition of her left back leg and has had limited use of it since she was a puppy. Now, at 3 years old, she can't use her leg at all and has developed extreme muscular dystrophy which is causing her a lot of pain. There's a surgery to fix her condition, but it's quite costly. Tickets are $7, and there will be a vegan hot dog & hamburger bar, doggie photos, dog- themed vendors, a costume contest, and live music by Chris & Brendan of ENJOY! Bring your puppers and come hang out for a good cause with some vegan food!
Finally, the Jersey Shore chapter of Food Not Bombs will be feeding those in need at the Asbury Park Train Station between 5:00 and 6:00. If you want to donate something, contact them via their Facebook page or by emailing them at jerseyshorefoodnotbombs@yahoo.com. The Jersey City chapter meets at the Journal Square plaza at noon every Sunday. For donations, contact them via their Facebook page or at foodnotbombsjc@gmail.com.
Vegan in NJ events scheduled (*must be a member of the Facebook group to view private events):
6/22 Skylands Sanctuary Volunteer Day 6/22 Skylands Sanctuary Tour/Potluck
Vegan in NJ is raising money through Crowdrise for Skylands Animal Sanctuary. We also have some new team members that can be found on our Crowdrise. If you are interested in signing up for the 5k and donating/joining our team to fundraise, please send me an email for your discount code for the race and proof of donation/team sign up! Proceeds from our apparel, which are available with our official design (thanks Lisette!) are available on Teespring!
If you are hosting an event or know of an event happening that you do not see on our events page, please send an email to cherise@veganinnj.com and I'll add it to the page ASAP and include it in my weekly breakdown.
We have started a Patreon page and we would love it if you could donate any amount you could. We will be working on setting up the tiers with more as time goes on, but for right now, you will get access to our feed, where we will be working through ideas and events we plan to host in the future, early blog posts, discount codes for events, and random merch an whatever we've got that we can send you! This will be a great place for you to have your voice heard about how we can make NJ the most vegan friendly place it can be. Proceeds from our Patreon will be going to maintain the website, brand, and afford us to be able to hire on more awesome vegans to help us on our journey to make NJ a vegan wonderland!
Thank you to those who came here via the Try Vegan email blast! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can learn more about the Try Vegan empire via their meal delivery (use that link for a free meal!), their food truck, or their clothing line. They also now have an app in the App Store or on Google Play!