We start off this week with Wednesday's protest against Bristol-Meyers Squibb. Please join PETA outside BMS's annual shareholders meeting to demand that the company end their use of the forced swim test, in which terrified mice and other small animals are placed in inescapable beakers filled with water and forced to swim in order to keep from drowning. Posters and leaflets will be provided.
In December of 2018, a trapped and helpless raccoon was beaten to death with an aluminum bat by two Lacey Township residents. The boys then posted it on their IG account. To date, no charges have been filed by the Ocean County Prosecutors office. Please come out on Friday and stand in solidarity at this peaceful demo. Signs shall be provided but creative signs made by protesters are welcome! Dress in black if possible. More information about the protest and the unresolved crime can be found here.
Lancaster's 3rd Annual VegFest will be taking place on Saturday, the 1st. This is a free, public event whose mission is to provide information over 130 vendors, speaker panels, vegan food, entertainment, raffle prizes, children’s activities, non-profit organizations, and much, much more! 100 Gift Bags will be given to the first 100 attendees in line at the Welcome Booth! Bags will be handed out starting at 12. There will be tons of great vendors, including some NJ favorites like The Baklava Lady, Teeminder, Cinnamon Snail, Mo'Pweeze Bakery, How Delish HD, Freakin Vegan, and many more! Learn more at http://pavegfest.com/
The 2019 Long Island Vegan Living Program (VLP) begins June 1, 2019! This session will begin with in-person check-in for our pre-registered Vegan Pledges and Vegan Coaches. Pledges and Coaches will have a chance to meet and get to know each other. This will be followed by an Introduction to Veganism presentation by Vegan Living Program Founding Directors and co-organizers, Robin Helfritch Maratos and Erin Marcus. This session will also feature a cooking demonstration as we welcome back renowned vegan cookbook author, Terry Hope Romero, Vegan Cookbookista.
Anonymous for the Voiceless's Cube of Truth is a peaceful static demonstration akin to an art performance. A demonstration will be held Saturday in Jersey City. This demonstration operates 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.
On Sunday, please keep Animals First on the Second in mind. This is not an event to attend; rather a monthly day of reflection and remembrance. Each day, millions of farm animals are starved on their way to slaughter. On the second day of every month, fasting is encouraged in protest of the treatment of these sentient beings. Join us as we amplify the voices of the billions of farmed animals suffering around the world. You can find more information about this campaign here.
NJVeg will be hosting an outreach session at the Somerville Street Fair on Sunday. Volunteers will answer questions and provide free literature on the benefits of a plant-based diet. Volunteers are needed for this and other outreach events. 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. Help is needed setting up (at 10am) and packing up (to about 5:30pm). If you're interested in joining NJveg's outreach team, please contact us at NJveg.org@gmail.com or 609.557.7077.
National Animal Rights Day (NARD) will happen on Sunday as well. There is a local event happening in NYC. Come join us as we stand in solidarity with 30 other cities around the world to commemorate the BILLIONS of animals killed at the hands of humans every year and honor them in their death in a respectful, silent and powerful ceremony. Following the ceremony, there will be motivational speakers, performers, free vegan food, raffle prizes and more to help educate the public about how we can protect our planet and change the world for animals starting with living a cruelty-free lifestyle. For more info on our mission and past events please check out our website at www.thenard.org.
Looking for love, but tired of the online dating scene, or struggling to find someone who shares your innermost values? If you’re feeling frustrated and alone, this is your chance to take your future into your own hands and change that! Veg Speed Date events have facilitated close to 5000 connections in almost 100 cities since February 2017. These events are exclusively for vegan and vegetarian singles across North America, ensuring that one of the biggest barriers many veg singles face -- finding a person who is down with their lifestyle choices -- is eliminated. A Veg Speed Date event will take place in Trenton on Sunday at the Lady and the Shallot. More information and sign ups can be found here.
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 (pending)
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!