Free Vegan Lifestyle Support During COVID-19

As a graduate of the Main Street Vegan Academy, I’m excited to join my fellow Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coaches in uniting with meatpacking workers for Meatless May.

In addition to the Meatless May activities that we’ll be offering through the Main Street Vegan Academy, I’ll also be offering a free 7-day Go Vegan Challenge complete with vegan swap guide and 7-day meal plan to help those wishing to take part in Meatless May.

The challenge begins May 25th. Sign up to participate and get more information on the upcoming challenge.

New York City, NY — May 11, 2020 — Main Street Vegan Academy (MSVA) announced today that, effective immediately, some 50 Vegan Lifestyle Coaches and Educators (VLCEs), all MSVA graduates, will offer free education and support to those who want to enjoy meatless meals or explore the full vegan lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Free services will be available through June.

MSVA is a program developed by Victoria Moran, voted Peta’s “Sexiest Vegan Over 50” in 2016 and author of books including Main Street Vegan and The Love-Powered Diet. “Coronavirus has put plant-based eating in the spotlight in three primary ways,” says Moran. “We’ve learned how many infectious diseases have arisen from the wildlife trade, live markets, and industrialized animal agriculture. We also know that many of the underlying conditions that make COVID-19 more serious — obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease — have been shown in myriad studies to respond favorably to a whole-foods, plant-based diet. And asking workers to risk their lives to provide an ‘essential’ food item, meat, is outrageous; many of us haven’t eaten meat or other animal products for decades.”

Meatless May and More

Many consumers have expressed interest in reducing meat consumption after experiencing shortages and hearing revelations about the alarming spread of COVID-19 in meat-processing plants. Others are curious about the health benefits and environmental sustainability of a vegan lifestyle, as well as the more compassionate relationship it promotes towards the animals trapped in the current food system.

A Meatless May boycott in Iowa of the “corporate” meat industry was launched early this month by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to support slaughterhouse employees who are being required to work despite the health risk. Meatless May is gaining traction and will continue beyond the end of the month. “Let’s take this from Meatless May to Meatless Nation,” says Joe Enrique Henry of LULAC. By shining a light on the plight of workers in the meatpacking industry, Henry hopes Meatless May will show the meat industry that consumers will stand with these workers and move closer to the healthier, more traditional diets of the past, when meat was a luxury item and plant foods sustained daily life.

Main Street Vegan Academy and its coaches are proud to partner with LULAC in exposing the brutality of the meat industry and encouraging exploration of veganism. Visitors to Main Street Vegan’s Meatless May & More site can complete a contact form with their question about plant-based eating and receive a personal phone call or email response from a Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator. Assistance is available in English and Spanish.

Also on the site are links to free weekly online cooking classes from JL Fields, VLCE, of Colorado Springs, author of Fast & Easy Vegan and coauthor with Victoria Moran of The Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook. People can also sign up there for free informational Zoom webinars on vegan eating and living with Holly Skodis, VLCE (Wilton, Connecticut) and Sha-Hanna Soaper, VLCE (Westfield, Indiana); and similar webinars in Spanish offered by Karima Vega, VLCE (Denton, Texas) and Enrique Velez (San Juan, Puerto Rico).

“Veganism is about reducing harm and living with a compassionate heart,” says Moran. “That compassion extends to both the animals and the humans trapped in a brutal, unsustainable system. Whether people are interested in cutting back on meat consumption, participating in a temporary boycott, or exploring the vegan lifestyle more permanently, our coaches are here to support their journey.”

For more information,contact Heather Dahman of The Veg Academy in Fort Wayne.