It's that time of year again.
Don't get me wrong, I love to shop. I love seeing something I know Mike will just love and purchasing it. I do the same for friends.
Then we get to Christmas and the whole world is buying gifts, in some cases just because. Not because the person is going to absolutely love the gift, but just because.
Please don't do that for me. No gifts please. I have everything I could possibly want. The newest vegan cookbook? If I want it I have it. That really cool animal rights shirt? Same thing.
When someone who loves me and cares about me wants to give me a gift, I ask them to make a donation instead.
My typical request is to ask friends and family to donate to their local HIV/AIDS group or their local animal shelter. My parents have been doing this for years. It works well on so many levels. For me it's much better than receiving a gift. The donation changes the world for a living being.
Many of our readers have donated to the groups we have listed on the main page of the blog. I love that, mainly because these are groups that Mike and I donate to and we firmly believe in the work they are doing.
I recently made a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in honor of a relative. This group rocks it in caring for wounded veterans, something important to my relative. Would they have preferred cash? Perhaps. But like any other donation I have made in honor of someone, the donation changes not only the group I donated to but it also changes the person I made the donation for.
Thanks for reading!
Zuma beach.
Showing posts with label non-profit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non-profit. Show all posts
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Our first ever dog and cat food drive!
I am ecstatic to let you all know that The Gay Vegans are having our first ever dog and cat food drive! After a lot of consideration around who we would support with a blog-wide effort and how, we have decided to collect dog and cat food as well as cash for Animal Haus, a local Denver non-profit that gives away dog and cat food to those who would otherwise not be able to fee their companion animals.
The great thing about this effort is that you do not need to live in Denver to support us. We will have collection spots for you and your friends to drop off the food, and those who want to support us who do not live n the Denver area can simply go to this website animalhaus.org and make a donation. A little goes a long way.
I know that through the support of our blog readers and supporters that we can make a HUGE difference for those struggling with finances to care for their companions. Imagine what a difference a donation of food makes to a guardian who is experiencing really tough financial times, and in some cases might even be considering bringing their beloved into a shelter!
WE can make the difference.
Please spread the word. I will post all of the current details here. This will be a two-week effort. We can change the lives of families who truly want to keep and care for their companions, they are just having really difficult times.
The Gay Vegans dog and cat food drive
November 16 - 30, 2013
Donations can be dropped off at Urban Peak Monday - Friday from 8am - 5pm.
Donations of vegan dog and cat food can be purchased at Nooch Vegan Market at 34th and Larimer and placed in the Animal Haus bin.
In the west metro area? You can drop off at our home in northeast Lakewood. Just email for directions.
More information to come and hopefully more drop off locations. If you know of a Denver area pet food store that would let us hang out one day and ask customers to donate food, please let me know.
Thank you all so much. Stay tuned for updates!
Dan
vegandude@msn.com
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Make a February donation
Being gay and vegan, we have several different kinds of non-profits that we donate money to. Some are making the world a better place for animals, some for LGBTQ folk, and some for people with HIV or AIDS. All of them love getting donations in February.
Most non-profits get tons of donations in the last couple of months of the year. This make sense for people giving money, as they are feeling a little more generous and/or making donations for tax purposes. For the groups making the world a better place for all living beings, a donation in December is great. The same donation earlier in the year, when giving is low and needs remain the same (and for most groups we support the need is always rising), means even more.
As much as we try to be a voice for the voiceless every day, and as many actions as we might take to support animals being tortured and humans being discriminated against, there are many groups out there that are rocking it for the voiceless. Some of them are linked from our blog. Check them out. Look to see if it might be a convenient time to donate to one of these groups, or a group local to you making a difference.
Then donate. Give them the much needed funds they need to continue to rock it for the voiceless.
And don't think for a second that your donation of $10 or $25 is too small to make a difference. It all adds up, and every donation is important to the organizations out there making the world a better place for all living beings.
Most non-profits get tons of donations in the last couple of months of the year. This make sense for people giving money, as they are feeling a little more generous and/or making donations for tax purposes. For the groups making the world a better place for all living beings, a donation in December is great. The same donation earlier in the year, when giving is low and needs remain the same (and for most groups we support the need is always rising), means even more.
As much as we try to be a voice for the voiceless every day, and as many actions as we might take to support animals being tortured and humans being discriminated against, there are many groups out there that are rocking it for the voiceless. Some of them are linked from our blog. Check them out. Look to see if it might be a convenient time to donate to one of these groups, or a group local to you making a difference.
Then donate. Give them the much needed funds they need to continue to rock it for the voiceless.
And don't think for a second that your donation of $10 or $25 is too small to make a difference. It all adds up, and every donation is important to the organizations out there making the world a better place for all living beings.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Meatless Mondays Part III - 281 went meatless!
A simple blog post last week turned into a pretty cool event this week.
Last week I wrote about the concept of Meatless Mondays and how some communities around the country have embraced the idea. I invited readers and people they know to go meatless this past Monday.
The final number of people who told me they (and/or friends and family) were going meatless this past Monday is at 281.
281 did not eat meat this past Monday. Or fish. And keep in mind that this only includes those that are not already veg or vegan.
To say that I am blown away is an understatement. To read notes from folks and posts on Facebook and tweets on Twitter give me so much hope for the future and clearly tells me that there are many people out there interested in not eating meet and embracing a plant-based lifestyle.
Dinner parties were held. People cooked with their spouse or significant other. People went out to lunch with co-workers. People sought out more information about vegetarianism and veganism. Some decided they would try going meatless for the whole week!
I am beyond grateful to all of you who read that original post (Meatless Mondays - Give it a try!) and took action with it. Thank you!
This could be the first step in a total change of how one looks at the food they eat. I became vegan because I did not want to be part of the extreme cruelty towards animals who become our food. Yet the benefits of being vegan are endless. One of those benefits, being able to eat amazing food, was a common theme in feedback I received form Meatless Mondays.
Since that original post I have added several links to resources to give you as much information as possible from health, to recipes, to groups working to be a voice for the voiceless. I urge you to check some of these links out.
I wonder what it would look like if all 281 who went meatless this past Monday decide to go meatless EVERY Monday? Or every day?
As always, thank you for reading my blog. Your support is wonderful!
Last week I wrote about the concept of Meatless Mondays and how some communities around the country have embraced the idea. I invited readers and people they know to go meatless this past Monday.
The final number of people who told me they (and/or friends and family) were going meatless this past Monday is at 281.
281 did not eat meat this past Monday. Or fish. And keep in mind that this only includes those that are not already veg or vegan.
To say that I am blown away is an understatement. To read notes from folks and posts on Facebook and tweets on Twitter give me so much hope for the future and clearly tells me that there are many people out there interested in not eating meet and embracing a plant-based lifestyle.
Dinner parties were held. People cooked with their spouse or significant other. People went out to lunch with co-workers. People sought out more information about vegetarianism and veganism. Some decided they would try going meatless for the whole week!
I am beyond grateful to all of you who read that original post (Meatless Mondays - Give it a try!) and took action with it. Thank you!
This could be the first step in a total change of how one looks at the food they eat. I became vegan because I did not want to be part of the extreme cruelty towards animals who become our food. Yet the benefits of being vegan are endless. One of those benefits, being able to eat amazing food, was a common theme in feedback I received form Meatless Mondays.
Since that original post I have added several links to resources to give you as much information as possible from health, to recipes, to groups working to be a voice for the voiceless. I urge you to check some of these links out.
I wonder what it would look like if all 281 who went meatless this past Monday decide to go meatless EVERY Monday? Or every day?
As always, thank you for reading my blog. Your support is wonderful!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Meatless Mondays Part II
When I wrote last week's blog post my goal was to introduce the idea of Meatless Mondays to people who are currently not vegan or veg and hopefully get people to consider not eating meat on Mondays. I never imagined the response I received, hence a Part II.
I hope you will notice the list of links I have added since the last posting. I added these in an effort to be supportive to the wonderful folks who read the Meatless Mondays blog and told me they would go meatless next Monday. Some of the links are specifically for people here in Colorado and others are websites and blogs that I think are very helpful. Please check them out.
As of Friday, July 22nd, just a couple days after the publishing of my Meatless Mondays blog post, 190 people have committed to going meatless next Monday. This number only includes people who are not already vegan or veg. I am literally blown away and so excited on many levels.
So this blog is for those 190 plus people who will not eat meat (or fish) next Monday.
Thank you!
Thank you for giving this a shot. Thank you for putting aside any concerns you may have or judgements you may have around veganism or vegetarianism.
My hope is that you will not only go meatless next Monday, but every Monday. To do that, you're going to need to find great veg food or cook great veg food. Some of the links I added will help with this. Fortunately for me, Mike is an amazing vegan cook so we eat very well. We also have some wonderful restaurants near us that serve some great veg items.
Regardless of where you live, there is most likely a restaurant near you that has a few veg items. I have found that ethnic restaurants like Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, and Chinese typically have a selection of veg dishes. Just ask the server. The Happy Cow and Veg Guide links can help with finding a place near you to eat.
I also suggest trying to find a local Vegan or Veg Meetup or potluck. I added one such meetup to the links, up in Boulder. This is a great way to meet others who are either already vegan or veg or are taking first steps like you. Being part of a community of others is always helpful as you learn more about going meatless. If you cannot find a meetup in your area you can always start one!
When I became vegan I was fortunate to know of a bi-weekly potluck in Virginia Beach. I was so surprised by the many amazingly delicious vegan dishes and learned a lot about vegan cooking.
Mike and I are fortunate to have a close circle of friends who are either vegan or honor who we are as vegans. Our personal community includes people who eat meat, but who honor our veganism and why we are vegan. We do our best not to alienate people as that does nothing for animals suffering to become food. We try to honor everyone on the path they are on.
And we are SO excited that you are now on this path with us!
We will keep adding links and be as supportive as we can. Have a blast on your first Meatless Monday. Go out to dinner. Invite neighbors over for a great home-cooked meal. Celebrate a world of scrumptious food and delicious recipes.
And then let us know how it went!
Thank you! Thank you for your incredible support of this blog and thank you for going meatless on Monday!
I hope you will notice the list of links I have added since the last posting. I added these in an effort to be supportive to the wonderful folks who read the Meatless Mondays blog and told me they would go meatless next Monday. Some of the links are specifically for people here in Colorado and others are websites and blogs that I think are very helpful. Please check them out.
As of Friday, July 22nd, just a couple days after the publishing of my Meatless Mondays blog post, 190 people have committed to going meatless next Monday. This number only includes people who are not already vegan or veg. I am literally blown away and so excited on many levels.
So this blog is for those 190 plus people who will not eat meat (or fish) next Monday.
Thank you!
Thank you for giving this a shot. Thank you for putting aside any concerns you may have or judgements you may have around veganism or vegetarianism.
My hope is that you will not only go meatless next Monday, but every Monday. To do that, you're going to need to find great veg food or cook great veg food. Some of the links I added will help with this. Fortunately for me, Mike is an amazing vegan cook so we eat very well. We also have some wonderful restaurants near us that serve some great veg items.
Regardless of where you live, there is most likely a restaurant near you that has a few veg items. I have found that ethnic restaurants like Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, and Chinese typically have a selection of veg dishes. Just ask the server. The Happy Cow and Veg Guide links can help with finding a place near you to eat.
I also suggest trying to find a local Vegan or Veg Meetup or potluck. I added one such meetup to the links, up in Boulder. This is a great way to meet others who are either already vegan or veg or are taking first steps like you. Being part of a community of others is always helpful as you learn more about going meatless. If you cannot find a meetup in your area you can always start one!
When I became vegan I was fortunate to know of a bi-weekly potluck in Virginia Beach. I was so surprised by the many amazingly delicious vegan dishes and learned a lot about vegan cooking.
Mike and I are fortunate to have a close circle of friends who are either vegan or honor who we are as vegans. Our personal community includes people who eat meat, but who honor our veganism and why we are vegan. We do our best not to alienate people as that does nothing for animals suffering to become food. We try to honor everyone on the path they are on.
And we are SO excited that you are now on this path with us!
We will keep adding links and be as supportive as we can. Have a blast on your first Meatless Monday. Go out to dinner. Invite neighbors over for a great home-cooked meal. Celebrate a world of scrumptious food and delicious recipes.
And then let us know how it went!
Thank you! Thank you for your incredible support of this blog and thank you for going meatless on Monday!
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