Dear Friend:
A couple of weeks ago, I tabled at the Kalamazoo Night Market. I had a brilliant time, and gave out info to more than 250 people. Will they all become vegan overnight? Of course not! But they are all that much closer – as are the hundreds more who simply walked past and saw the display. (Marketing 101 says that many people need to encounter your message fifteen or twenty times before they’ll buy/try.)
I also made some great connections, some of which may lead to new workshop venues.
And some of the new people will join our fun Facebook community and/or participate in our Meetup events, thus strengthening our group and our cause.
When I first started tabling, four years ago, there were many who looked at our booth askance. Now hardly any do. It’s not that everyone is now pro-vegan: just that more are, and the rest mostly see us as a normal – albeit possibly annoying – part of the mix. Normalizing veganism in our community is one of the main goals of this group, and we’re succeeding.
That night, I was also surrounded by people selling meat products. I always try to remember that, if we do our job right, many people will experience economic dislocation. Where we can, we always want to help businesses convert to veganism.
I’ve probably tabled around fifty times over the past four years. (Next tabling event: SPCA Dog Dash, September 8). Tabling is hard work, but I love it. If you ever see me or others tabling on behalf of Vegan Kalamazoo, stop by and say hi! And if you ever want to help table that would be terrific, too. The more, the merrier!
Many thanks to Gaby Gerken and the rest of the team at the People’s Food Coop for putting together the fantastic Night Market and allowing us to participate.
Please join us at our September events – there’s something for everyone. (See below.) *Everyone* is always welcome at Vegan Kalamazoo events, including vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. (However, out of respect for our mission, we request that you only order / consume vegan food at our events.) We also welcome people with *any* motive for going vegan, including health, the environment, animal rights, and spirituality.
Please especially note:
*Our Vegan 101 and 102 classes at the Kalamazoo, Parchment, Otsego and Coldwater libraries. Tell your friends in those communities!
*The upcoming Vegan Chef’s Table at Zazios. A Chef’s Table is like watching your favorite cooking show happening right in front of you. It’s held in a specially designed, state-of-the-art “cooking theater” within the restaurant, and the comfortable stadium-like seating will ensure you won’t miss any of the action. As part of a small group, you’ll get to watch and ask questions as Chef Jeremy Cawby and his team prepare your gourmet vegan feast; and if you want, you can even help!
See you at the events!
Hillary Rettig
Organizer