10 Ways to Celebrate World Vegan Day

Happy World Vegan Day! November 1st marks the global celebration to recognize just how far veganism has come since the The Vegan Society was first founded in November 1944. World Vegan Day was founded by Louise Wallis in 1994 when she was Chair of The Vegan Society to commemorate 50 years of the vegan movement. Since then, veganism has grown immensely and November 1st is a day to acknowledge all the great work has been done as well as sharing veganism with others.

It has always been tough for me to celebrate World Vegan Day since it falls right after Halloween, but this year I wanted to bring attention to this day and do something to celebrate! And founder Wallis gave a great explanation in a recent interview as to why she chose this date for World Vegan Day: "Well, we knew that The Vegan Society was founded in November 1944, but we didn't know the exact date. So I suggested November 1, as this was easy to remember, and made sense culturally - with Halloween and Day of the Dead falling either side. It's a traditional time of year for feasting, celebrating, and for remembering forebearers, and those no longer with us - which, of course, includes animals." 

There are lots of ways to celebrate World Vegan Day, whether you are vegan or just vegan-curious. Check out 10 ways to celebrate today (and every day) below:

Spring Fundraiser for Loveland Farm Sanctuary

Loveland Farm Sanctuary

Help bring an animal sanctuary to Orange County! Loveland Farm Sanctuary (LFS), a non-profit organization, is working to raise funds to build a farm animal sanctuary right here in Orange County. They aim is to build a sanctuary where rescued animals can have a safe haven to live out the rest of their days showered with love. The sanctuary would also be open to the public, where members of the community could connect with farm animals and see how emotionally complex and unique they are, and hopefully make the connection that these wonderful animals don't belong on a plate, but rather deserve to live out their lives in peace.

Los Angeles Vegan Street Fair 2016 Report

The second Vegan Street Fair was held this past Sunday in North Hollywood, California! This year promised to be bigger than last year (read about last year's event HERE!), with more space, more ticket options, and (most importantly) MORE FOOD!

It was held just a few streets over from last year's event, but on a wider street with much more space, and it grew from about 40 vendors to over 90! The vendors were mostly restaurants and food vendors, but there were also clothing companies, vegan lifestyle magazines, animal rescue and sanctuary booths, and many more! Some of the food vendors this year included Blue Window, SunCafe, Casa Coqui, Vegan Pizza, The Ridiculous Baking Co., and soooooo many more!

Vegan Bake Sale to Benefit The Gentle Barn this Sunday

Come buy some delicious vegan holiday treats this Sunday, December 7th at The Gentle Barn animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, California! This is the first holiday-themed bake sale that is happening at the Gentle Barn, and it looks like it will be the biggest one yet! That means you can stock up on baked goods for the holidays to gift or just enjoy them yourself! Here is a sneak peek at the goodies you could be enjoying:

• Cupcakes from Courtesan Cupcakes, Luscious Organic Desserts, Sprinkles and Sensitive Sweets
• Bundt cakes from Biggie Bakes
• Various goodies from Life is Sweet Bakeshop 
• Brownies from Native Foods
• Cheesecake and cookies from Bloom Confections
• Raw desserts from Feel Good Desserts
• Various desserts from other bakers, including snowballs, gingerbread and candy cane muffins, sticky buns, holiday cookies, s'mores bars, and much, much more!

Besides the bake sale, a trip to The Gentle Barn will let you meet some truly amazing rescued animals. This sanctuary takes in abused and neglected animals that no one else wants and rehabilitates them, letting them live the rest of their lives in peace. In turn, they use rehabilitated animals to teach their visitors about these amazingly resilient and loving animals. You can pet, hug, cuddle, and spend time with most of the animal residents, which is truly a life-changing experience in itself!

Go for the treats, go for the animals, and spend time with some inspiring people and animals!

Here are the details of the event:

LOCATION: The Gentle Barn
ADDRESS: 15825 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
DATE: Sunday December 7th, 2014
TIME: 10am – 2pm
FOR MORE INFO: Facebook Event

You can read about my past visits to The Gentle Barn here!

SoCal Vegan Bake Sale at The Gentle Barn this Sunday!

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

Eeeeeek...I apologize for the last-minute announcement, but I have been so crazy busy lately (traveling, new job, moving, and so on) and I am sad to say I haven't had much time for blogging! BUT I did want to tell you about a magical upcoming event this weekend in SoCal! In honor and in support of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, The Gentle Barn, an animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, CA, will be hosting a vegan bake sale this Sunday, May 4th, 2014!

My Visit to The Gentle Barn and Vegan Bake Sale Fundraiser

November's visit to The Gentle Barn - 

(from left to right, clockwise) Vegan Bake Sale, vegan baked goodies, 

a cute piggie, me grinning (I was so happy to be able to buy so many vegan 

sweets and support The Gentle Barn at the same time!), and a turkey friend!

Last weekend I had the pleasure to visit The Gentle Barn, an animal rescue and sanctuary located in the hills of Santa Clarita, California, to participate in a vegan bake sale that raised money for the sanctuary. This was my second time to this magical place, and it was so amazing to spend time with the loving animals, be around like-minded individuals, and help raise money for a worthwhile cause.

Vegan Bake Sale to Benefit The Gentle Barn this Sunday in Santa Clarita, CA

Hi Boils and Ghouls! It is time for another vegan bake sale at The Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita, CA!

What: Vegan bake sale to benefit The Gentle Barn
When: Sunday, November 10th, 2013 from 10AM - 2PM
Where: The Gentle Barn, 15825 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, California 91390
Tips: A $10 donation is required for entry into The Gentle Barn. I also recommend bringing cash for the vegan bake sale (plus a container if you plan on buying several items), The Gentle Barn's own snack bar and gift shop, and vegan hot dog stand Frankens, who will be vending this Sunday! Spend your money on a good cause and local business! More info after the jump!

A Visit to The Gentle Barn Animal Sanctuary

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to visit The Gentle Barn, an animal rescue and sanctuary in Santa Clarita, California. The Gentle Barn was founded in 1999 by Ellie Laks as a place to rescue, rehabilitate and provide sanctuary for animals. The 6-acre Santa Clarita location has been open since 2003 and currently provides a safe haven for more than 170 animals! Besides saving animals, The Gentle Barn also provides rehabilitation to children and adults from the inner-city, group homes, mental health care facilities, foster homes, and schools by giving them an appreciation for all life through interaction with the animals.

 Vegan Bake Sale was a huge success and raised more 

than $1,300 for The Gentle Barn!

I wanted to show my support for all the wonderful things The Gentle Barn does, so I went last Sunday since they were having a vegan bake sale to raise money for the sanctuary! All proceeds of the bake sale were going directly to The Gentle Barn - vegan sweets for a good cause?! How could I not go?!

Petting Faith the cow!

This was my first time going to The Gentle Barn, and it was a very special experience! I got to hug cows, brush pigs, feed horses, scratch goats, and spend time with chickens, a peacock, turkeys, sheep and all the other animals! Founder Ellie gave a touching talk about starting the sanctuary and everything they do for animals.

One of the Barn's beautiful rescued horses

Her talk was really heartfelt and she spoke how all animals feel and experience emotions just like humans. Just because we have different bodies, we are still all same on the inside and feel pain, joy and sorrow no matter what species we are. I am sure her talk inspired others to respect animals and truly love them by not eating them. Ellie even recommended a vegan diet and provided hand-outs to people who wanted to learn more about a cruelty-free diet.

Jewel, the Barn's resident peacock!

Of course, I enjoyed the vegan bake sale and got to try some yummy treats! I also got to meet fellow vegans that I had only known through Facebook or Instagram! It was so cool to connect with people who shared the same values and beliefs as I did!

 Giving Linus the pig a nice brushing!

Above all, though, the most special part of the trip was being able to see animals happy and seeing people being able to connect with the animals. I'm hopeful that many made the connection that these loving creatures don't belong confined in a factory farm or on a plate, but free to live their lives in sanctuaries like The Gentle Barn. 

Brave Heart was such a sweetheart! He loved getting

scratched behind his ears 

The trip to The Gentle Barn was really amazing...it really made me re-connect with the reason I went vegan in the first place - the animals! It was so great to see all the different animals with their different personalities and to see them so happy! And eating some vegan treats was an added bonus!

A vegan candy apple from the bake sale! 

It was soooooo good!

I highly recommend everyone, vegan or not, visit an animal sanctuary like The Gentle Barn. It is a wonderful experience to connect with other sentient beings and show them they love they deserve. 

To learn more about The Gentle Barn, please visit their website.