VegFest 2023: Save the Date

Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 4, from 10am-4pm! We are excited to once again host our spring VegFest at Eastern Market in Detroit. We are expanding the size of the event which will give us much more space for additional vendors, food trucks, and cooking demos, and a lot less congestion and shorter food lines for you. We look forward to you joining us for this wonderful spring tradition dating back over 20 years!

Ending Factory Farming in Michigan

Join us for a special virtual presentation by Lynn Henning from the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project on Thursday, February 9, at 7pm. Lynn is a family farmer and activist based in Lenawee County, Michigan, and the 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner, which honors achievements by grassroots environmental activists. Lynn will provide an overview of the factory farming issue in Michigan, share her personal story of being surrounded by 11 factory farms, and talk about ways we can all help end factory farming in Michigan. (Simply click on the button and you will be added to the reminder email list.)

Zoom Link & Reminder Email

VegMichigan is working to build a large coalition of organizations and individuals to take on the factory farming industry in Michigan, which will be no small task. If you are interested in working on this important issue with us, please contact tom@vegmichigan.org.

Author Joining Think Like a Vegan Book Club

We are pleased to be joined by Emilia A. Leese, co-author of Think Like a Vegan: What Everyone Can Learn from Vegan Ethics, for our February Virtual Book Club on Sunday, February 26, from 1:00–2:30pm. Please send questions for her in advance to jeri@vegmichigan.org. We ask that you read at least some of the book before the meeting. 


Please register here for the Zoom meetingAfter you register, you will get an email from Zoom with the link for the meeting. We hope you can join us!

Upcoming Event Highlights

Check out the links below for details and visit our event calendar to see the full list.

The photos are of our January Meetups at Seva in Ann Arbor and Chive in Farmington. A good time was had by all and a special thanks to Angie and Suzy for making these events so special!

Traverse City Meetup at Edson Farms Market

Wednesday, February 1, 11am-12pm


Ending Factory Farming (Virtual Presentation)

Thursday, February 9, 7pm-8:15pm


Ann Arbor Meetup at Go! Ice Cream (Ypsilanti)

Saturday, February 18, 2pm-4pm


Plant-Based Cooking Demo (Virtual)

Monday, February 20, 6:30pm-7:30pm


Easy & Delicious Plant-Based Cooking Demo (Delta Township District Library or Virtual)

Wednesday, February 22, 6:30pm-7:30pm


Traverse City Meetup at Stone Hound Brewing Co.

Saturday, February 25, 12pm-1:30pm


Think Like a Vegan Book Club (Virtual)

Sunday, February 26, 1pm-2:30pm


Vegetable Gardening: A Path to Physical & Mental Wellness (Virtual Presentation)

Tuesday, March 7, 7pm-8pm

Enter Raffle to Win Fudge For Your Vegan Valentine

Ryba's Mackinac Island Fudge Shops have the perfect gift for your favorite vegan this Valentine’s Day! Enter to win a slice of vegan chocolate fudge by responding to this email by Wednesday, February 8, and you will be entered into the raffle. The random winner will be drawn at 12pm and will be contacted by email. The winner must provide a shipping address by 2/9 and the fudge will be shipped on 2/10. Not a winner or can't get to Mackinac Island? Spoil yourself or those you love by ordering a delicious handcrafted slice of dairy-free, vegan-friendly chocolate fudge to be shipped to your door.

VegMichigan Expanding Vegan Food Sampling Program

Our surveys show that getting individuals to try plant-based foods is one of the best ways to get people to eat more plant-based meals and hopefully adopt a plant-based lifestyle. People are often interested but don't take the first step. This is why we are expanding our food sampling program. We are now working with Aramark Collegiate Hospitality to sample vegan options offered on college campuses.

The photo shows VegMichigan sampling the chipotle black bean burger and vegan burrito at The Drop, a new eatery inside the student center at Wayne State University. A special thank you to our volunteers who make this program possible.

This Month's Word Scramble & Raffle

Congratulations to the winners of last month's raffle! Madison Bjertness won a gift card to Cacao Tree, Allison McDougall won a gift card to Estella's, Ron Koyl won a gift card to Garbanzo, Robin Chlebowski won a gift card to North Star Lounge, and Catherine Trainor won a gift card to Zest. For this month's raffle, you'll have a chance to win one of the following prizes.

$25 gift card to Chipotle (multiple locations)


$25 gift card to Hexenbelle (Traverse City)


Nutty Burgers and Chorizo from Nutcase Vegan Meats

(Make lettuce wraps and stuffed squash or peppers with them!)


$25 gift card to Pie Sci Pizza (Detroit)


$25 gift card to Wolverine Sushi (Ann Arbor)

To enter the raffle, solve the word scramble below and email your answer and one prize preference to raffle@vegmichigan.org. You will be entered into a raffle drawing for the prize of your choice. Winners will be announced in the March newsletter. Good luck!

eb ym vgaen enlaietvn

Donate Your Books & Cookbooks

Do you have a vegan book or cookbook that you're looking to pass along to someone who would put it to good use? We'd be happy to take them off your hands! We'll share them with attendees at VegFest who are looking for resources to get them started on their plant-based journeys. Gently used books can be dropped off at our office in Farmington Hills. To set up a drop-off date and time, please contact tom@vegmichigan.org.

Plant-Based News Headlines

SASHA Farm 2023 Banquet and Silent Auction is on April 15 in Plymouth


Eating Just One Freshwater Fish is Like Drinking a Month's Worth of "Forever Chemical"–Laced Water


Try This Black-Owned, Plant-Based Detroit-Style Pizza


Dooped Donuts Has Made Handmade Vegan Donuts Since 2020



Chipotle Launches 2 New Vegan Bowls


How to Make Your Fave Super Bowl Snacks Plant-Based


15 Unlikely Vegan Protein Sources


Metro Detroit Vegan Restaurants to Try 


Water & Wheat Vegan Will be at Que the Creek BBQ Festival in Battle Creek on Feb. 4


The FDA No Longer Requires All Drugs to be Tested on Animals Before Human Trials


30-Day Vegan Mediterranean Diet Dinner Plan



Love Cheese and Hate Tofu? 14 Vegan Obstacles – and How to Push Past Them

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