Fall VegFest Presented by Shimmy Shack
Fall VegFest is going to be better than ever! Join us for a beautiful fall day filled with food and fun on Sunday, September 10, from 11am - 5pm at Riley Park in downtown Farmington. The festival will feature delicious plant-based food, including freshly grilled burgers by Unburger, three amazing food trucks, and other great options. Chive has created a special menu and will be serving carnival-themed foods, including funnel cake, corn dog fritters, elote, and more! In addition to all the great food, you can enjoy sustainable shopping, a free massage, live entertainment from Tap Dance Detroit, and local area singer/songwriters. We'll also have fun for the kids and a free yoga class at 10am (pre-registration required).

Just a short walk from the festival, join us for an inspiring and informative presentation at the Farmington Civic Theater at 11am. Marc Ramirez, former U-M football player, will share how he lost his health due to unhealthy eating habits after his football days and how a plant-based diet restored his health and got him off his medications. Kim, Marc's spouse, will also share tips for food shopping and prep. Plus, they will be joined by Oliver Bosnjakovski, who confronted several lifestyle diseases by embracing a plant-based lifestyle and restored his health. This is a free presentation. We hope you can join us for a fun and inspiring day!
Please Support Our Sponsors!
Your Support Will Have Double The Impact!
We’re excited to launch VegMichigan’s matching grant challenge! Thanks to the support of a very generous donor, your donantion or membership will have double the impact up to $10,000. Your support allows VegMichigan to host more than 100 events per year, including Spring and Fall VegFest. The goal of all of our events and outreach is to introduce individuals to all the benefits of plant-based eating and to support the plant-based community. Together, we can continue to grow the plant-based movement and support a kinder, healthier, and more sustainable food system. We very much appreciate your support, and there are three ways to give. Thank you!
VegMichigan will give away over $30,000 in free vegan food in 2023 to individuals new to plant-based eating, including vegan pizza, which people love!
Cooking Your Way to Good Health with Deanna
The harvest is coming in, and it's a great time to visit the farmers market. For this month's video, Deanna takes advantage of the abundance of zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and other seasonal veggies to create a delicious pesto puff pastry. It's easy to make, healthy, and delicious! Enjoy!
September Event Highlights
Click on the links below for details or check out our event calendar for our full list of events.
Sunday, September 10, 11am-5pm

Wednesday, September 13, 10am-2pm

Thursday, September 14, 5pm-8pm
Saturday, September 16

Monday, September 18, 7pm-8pm

Wednesday, September 20, 6pm-7:30pm

Friday, September 22, 5pm-8pm

Saturday, September 23, 10am-4pm

Sunday, September 24, 1pm-2:30pm
Enter This Month's Raffle
Congratulations to the winners of last month's raffle! The answer was: Plant-Powered Summer. Mark Giesler won a gift card to Bridge Community Cafe, T De La Fe won a gift card to Forty Acres Soul Kitchen, Mary K. won a gift card to Ike's Restaurant, Sheri Giardini won a gift card to Spacecat V-stro, and Samantha Stanek won a gift card to Takoi. For this month's raffle, you'll have a chance to win:
$25 Gift Card to Detroit Street Filling Station (Ann Arbor)

$25 Gift Card to Farm Club (Traverse City)

Sample Pack from Nutcase Vegan Meats

Gift Card from One To Save Many
To enter the raffle, solve the word scramble below and email your answer and one prize preference to raffle@vegmichigan.org. Those with the correct answer will be entered into a raffle drawing for the prize of their choice. Winners will be announced in the October newsletter. Good luck!
ESE  OYU TA  LFLA  SGEVEFT 
Take Action to Help Stop Factory Farming in Michigan
In a blatant example of greenwashing, industrial agriculture, energy companies, and utilities are joining forces to push the conversion of animal manure from factory farms into biogas to use as fuel. The biodigesters used to produce this gas are heavily subsidized by taxpayers and only capture a portion of the methane released by cows. Bottom line: If factory farms can profit from animal manure, we’ll see more and bigger factory farms in Michigan. We want to modify MI Senate Bill 275 so that animal manure cannot be used as a biogas to prevent the expansion of factory farms, and to prevent an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more and to take action, visit our Action Alert page.
Volunteer Update
Maria hiking the Appalachian Trail
VegMichigan is making some exciting updates to our volunteer program! Katie Johnson, one of our new program managers, will be reaching out to our current volunteer list for input. Please share your thoughts and help us make improvements. With our new collaboration with the City of Ann Arbor and hosting over 100 events this year, we’ll need your help more than ever as we work together to grow the plant-based movement in Michigan. We also want to take this opportunity to thank one of VegMichigan’s wonderful volunteers. Maria has been a longtime volunteer and has served on the board in the past, and she currently sets up our library displays viewed by thousands of library patrons each month. If Maria's story inspires you and you would like to learn more about volunteering, please fill out our new volunteer application. Katie will follow up with next steps.
URGENT: We need a few more volunteers for Fall VegFest on Sunday, September 10. Volunteers are needed for Newsletter Sign-Ups from 2-5pm and Tear Down from 5pm-7pm. Please email Katie at katie@vegmichigan.org if you are available, and thanks to all the volunteers who have already signed up to make this event a huge success!
Plant-Based News Headlines
Donate to VegMichigan Here or Use PayPal Giving Fund