Vegan Faire 2015 Report

Vegan Faire 2015!

This past Saturday I attended the second annual Orange County Vegan Faire, hosted by Healthy Junk and held on Anaheim's Center Street Promenade. It was my first year attending, and I braved the 90 degree temps for vegan food, vegan friends, and vegan vendors! I was so stoked to have a vegan festival just 20 minutes from my house in Orange County - I'm so happy OC has a veg fest so I don't have to drive all the way up to LA. Even better, a lot of vegan friends came out to the event so I was able to get my grub on with some rad vegan peeps! 

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. 

Power to the Veg Vegan Swap

All the goodies I received in my first vegan swap box!

Recently through the astounding community of amazing vegans on Instagram (my user name is thespookyvegan if you want to look me up) I was introduced to a veggie group on Facebook called Power to the Veg that organizes and hosts a monthly vegan swap. I love mailing people goodies (and of course receiving goodies in the mail!) so I couldn't wait to join this fun swap!

It works like this: You join the group and each month you can sign up to participate in the swap. If you sign up, you are matched with a fellow vegan and are responsible for buying them $20 worth of vegan goodies (anything from non-perishable food items to beauty supplies to handmade items) and shipping them by the 15th of the month. In return, you receive a vegan box curated by someone else in the group. How cool is that? It sounded like so much fun I decided to participate in April.

Once I received the name of the person I would be buying for, I reached out to them to find out their preferences and allergies. Then I went shopping! I visited Viva La Vegan all-vegan grocery store in Rancho Cucamonga (read about my visit HERE) to pick up a few hard-to-find items and the rest of the goodies I picked up at my local Mother’s Market. I had so much fun shopping for my match! I bought vegan lip balm, vegan soap, a patch with a vegan bunny on it and tons of snacks for her. I shipped off my package via USPS Priority Flat Rate for under $10 and she received it a few days later.

I received my package from my match a few days later…it was like Christmas! Though my match lives in Southern California like me, she managed to find items I hadn't tried before. As you can see above, I was a very lucky girl to get such a kick ass swap box my first time! I got lots of simmer sauces, kale chips, pomegranate chips, popcorn, candy, bars, drink mixes, protein shake mix, a cute card and even an adorable little owl clip!

This vegan swap was so much fun, even though I already receive a monthly box from Vegan Cuts. There is just something so special and unique in getting a unique vegan package that is specially made for you…it’s like getting a care package from a friend or family member! Plus you get to try vegan products from other places and new items you may not have tried yet.

Have you tried a vegan swap before or done one with friends?

Would you like to? If so, you can find Power to the Veg on Facebook! If you join by the 5th of the month you will be eligible to join in the swapping fun for that month!