Back last November I was looking for a charities to add to my year-end list, and came across VegFam. Intrigued though I was, I was also wary, and I wrote about my concern here. basically it came down to this:
I found a site that also claimed that VegFam's goal is to "propagate the Christian Gospel"! Not that there's anything wrong with Christians doing their thing, but their web site says nothing about them being a missionary organization, and i think they should disclose it if they are, so I can make the choice.
Thank you for your email of 14th November 2008. We are sorry that you dd not receive a reply at the time. We are pleased to correct this oversight now.
The Charity Portal Website contains very old, out of date information (address, website details etc.). I was unaware that it existed as a site. We are pleased that you have brought it to our attention so that it can be corrected.
Regarding your query, the information on the site is the criteria that was used when registering the charity with the Charity Commission when Vegfam was set up in 1963. We have been in contact with the founding trustees for some years and know the full history of the charity. We also worked (voluntarily) alongside the late trustee for 16 years.
"To propagate the Christian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to manifest his love and salvation to the world" has always been fulfilled in as much as Vegfam trustees see the work that Vegfam does as a practical example of that. The founding trustees were Christian for a while but it was never such that propagating the Christian Gospel is a criteria for the delivery of aid projects to beneficiaries. Subsequent trustees have been from various religious and/or spiritual backgrounds (they have however always been vegan).
Vegfam funds projects which are set up to help people regardless of their: background, religion (or non religion), age , race, nationality, political beliefs, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
Also when the charity was set up, "vegetarian" was taken also to mean vegan. The definition of vegetarian was often the same as vegan, many people did not know what vegan was. So, Vegfam has always been vegan.
Vegfam Trustees have been in touch with the Charity Commission on several occasions over the last few years with view to updating the objects to be relevant to the 21st century and to be more in line with what the spirit of Vegfam is all about. We need to make it modern and completely inclusive in its objects. This will take much work and we envisage that it will be a couple of years before the process is completed.
We have only been trustees for three years and we are still bringing the charity up-to-date (which started with the website in December 2007) and dealing with its increased supporter base.
We hope that this answers your query. If we can be of further assistance please get in touch. We look forward to your potential support.
Mark Bittman offers 101 simple salad recipes today, at least a couple dozen of which are vegan. Enjoy!
Found this story on how a site called VirtualTourist.com named the five worst vacation destinations for vegans and vegetarians.
Here's a San Jose Mercury review of the new Loving Hut restaurant at the Oakridge Mall in San Jose. Loving Hut has a branch in downtown Palo Alto, to which I've been, but this one in Oakridge sounds like it has a broader menu than the Palo Alto branch.
QuarryGirl has an interesting follow-up post to her investigation of L.A.-area vegan restaurants from last week.
