One of the ways ARC helps animals is by empowering people with information and tools to take action for animals themselves. Join us to hear Dr. Casey Taft speak about Motivational Methods for Vegan Advocacy. Dr. Taft will discuss how can we as animal advocates best help nonhuman animals? Dr. Taft, Professor of Psychiatry and anti-violence expert, will apply principles and methods from the field of clinical psychology to enhance the impact of animal advocacy efforts of individuals and groups. This talk, based on his book by the same name, stems from the perspective that animal advocates are the change-makers who will help determine whether this movement succeeds or fails. Practical tips and strategies for talking to friends, family members, and others will be provided.

When: Wednesday, October 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: Penn Lake Library, 8800 Penn Ave. South, Bloomington, Minnesota
Sponsored by: ARC and MAL. Admission is free.

ARC’s Feed Me Vegan, a cooking show featuring easy to moderate plant-based recipes is a hit with viewers. With Episode 8, Mistress Ginger Cooks! and Episode 9: Bodacious BBQ Foods (or Grillin’ without Killin’), recently filmed, the show features a wide variety of topics ranging from brunch to Thai food to picnic foods.

Feed Me Vegan is available in the North metro area of the Twin Cities on Northwest Community Television, channel 859, and you can now watch episodes on YouTube also. Subscribe to the Feed Me Vegan YouTube channel and watch for weekly updates as hosts Chelsea and Ryan show you how to make plant-based eating fun and delicious.

7/28/16 Update: Many caring people wrote the lottery, explaining why the Extreme Race Day exploits animals and asking them to stop supporting it. The lottery sent the following email back saying they would no longer sponsor this event; we are excited that the lottery listened to feedback and decided to make this change. Every local victory like this helps to create a greater environment where abusing animals will no longer be considered acceptable:

“Thank you for the email about the Lottery’s sponsorship of Extreme Race Day at Canterbury Park. Your concerns about the races have been heard and discussed. The Lottery will no longer sponsor Extreme Race Day. We appreciate your feedback about the event. – Minnesota State Lottery”

Original post: The Minnesota Lottery recently sponsored “Extreme Race Day” at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota on June 16. Ads for the event read “Camel, Ostrich & Zebra Races. It’s Going to be a Real Zoo.” The MN Lottery is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Please ask the lottery on their social media sites if promoting an event that abuses animals is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds. You can also email the lottery at lottery@mnlottery.com. Encourage the lottery not to sponsor any more events that abuse animals.

ARC Program Director Chelsea Youngquist recently spoke to six classes at Fridley Middle School about veganism and speciesism. She reported: “The students were attentive and engaged. They asked all sorts of questions and made great connections.” ARC intern Yasmeen assisted and the students all got to sample Chao vegan cheese. Please email chelsea@animalrightscoalition.com if your school would like to schedule a speaker.

As part of World Week for Animals in Labs, ARC is partnering with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in asking Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to stop using live animals to teach human medicine to emergency medicine residents. HCMC is using live rabbits and sheep for procedures including making incisions into an animal’s throat to insert a breathing tube, inserting needles into the chest to remove fluid surrounding the heart, splitting open the breast bone to access the heart, and drilling holes into the skull. If the animal dies while on the operating table, the procedure continues. If the animal survives, he or she is killed following the training session. HCMC is approved to use up to 300 rabbits and sheep per year.

This animal use is at odds with current standards of practice. According to PCRM, today 88 percent of surveyed emergency medicine residency programs in the U.S (119 out of 135) use nonanimal training methods. Please take action and ask HCMC to end this educationally inferior and inhumane practice by making the switch to simulation – because Minnesota deserves better.

ARC volunteers will be leafleting at HCMC, 730 S 8th St. in Minneapolis on Thursday, April 28 during prime rush hour from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Please join us! Leaflets will be provided. If you’ve never leafleted, it’s a quick and easy way to reach a large number of people in a short time.

It’s time for the 8th Annual Global Vegan Waffle Party on Saturday, May 7 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Fuller Park Building at 4800 Grand Ave. in Minneapolis. Each year, the waffle party allows us to begin new conversations about where our food comes from and the effects of our food choices. It’s also a chance for ARC to say thank you to our wonderful supporters and volunteers for your dedication and hard work for animals.

Here’s how it works: the ARC staff and Board of Directors make lots of delicious vegan waffles. You come to the party with a plate to pile high with waffles and a vegan topping to share. (Some topping ideas: fresh fruit, maple syrup, chocolate chips, peanut butter, fruit sauce, Just Like Honey, coconut, vegan whipped topping). So please join us for some delicious vegan waffle fun!

***Update: Thanks to everyone who donated treats to the bake sale and all the folks who stopped by the sale! We saw lots of new visitors, gave out a ton of info about plant-based eating, and will be able to send People and Pets Together a $450 donation for their pet food shelf. People and Pets Together is Minnesota’s first fully dedicated pet food shelf and resource center, and one of the nation’s first companion animal surrender prevention programs, offering assistance to families during economic hardship to enable them to keep their companion animals.***

It’s that time of year again! The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale-Twin Cities Style is a delicious and fun way to introduce friends and family to vegan baked goods. Stop by Ethique Nouveau, 317 West 48th St. in Minneapolis from 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23 and stock up on vegan goodies.

Bring a container to haul your loot home because we’ll be charging for boxes to make the event as waste-free as possible.

Please email chelsea@animalrightscoalition.com if you would like to donate baked goods. Make a list of the ingredients to display with your goodies so that allergy sufferers are well-informed. Items should be pre-wrapped or cut so that they’re easier to divvy up. You can drop off baked good donations between 12:00-12:45 a.m. on the day of the sale or between noon-6:00 p.m. the day before the sale.

Fun times and great food were enjoyed by all at ARC’s Fourth Annual Vegan Hotdish Cookoff. From dal and curry to brinner and lasagna, there was a little of everything for everyone!

Thanks to all our contestants: Betsy Born, Eric Burnham, Henry, Eric Johnson, Larisa Lisinovic, Shaun McClay, Mary Montoya, Sadie Schrader, Barbara Stasz, and Colleen Williams.

This year’s winning recipes were Judges’ Choice Zen Pizza Hotdish by Mary Montoya (two time winner!) and Audience Favorite Fresh Veggie Casserole by Sadie Schrader (who also won for Best Church Lady Attire). Mary and Sadie each received a custom casserole with their winning titles etched into the casserole lid. Recipes are here.

Thanks also to our awesome panel of judges: Megan Duke, 2015 Audience Favorite Winner, Unny Nambudiripad of Compassionate Action for Animals, and Arwyn and Teresa of Glam Doll Donuts.

Photo credit: Gina Easley Photography