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Rochester Area Vegan Society

Healthy People, Healthy Planet…

Healthy People, Healthy Planet...

Compassion, it's what's for dinner...

Want to go vegan? We can help...

No previous experience necessary...

Help mend our world...

Live in Harmony with Your Values...

Reverence for Life...

Our 34th year!

The Rochester Area Vegan Society
P.O. Box 20185
Rochester, NY 14602

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Welcome to RochesterVeg.org!

RAVS Bus Campaign

The above banner is from our previous Rochester City Bus Campaign!

We are the Rochester Area Vegan Society (RAVS)!

In 2015, to celebrate our 25th anniversary, we changed our name from the Rochester Area Vegetarian Society to the Rochester Area Vegan Society! Since its founding in the fall of 1989, all of RAVS’s events, projects, publications, and recommendations—as well as all the food served at its meetings—have been completely vegan. It just took 25 years for its name to catch up. RAVS has always intended to convey that the reasons not to eat meat, poultry and fish—concern for human health, for the lives of animals, and for the sustainability of the planet—argue just as strongly not to eat eggs, milk, cheese, or any other animal products. For all of these years, the group has kept its name in the belief that it is more welcoming to those who have not made the decision to be vegan. But in point of fact, RAVS welcomes everyone—meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans alike—to contact us, to join the group, and to attend any of its events. By changing our name, RAVS makes the unequivocal statement that its goal is to promote a vegan diet and way of life, and its mission is to bring that message to everyone.

ATTEND A MEETING!

Our regular monthly meetings are on the third Sunday of the month at the Brighton Town Park Lodge, 777 Westfall Rd. Rochester, NY. The dates and locations occasionally change so always check our newsletter or the online calendar.
RAVS Rules for Share-A-Dish Meals: All dishes must be completely vegan. They may not contain any meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, or honey. Gelatin is a meat by-product. Please watch out for hidden dairy products, such as whey and casein or caseinate. Please prepare a 4×6 card with the name of the dish and all ingredients. Prepare enough to serve eight people. Please bring your own serving dishes and utensils, as well as your own dishes to eat from. The guest fee is $3.00, which can be applied towards your membership if you join the same night. If you are interested in learning more about membership, click here.

CLASSES, RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT GROUPS

“Jumpstarting Health” CME program For more information click here.

RLMI 15-Day Whole-Food Plant-Based Jumpstart, The Lift Project,  and CHIP (Complete Health Improvement Program). All run by Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute. The programs are all certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. For more information click here.

Upcoming Events

 

 

Founded in 1989, RAVS is a non-profit, non-sectarian educational organization dedicated to promoting human health and happiness, as well as to promoting the health of the planet and all non-human animals through the adoption of a vegan diet and lifestyle.

 

A Vegan Diet:

What is it, and Why? If you are not a vegetarian or a member of the Rochester Area Vegan Society (RAVS), this column is for you. Here are some of the basics. A vegetarian is someone who eats no animal flesh: no meat, poultry or fish. A vegan is a vegetarian who goes further and eats no animal products at all: no eggs, cheese, milk, or honey. RAVS recommends a vegan diet as the optimal diet. What are the reasons to go vegan? It comes down to these: for your health, for the animals, and for the planet. Every day there are new findings that a plant-based diet is best for health. The standard American diet (SAD), which revolves around meat and animal products, results in poor health for people, suffering for animals, waste of resources, and devastation for the environment. But changing your diet can be hard, and people who want to change often need help. If you want to move in this direction, RAVS can help you. We are here to provide information and support. You do not need to be a vegetarian or vegan to give us a call, to attend our meetings, or to join our group. You do not need to be a member, either, to attend our meetings; guests are always welcome, and you don’t need to reserve beforehand. You only need to follow our “vegan rule” for our share-a-dish meetings (see box on this page), and there is a $3 guest fee for non-members. Come to a meeting, you will find us helpful and welcoming.

We provide:

Educational resources for informing the public about the advantages of a vegan life-style. Nutritional information, including recipes, that will support and facilitate the adoption and healthful enjoyment of a vegan diet. Insight into the impact of animal-centered diets on human health, on the integrity of our environment, on world hunger, and on cruelty needlessly inflicted on billions of living, feeling, creatures every year. An opportunity for interested not-yet-vegans to learn first-hand about the delights of good vegan cooking and to get to know and interact with experienced vegans. An opportunity for enriched understanding, mutual support, and shared fellowship for practicing vegans. We provide opportunities for community outreach and community service in the interest of good health, environmental protection, and compassionate living.

Our activities:

RAVS meets once a month, usually on the third Sunday. Most meetings offer a SHARE-A-DISH DINNER of completely vegan foods, and we regularly present stimulating and informative programs. Our programs have featured distinguished nutrition experts, health-care professionals, panels of creative vegan cooks, discussion forums on ethical issues, book reviews, and films. RAVS publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Vegan Advocate, with updates on our activities, recipes, discounts, articles on nutrition, health and the environment, as well as on issues of compassion and respect for living creatures. We report on restaurant dining in our area, and on sources of vegan food. We also sponsor educational programs and participate in many outreach programs. RAVS welcomes everyone to membership, whether or not they have adopted a vegan lifestyle. Attending our meetings does not require  you to be a member. We encourage all who are interested to share in our group’s activities, and to support the objectives and philosophy of the Society.

RAVS is supported by members’ dues and donations.

We accept no advertising or commercial support.

Would you like to receive our meeting notices and quarterly newsletter, or send us a message?

Become a member!

RAVS membership is open to all members of the community. It is not necessary to be vegetarian or vegan to come to our meetings or join our society.

Rochester Area Vegan Society

Healthy People, Healthy Planet…