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By Daisy - 25 Jun 2012

In Reference to: 24 June 2012 - Belief is Passive - Faith is Active

As part of "faith is active", or "get off your butts", I, like Drew, leaflet for Vegan Outreach and am in the Adopt-A-College program. They will send them to your door and they're free. I leaflet at festivals, malls, city streets at lunchtime when 100's of state workers are walking to restaurants, any place there are crowds. I have leafleted teens at carnivals, all the employees working in strip malls where shops are close together and I can hit 15 shops in 15 minutes. I once handed a brochure to a elderly woman working at a Beauty Supply Shop on  a sunny day when the door was propped open and when I walked back outside I heard her scream out loud. I hope she re-thought her diet.

I smile brightly while extending the brochure and say "Help animals?" or "May I give you one to help animals?" At colleges I often say nothing because when class lets out there is a huge stream of students and I extend my arm and they just take one. Veg students look back and yell "hey, thanks for being here!" I use the "Even If" brochures for colleges.

Inside malls I leaflet to teens while passing them, always leave a brochure in any restroom wherever I go, lay one on the coffee table at the doctor, dentist, insurance office, the car repair shop, wherever I go while running errands. Leave one at the gas pump for the next person if it's not raining. I purposely choose a different bank location on occasion so I can hand one to each teller as well as the loan officers. I give them to all cashiers, whether it's the grocery store, the drug store, petsmart, the department store. In retail/businesses, employees are taught to be polite to customers, so they never refuse.

Most thank me while smiling because I use the ones called "Compassionate Choices" for everyone except college students. The cover has a lovely photo of a hen with her chicks on green grass under a blue sky.  People have no idea that the inside has factory farming photos. I want them to Know what is hidden behind closed slaughterhouse doors.

About 5% will choose to go veg, whether it is a day or a year later. That person going veg will affect his/her family members, friends, co-workers, etc. The seed has been planted. Once they Know, they cannot ever Not Know. I feel it is the least I can do for the animals. It takes no extra gas, I am going there anyways - or driving right past. I work full time so I don't have much spare time. I really can't begin to tell you how many places I have leafleted, there are so many. Just leave a trail of God's love wherever you go.

I put a brochure on car windshields at malls if their car has a dog or animal emblem of any sort. At the beach, I hand them to teens I pass on the boardwalk. You don't have to wait for a concert or a special event. There are always people all around you who Know Nothing about animal cruelty. Now and then someone will hand it right back to you saying "I love meat!" That's okay - smile and keep moving - they are probably involved in farming/hunting. Saying "No" cannot hurt you one bit.

Never feel you are doing something wrong. The ones who react are only reacting because They know in their deepest heart that they are doing something wrong. When I leaflet I feel good. I have Helped God's Animals. Wonderful feeling.

Some people will ask questions. The answers are on Vegan Outreaches website.

A fellow leafleter has handed out brochures outside of churches. He said it was difficult because the ministers ask him to leave but he's on public sidewalks so he stayed. I admired him so much. I do not have the courage to confront the ministers. It is a very sad thing to say that the one place I won't go is a house of God where people ought to be loving. I did leaflet to Buddhists once and they became angry. I said "I thought Buddhists practiced kindness and love to All." They were speechless because I questioned their philosophy. I am so glad I went there because they now had to question their own beliefs.

When I have time I stuff the brochures with fliers about fur-farmed animals, horse-racing, puppy mills, circus animals, etc. There are many organizations who will send free fliers to you. I believe this is the most effective way of helping animals. I participated in a few protests years ago but they were silly - people drove by in cars and did not understand why someone is making a fuss. When you put the brochure in someone's hands, they will open it up and they will See for themselves. They can't litter so they now carry the Horrible Truth with Them. Even if they throw it away later, they have Seen the Truth. Some students go sit on the nearest bench, unable to process what they are seeing/reading. They are in disbelief/tears. Some stop walking, just stop in their tracks.

If you are afraid to leaflet, don't be. After you hand out the first one, it is easy. It is the simplest thing really and it creates new vegetarians every day. If you go to their website (vegan Outreach), you can read the stories of leafletters and how they felt when they first began.
Don't waste alot of time trying to change your family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers. It makes you feel sad when they aren't interested. Instead, reach out to all those strangers you pass by. They need to know.

A friend in my city offers free classes in her home to learn how to cook vegan. She asks for a few dollars to cover the cost of the food which they then eat/take home. This is a good idea but she can only reach a few dozen people each year.

I was reading "Honoring God's Creation" today and I would gladly leaflet with them. I think they are well done. I wish they didn't say that eating meat is "not prohibited" or that God "accepted animal sacrifices" because people could use that as an excuse. I personally do not believe that God accepts the killing of animals because God is Love and Love does not kill. I do not personally trust the men who wrote the word of God because they were just humans with their own agendas. I trust the Love of God. Different faiths/bibles condoning animal violence does not bode well for animals - or people. Also, people argue, even hate each other, because they believe in different religions/bibles. I wish that time and energy could be used to spread the message of God's love for His creation.

Please ask if you have any questions about leafleting.

I'm sorry this was so long.

With love,

Daisy