By Lisa Rimmert, Donor Relations Manager
As I spend this holiday week with family and friends in the Midwest, I am reminded that vegans and animal advocates are a relatively small demographic. We still make up only a fraction of the population, especially in rural areas like Southern Illinois, where my family resides. But our power and influence cannot be overlooked. We are making people think, and we’re changing hearts and minds toward a brighter future for animals. Our numbers are small, but we are a powerful force for good.
This is evidenced by all the work we accomplish for animals:
The eleven staff Outreach Coordinators and hundreds of volunteer activists at Vegan Outreach handed out more than one million booklets this fall semester alone – an all-time leafleting record. Since our founding, we’ve distributed booklets to more than 24 million individuals all over the US, as well as in Australia, Canada, and Mexico. We hear all the time from people who have made positive changes for farmed animals – taking steps toward and fully going vegan.
It’s also clear to me based on the compassion of VO supporters:
Compassion is a great motivator, so although our numbers are small, animal advocates are an incredibly powerful group. Just this past week:
- A young man donated to VO the entirety of his reimbursement for unused sick days and vacation days in 2014
- A woman feels so passionate about VO’s work that she gave not once but three times to our year-end matching drive – just because she wanted to help that much!
- Multiple people asked and received donations to Vegan Outreach in lieu of Christmas presents for themselves.
These are just a few examples of individuals using their compassion to make the world better, investing in the ongoing work of Vegan Outreach to ensure a brighter future for animals.
We may be David to the Goliath that is animal agribusiness, but all the work we’ve accomplished together – and all the compassion that fuels our continued progress – gives me confidence and hope for a more compassionate future.
Thank you to everyone who makes this work possible. If you haven’t had a chance to donate this December, please take a moment now to contribute. Be a shining example of the compassion that makes our movement so powerful. For the animals!
