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Do you have questions about being vegan? Send them
to Jo using this easy form.
She would be happy to address your individual concerns
as well as general inquiries about vegan ethics, philosophy,
practical applications, and living compassionately.
Jo cannot respond to questions about nutrition or
answer questions that have already been addressed in
the Archives
Jo will make every attempt to answer each question
personally, however, due to her schedule, this may not
be possible. If a reply is forthcoming, it could take
up to a few weeks, so please be patient. It is also
possible that your question will be answered directly
in the "Ask Jo!" column rather than an individual
response.
If you'd like to view previous questions Jo has
answered, visit the Ask Jo! Archives.
Feeding
the Hungry
Are there any charities that provide
vegan food for the hungry? Is it unethical to refuse
to financially support a group that feeds hungry people
meat? I really struggle with this.
Occasionally, dilemmas arise where vegans
must make an ethical choice that stretches the limits
of their ethics. Fortunately, these occurrences are
rare, and, due to the far-reaching efforts of some highly-dedicated
people, hunger relief is one area where compromise is
unnecessary. It's true that many charitable hunger relief
organizations (such as CARE and the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations) support animal husbandry
projects in areas where traditional customs include
this practice. However, there are two remarkable organizations
that provide vegetarian and vegan hunger relief throughout
the world.
VEGFAM,
founded in 1963, provides short-term emergency assistance
and also supports finding long-term solutions to extinguishing
hunger including using highly innovative and ecologically
sound methods. You can write to them at The Sanctuary,
nr Lydford, Okehampton, Devon EX20 4AL, England, or
telephone them at (011) 44-182-282-0203. The American
Vegan Society (AVS) has agreed to take donations in
U.S. currency and make them available to VEGFAM in British
currency. Donations must be specified General or Projects
Only, and checks should be made payable to American
Vegan Society, but noted "for VEGFAM." Write to AVS
at P.O. Box 369, Malaga, NJ 08328-0908, or call them
at 856-694-2887.
The largest global vegetarian/vegan
food relief program is the Hare
Krishna Food For Life (FFL). Their mission is to
distribute vegetarian and vegan meals to the disadvantaged
and victims of disaster (natural or manmade), wherever
there is a need in the world. They also provide counseling,
health education, and sustainable agriculture and living
skills training to those in need. Food For Life established
Feed the World Week (October 15-21), which coincides
with Vegetarian Awareness Month (October) established
by the North
American Vegetarian Society. Feed the World Week
has been observed in many countries including Australia,
Croatia, Finland, Germany, India, South America, Taipei,
and the United States. For more information on Food
for Life or Feed the World Week, write to Food for Life Global,
PO Box 59037,
Potomac, MD 20859.
If you want to participate in other
forms of direct action to extricate hunger, there are
many ways you can help right where you live. Most urban
food banks warehouse and broker food destined for soup
kitchens and homeless shelters. Due to limited refrigeration
and storage facilities, they tend to receive an abundance
of nonperishable items including plenty of canned goods
and refined carbohydrate products. Day-old cakes, breads,
pastries, and other baked goods are frequently supplied
by bakeries. Restaurants may donate leftovers and grocery
stores may contribute cartons of dented canned goods,
produce on its way out, and other items that are not
saleable. This leaves food banks and soup kitchens clamoring
for provisions that are considered more nourishing by
conventional standards, such as meat and dairy products.
Government surplus foods replete with animal fat, such
as butter and cheese, are highly desired and welcome.
The prevailing public attitude is that
any surplus food should be suitable for the hungry and
that poor people should accept what is given freely
without question. Sadly, the majority of poorer people
are also among the least healthy and the least educated,
and they have little access to information that would
present an alternative perspective about animal-based
foods.
Vegan staples such as fresh vegetables
and fruits, legumes (peas, beans, and lentils), and
whole grains, are among the most nourishing and least
expensive foods available, but they are rarely on the
menu at establishments that assist the hungry. Some
activist groups volunteer a few times a year to prepare
and serve vegan meals at soup kitchens and homeless
shelters. Although their motives are pure, the approach
is problematic. Generally, there is no education provided
to the managers of these programs, leaving the staff
as clueless as ever about the benefits of plant-based
eating. As a result, these events do little to encourage
the ongoing implementation of vegetarian meals. In addition,
one-time programs place people who are desperate in
the degrading position of being a "captive audience."
They are not making a conscious decision to be vegetarian
or even to consume a vegetarian meal. They have no choice.
Their needs are urgent and their options are negligible.
What purpose does this serve? The activists may feel
charitable about their efforts, but in the long run
these experiences are more self-serving than constructive.
There are several very productive ways
you can help hungry people right in your own area. You
can:
- purchase and donate vegan food to
a food bank or give it directly to a kitchen or shelter;
- solicit vegan food donations from
supermarkets, food cooperatives, and natural food
stores;
- ask local farmers to plant a row
of crops to donate, then arrange for pickup and delivery;
- organize volunteers to glean fields
after the harvest;
- go to farm markets and ask for donations
of fresh produce that isn't sold by closing;
- become involved in your local Food
Not Bombs group, a grass-roots network of volunteers
that provides free, hot vegan meals as well as social
and political support to low-income people in communities
throughout North America and Europe;
- donate to Sustainable Harvest International (SHI)
, which is building a global
network of local partners working toward environmental, economic, and social
sustainability. SHI facilitates long-term collaboration among trained local
staff, farmers, and communities to implement sustainable land-use practices
that alleviate poverty by restoring ecological stability;
- present vegetarian education programs
at your local food bank;
- conduct vegan cooking classes at
the food bank or in conjunction with a soup kitchen
or shelter;
- or offer free vegan cooking classes
to interested residents at a homeless shelter or a
minimally priced program in a low-income neighborhood.
If you like, this could include involving the students
in recipe preparation and then sharing a jointly-made
meal following the class.
Keep in mind that it is pointless to
arrange for donations of produce or unusual foods if
no one has any idea what to do with them or if they
are merely viewed as a way to stretch the animal based
items a little bit more. Grass-roots education is essential
if any alternative program is going to be effective.
Many people don't know much about vegetarianism and
are fearful about it or simply disinterested. They may
not be aware of how it might benefit them, or they may
be turned off by foods that are unfamiliar or seem weird.
It is important to understand and respect people's cultural
and ethnic differences, too, and realize that food has
an emotional hold over all of us, including those of
us who don't have much.
If you decide to implement educational
programs, do allow people to decline your programs with
dignity. No one should be made to feel guilty or ignorant
because they aren't interested in vegetarianism. Those
who choose to participate will have a genuine curiosity
and hence there is a greater chance they will effect
a lasting change.
Hunger relief is a complex issue with
manifold causes and solutions. There are a variety of
avenues for vegans to help those who are less advantaged,
both directly and indirectly. However you choose to
contribute, your generosity and compassion will make
a difference in the life of someone in need.
Copyright © 1998-2008 by Jo Stepaniak
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