On Sept. 9, 1,000 pamphlets were handed out by employees of non-profit organizationVegan Outreach to UVU students.
These pamphlets focus on the pain farm animals endure and give those who will take the time to open them the “bottom line” on animal suffering. The pamphlets explain that 99 of every 100 animals killed annually in the United States are killed for human consumption, and that billions of these animals suffer to death.
However, the men handing out these pamphlets may not have been your stereotypical animal activist radicals. Though all employees of vegan outreach eat a vegan diet, they are neither angry nor fanatical.
Jon Camp was the man you may have seen briefly last week asking “Want to help animals?” and handing you a flier. A volunteer for Vegan Outreach since the late 90s and a vegan for 11 years, Camp has distributed over 517,157 pamphlets. As a leafleteer, he spends five to six months out of the year on the road, traveling to colleges and universities.
“I do this because I believe in the work,” said Camp. “I believe it needs to be done.”
Vegan Outreach began its Adopt a College program because the staff feels that college students are most receptive to their message. Since students are away from their parents, they are able to buy and cook their own food. As students discover that they can make their own choices — and not just in food — they often begin to question the status quo and form their own morality.
“If you look around the trash cans today, you will see many of our pamphlets in the garbage and recycling bins. We are aware that many people do not read our message, but it is a numbers game. Many people are reading and considering.”
The Adopt a College program distributes many booklets including ones titled WHY VEGAN?, COMPASSIONATE CHOICES and EVEN IF YOU LIKE MEAT. These booklets not only explain what farm animals endure, but they advocate reduction of meat consumption in stages, an idea that readers are more prepared to adopt.
From cutting your meat consumption in half to going fully vegetarian, Vegan Outreach wants to help everyone feel like there is something they can do to reduce suffering. “Most people want to do good and we are here to help them make steps today to change their diet,” Camp said.
Vegan outreach does feel that veganism is the best way to help animals, but knows that it all has to start somewhere. Camp explained that “[Vegan Outreach doesn’t] see veganism as about being perfect or pure, but about reducing suffering.”
To learn more about what you can do to reduce farm animal suffering, get a free vegetarian or vegan starter pack or meal suggestions visit www.veganoutreach.org
Just a quick correction: I said that some booklets were discarded in the trash bins, not many. We continue to find a great many individuals who are receptive to the plight of farmed animals. Thanks for the story: Each time we opt for vegan fare, we can play a big role in sparing animals from suffering.
Take it from one person who gave it a 30 day try going vegetarian since my brother was so passionate about animal rights. 11 years later, I am still a vegetarian with no plans to change back. I found it was a convenience to me and there are wonderful food choices that does not require animal suffering. Whether someone like me that loves pizza that won’t go vegan, someone that does go vegan or someone that eats one less burger a week, you are making a difference. I also have had the pleasure to leaflet with my brother several times and it is such a rewarding experience. So, I encourage everyone to try and eat less (or no) meat and give up at least a day a year to leaflet for whatever your cause is. Great article on my bro.
Advocating for action against the horrible conditions of modern-day factory farms is the work of modern-day saints. Yay Jon!
Thanks for this article. I really like Vegan Outreach’s approach. The cover of one of their pamphlets says: “If everyone just cut their meat consumption in half, billions of animals would be spared from suffering.” In other words, helping animals isn’t an all-or-nothing issue. Simply eating less meat has a big impact!
Awesome article! Thank you for covering Mr. Camp’s activism. He’s been an inspiration to countless activists I have met.
Very good writing on one of the sharpest and hardest working people in animal protection today. I would just like to point out to readers that a very impactful thing a meat eater could do to reduce suffering would be to stop eating chickens and turkeys, as they are smaller than other farmed animals, so more are raised and killed to feed a person during the year, and they suffer more during the course of their lives than other farmed animals due to their rapid growth and poor living conditions. It takes about 190 chickens to produce the same amount of edible flesh as just 1 beef steer, so cutting chickens out of our diets brings great suffering reduction.