Contents

1. Compassionate Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck Planned for Nov. 23
2. It’s Not Too Late to Register for the Portland Walk for Farm Animals
3. Northwest VEG Volunteer Opportunities Abound!
4. October Potluck is Sure to Be a Sweet One
5. Writing is Easy – and Your Contributions are Requested
6. October is a Month to Take Action for Farm Animals
7. What’s on Your Mind Concerning Nutrition?
8. A Few Changes on the Veg Dining Front
9. Bicycle Tour Caps a Summer of Increased Riding
10. Read The Good, Good Pig – and Then Talk About It
11. Vegan Cookbook Author to Appear at Herbivore
12. Learn About Hazardous Chemicals that Impact Your Health
13. Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark College Needs Volunteers
14. Vegetarian Ministry Workshop Set for Late October

E-Bits, edited by Charley Korns, may be viewed on the web at www.nwveg.org/E-bits_1008.htm. If you are interested in writing for future E-Bits editions, please email charko@hevanet.com. The next deadline is November 20, 2008.

1. Compassionate Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck Planned for Nov. 23

Northwest VEG is in the midst of planning our 5th annual Compassionate Thanksgiving Potluck at 5 pm on the 4th Sunday of November, just before Thanksgiving. We're excited about our new venue for the event; the Seventh Day Adventist church in Beaverton offers a lovely setting for our holiday celebration. Northwest VEG will provide beverages and desserts, and Proper Eats Café will supplement our potluck items with a special sampling of two vegan entrées.

Please bring especially generous potluck dishes to share: a vegan main dish, side dish, salad or bread, a card listing its ingredients in dark ink and clear print, and plates and utensils for your use. If you come by yourself, figure the amount to serve 8-10; increase the amount by 4 servings for each additional person in your party/family.

Due to limited seating and the cost of our extra holiday food, pre-registration with payment of $5 per person is required. We have sold out early the last several years, so please register early! To register, send in the form and payment to Janet at janetliu1@juno.com. More details will be emailed with your confirmation notice. You may access the form here.

2. It’s Not Too Late to Register for the Portland Walk for Farm Animals

There’s still time to sign up to walk and help raise funds and awareness about Farm Sanctuary’s vital rescue, education and advocacy efforts for farm animals in need. On Saturday, October 25, beginning at 10 am, the Walk for Farm Animals will involve dozens, possibly scores of farm animal fans, walking together through downtown Portland. Signs and a leader banner are provided. The Walk will start and end at the vegan café, Blossoming Lotus, in Portland’s Pearl District, 925 NW Davis Street. A $15 pre-registration fee entitles you to a Walk T-shirt. Registration on the day of the walk is $20. If you sign up in advance, you can easily create a web page for fundraising, sending the link to your friends and family.
To register or make a pledge of support, contact Aleks at aleksandra.kainovic@gmail.com or Cat at portland-oregon@walkforfarmanimals.org or (503) 778-0223. Learn more about this nationwide event at www.walkforfarmanimals.org.

3. Northwest VEG Volunteer Opportunities Abound!

• We’re looking for a co-editor of our newsletter, the NW VEG Thymes, which is published every other month. We’re looking to fill this role right away. Please contact us if you are interested.
• We’re also looking for someone with desktop publishing skills to layout the hard copy of the Thymes every other month.
• Would you like to be a “day of event volunteer” at our annual Compassionate Thanksgiving Potluck on November 23rd?
• How about joining the planning committee for our 5th annual Portland VegFest? We have all sorts of different roles!
• Do you have an interest or hobby for which you’d like to organize a monthly meet-up group? Here are a few ideas: Writer’s group (letters to the editor, articles for other publications), baking or cooking club, recycling group, animal shelter group, etc. Just email Wendy with your ideas!
• Are you interested in tabling but need more experience? Northwest VEG will be organizing a “tabling training” in November. All experience levels are encouraged to attend!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Wendy Gabbe at volunteer@nwveg.org.

Join Northwest VEG for our monthly Portland potluck event on Sunday, Oct. 19. starting at 5 pm. The potluck will be at the West Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 8470 SW Oleson Road, in Portland. Please bring a vegan or vegetarian main dish, salad or dessert, a card listing its ingredients, and plates and utensils for your use. If you come alone, figure the amount to serve 4-6 generously; increase the amount 4 servings for each additional person in your party/family. Northwest VEG potlucks are alcohol-free events and we start eating about 5:15. For more information call (503) 224-7380 or email info@nwveg.org. If you can volunteer to help at the potluck, please contact volunteer@nwveg.org or call (503) 224-7380. A donation of $2-5 per person is suggested to help cover the cost of the room rental.

Immediately following the meal, at about 6:30 pm, join us for a dessert demo with Chelsea Lincoln, a Northwest VEG member and vegan baker from Bob's Red Mill, presenting an overview of vegan baking. Learn how to make luscious desserts without eggs or dairy; samples will be served!

5. Writing is Easy – and Your Contributions are Requested

Interested in veg topics? Northwest VEG is seeking volunteer writers to contribute to E-bits (bimonthly electronic newsletter) and the NW VEG Thymes (bimonthly electronic and hard copy newsletter). E-bits can take articles of up to about 300 words, while the Thymes can consider longer pieces. Topics can include interviews with vegan entrepreneurs and activists; reviews of books, films, websites, festivals, and restaurants; reports on speaker and chef events; your personal dietary journey; previews of upcoming events; poetry; and other possibilities.

If you are interested or have questions, please contact Charley at charko@hevanet.com or Jonathan at jonathanfine@gmail.com. The newsletter can’t happen without the contributions of volunteers!

6. October is a Month to Take Action for Farm Animals

The annual Walk for Farm Animals, a benefit for Farm Sanctuary, is just one of many opportunities to make a difference for farm animals. Observed on (or around) October 2 (in honor of Gandhi’s birthday), World Farm Animals Day is dedicated to exposing, mourning, and memorializing the needless suffering and annual slaughter of the more than 55 billion cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and other sentient land animals in the world’s factory farms and slaughterhouses (approximately 10 billion in the U.S.). October is an excellent time to speak out against the atrocities and brutalization of animals raised for meat, eggs, and dairy. If you would like to help, consider:

• Volunteering for Northwest VEG. See article #3 above for details.
• Volunteering at Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary. More than 100 rescued farm animals reside at this sanctuary near Scio, OR, east of Salem. Volunteer work parties, which typically take place every other Saturday, provide an opportunity to visit the farm and help with routine chores, after which everyone stops for lunch and a roundtable discussion of any topic concerning animal welfare. Please bring your own vegetarian lunch. For more information contact (503) 581-0122, info@lighthousefarmsanctuary.org, or www.lighthousefarmsanctuary.org.
• Distributing Vegan Outreach literature. Volunteers around the world have handed out millions of hard copies of various brochures explaining why a vegan diet is a compassionate choice that also benefits our health and the environment. The rate of distribution is increasing every year, and the impact is remarkable. Volunteers are needed to cover some upcoming events, and experienced leafletters will mentor anyone new. Learn more at www.veganoutreach.org or contact Jessica at veeegan@yahoo.com regarding opportunities in the Portland area—in addition to visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PDXLeafleting.
• Writing a letter to an editor. You never know if your letter will be published, but if you don’t send it there’s no doubt it won’t appear in the paper. Letters are most effective when they are tied to a current issue, concise, and include a personal experience so they don’t seem generic. See letter-writing tips at www.peta.org/actioncenter/letter-writing-guide.asp.
• Contacting your local library about creating a display. Library displays are a simple, effective tool activists can use to educate the public about the suffering of farm animals. Many libraries make space available to community groups who are willing to design, assemble, and erect their own displays. Learn more at www.farmsanctuary.org/get_involved/act/library.html.
• Volunteering for In Defense of Animals. IDA is an animal protection organization dedicated to ending the exploitation and abuse of animals by raising the status of animals beyond that of mere property, and by defending their rights, welfare and habitat. To contact the Portland office, contact (503) 249-9996 or connie@idausa.org.

For more information about World Farm Animals Day, visit www.wfad.org.

7. What’s on Your Mind Concerning Nutrition?

Tammy Russell, M.S., a Registered Dietitian, writes a nutrition column in the NW VEG Thymes, which is published around the first of every odd-numbered month. Tammy welcomes questions about nutritional concerns related to a vegetarian or vegan diet. She will select one question to address in each issue. You may email her at noemie1226@msn.com.

8. A Few Changes on the Veg Dining Front
By Charley Korns, Editor

Have you been to Paradox Café lately? The vegan-friendly joint just grew! A few weeks ago an expansion was completed, creating seating for an additional 25 people or so. They also have added a few new menu items, including Island Curried Tempeh Tacos, a vegan Caesar Salad, a Bruschetta Pesto Burger (available vegan), and Coconut Spiced Vegetables. As always, the breakfast is served all day; got to love the vegan corn cakes! Check out Paradox at 3439 SE Belmont, open Mon-Wed, 8 am – 9 pm; Thurs-Sat, 8 am - 9:30 pm; and Sun, 8 am – 3 pm. Visit www.paradoxorganiccafe.com.

A new vegan Italian restaurant called Portabello Vegan Trattoria will be opening soon. Chef Aaron Adams has previously prepared special vegan dinners at Junior’s Café and Red & Black Café. He will be serving an Italian vegan dinner on Oct. 3 at Cellar Door Coffee, 2001 SE 11th Ave., to raise funds for Josh Harper, an incarcerated animal rights activist. Tickets for the 7 pm dinner can be purchased ahead of time at Food Fight! Vegan Grocery, 1217 SE Stark St. The same location will house the new restaurant, which will be open Wed-Sat, 5:50 pm – 10 pm, with regular hours starting after a series of test dinners. Expect vegan versions of classics like "Spaghetti & Meatball," "Luh-zag-nuh,” and Tiramisu.

Farewell to Veganopolis. The downtown cafeteria-style restaurant closed in September after 3½ years in business, following a couple of years of operating Chef to Go, a food cart on SW Yamhill. The owners, George and David, said they were delighted with the support of their faithful customer base. This month they will return to Chicago, where they will continue to pursue entrepreneurial adventures in vegan food service. The website will remain, and recipes will be posted anew starting in November: www.veganopolis.com.

Taqueria Los Gorditos is still searching for a location to plant their Vegan taco truck. Meanwhile, enjoy their vegan-friendly location at SE 50th Ave. & Division Street, open Mon-Sat, 11 am – 8 pm.

9. Bicycle Tour Caps a Summer of Increased Riding
By Charley Korns, Editor

It was a good summer for biking in Portland, spurred in large part by the spike in gas prices. I rode more than any previous summer and on Sept. 6 took part in an OrganicAthlete-organized ride called Tour d’Organics. This was a fully supported ride open to all abilities with 35-, 65-, and 100-mile options. I chose the shortest distance, which felt wise considering I have never ridden my 14-year-old hybrid bike for more than 25 miles in a given day. My friend Jessica, who encouraged me to register for the ride, and I kept a steady pace as we headed north to cross the Columbia River, at times being passed by (but rarely passing) some of the other 100 bicyclists who took part. I had never thought about biking to Vancouver, but the safe sidewalks on the Interstate Bridge made it less than treacherous.

The course took us to our first rest stop at the Vancouver Farmers Market, staffed by event volunteers including Casey McDonald, one of the main organizers – and Jessica’s husband. We snacked on organic fruit, nuts and energy bars. (OrganicAthlete provides only vegan items at events.) We kept going along the west side of the city into rural Clark County. Tour d’Organics, which also takes place in other locations nationally, makes a point of including organic farms along tour routes. The second rest stop was just that: Storytree Farm, a locally owned and family operated CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm in the Pleasant Highlands neighborhood of Vancouver (pictured). Again, a variety of tasty snacks were laid out to energize us. We enjoyed the stop, nestled among fig and apple trees, along with rows of miscellaneous vegetables and flowers.

The ride continued back toward downtown Vancouver where we made our way to the bridge, doing our best to follow the route marked by bright arrows on the pavement attached by volunteers in advance of the ride. Leaving the Interstate Bridge after returning to Oregon, we lost our way and biked about a mile past marinas and boat shops before we found the correct route to Delta Park, where the third rest stop awaited us. After eating some fruit and another Clif Bar, Jessica and I climbed on our bikes for the final stretch, cruising along N. Denver Ave. in North Portland, down Interstate and eventually returning to the Natural Capital Center in Portland’s Pearl District. Because the ride participants started at different times and rode different lengths at various speeds, we joined only a dozen others in indulging in a Blossoming Lotus buffet of salad, wraps, and soft serve. Riders who took the longer routes also enjoyed a spread of food provided by Papa G’s Vegan Organic Deli.

Overall it was a great experience and excellent workout. All the organizers and volunteers were friendly, and the food was more than ample. Both Jessica and I were new to the organized ride concept and were both glad to have participated. To learn more about rides and other activities of OrganicAthlete visit www.organicathlete.org.

10. Read The Good, Good Pig – and Then Talk About It

The Northwest VEG Book Club will meet on Oct. 29 at 6 pm at Borders café downtown to discuss The Good, Good Pig by Sy Montgomery. This book tells the story of Christopher Hogwood, a sick piglet Montgomery nurtured back to health and how he came to impact Montgomery and her community. “Unexpectedly, Christopher provided this peripatetic traveler with something she had sought all her life: an anchor (eventually weighing 750 pounds) to family and home. The Good, Good Pig celebrates Christopher Hogwood in all his glory, from his inauspicious infancy to hog heaven in rural New Hampshire, where his boundless zest for life and his large, loving heart made him absolute monarch over a (mostly) peaceable kingdom.”

According to the book’s website, “Sy reveals what she and others learned from this generous soul who just so happened to be a pig–lessons about self-acceptance, the meaning of family, the value of community, and the pleasures of the sweet green Earth. The Good, Good Pig provides proof that with love, almost anything is possible.” Borders is located at 708 SW 3rd Ave., between Yamhill and Morrison. Read more at www.goodgoodpig.com. For more information about book club, contact: bmcinnisnwveg@gmail.com.

11. Vegan Cookbook Author to Appear at Herbivore

Cookbook author Sarah Kramer will be at Herbivore on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 pm to share recipes from her new book, Vegan A Go-Go!, A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road. The new book combines old favorites and delicious new recipes for vegans on the road. The recipes focus on easy to make foods with widely available ingredients, perfect for those trips when you don’t know what you’re going to find to eat. Sarah, who lives in Victoria, B.C., previously authored La Dolce Vegan and, with Tanya Barnard, co-authored How It All Vegan and The Garden of Vegan. Herbivore is located in Portland at 1211 SE Stark, (corner of 12th and Stark).

12. Learn About Hazardous Chemicals that Impact Your Health

On Saturday, October 11, from 11 am to 4 pm, the 2nd Annual Healthy Living Fair will address chemicals that impact our health and well-being, as well as healthy alternatives and opportunities. Sponsored by Rachel’s Friends Breast Cancer Coalition, the event will feature keynote speaker Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic. You can also enjoy free chair massages, free lead testing of young children, organic food samples, door prizes and more. The event will take place at the First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson, Portland; a $10 donation is requested for admission. For more information visit www.rachelsfriends.org or call (503) 869-7225. Rachel's Friends is a nonprofit volunteer organization focused on the prevention of cancer. Learn more about The Body Toxic at www.thebodytoxic.com.

13. Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark College Needs Volunteers

The top minds in animal law from around the world meet Oct. 17-19 to explore cutting-edge issues in the field of animal law and educate today and tomorrow’s lawyers about the legal challenges and opportunities in this growing area of specialization. Although the conference is almost sold out, volunteers are still needed. Help is needed in set up, registration, helping with parking, setting up refreshments, and to be panel moderators. In exchange, all volunteers could attend the conference free. If you are interested, please email tzuardo@lclark.edu or call (415) 419-4210. See www.animallawconference.com to learn more.

14. Vegetarian Ministry Workshop Set for Late October

The Alton L Collins Retreat Center is offering a 3-day vegetarian kitchen ministry workshop led by executive chef Guillermo Reyes and Gretchen Doering October 20-23, 2008.* According to Doering, the Center’s Food & Faith Program Coordinator, “The training will address basic vegetarian menu planning, as well as touching upon other special diets, with advice on healthy menu planning and using local garden produce.” The training will also help participants “develop a way to offer food ministry as a part of an overall program that nurtures faith and spirituality.”

The Retreat Center serves religiously affiliated groups, schools and educational bodies, families, service organizations and other nonprofit groups who enrich life in the world. In addition to offering healthy food that honors the earth and the future of our children, the Center aims to foster within participants the skills and confidence to minister through food. Evening conversation will include discussions of where our food comes from and the wider ramifications of our food choices—responding to important questions of our time. Chef Guillermo will cover special diets as well as the basics, including how to stock your pantry.
The program will cost $250 plus $100 for room and board. For information, call (503) 637-6411 or email alcrc@cascadeaccess.com.

*NOTE: This event is vegetarian, not vegan.

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