If you're new to the Bay Area, a Vegan Food Party (VFP) is a great opportunity to meet some really friendly people who also enjoy veg*nism. If you're new to veg*nism, this is a fun way to try a variety of different vegan foods. And, we welcome you to "animal experiment" and try new vegan recipes on hungry human volunteers. VFPs are fun for folks of all ages and appetities of all sizes

So join us on noon, this Saturday, Sept 6th, at Oakland's Lake Temescal to enjoy vegan foods, an opportunity to connect with like-minded folks, relax on the grass, swim in the lake, or just hang out at beautiful Lake Temescal in Oakland. There's also a VFP on 9/13 in San Rafael with a hike - come to one or both!

During our August "Have a Heart, Go Veg Leafleting" outreach, 785 leaflets were distributed to the public. Every individual that we reach has the potential to make life-saving changes in their own life and to the animals that they no longer eat.

Want to do more than just wish for new vegetarians? Power to the Peaceful, a free concert in Golden Gate Park, is this Saturday 9/6. Nora invites interested folks to join her:

"This is a really fantastic opportunity for leafletting about vegetarianism--one of the best and easist things you can do to help animals and spread vegetarians in the world! I've leafletted there many years in a row, and it is always a positive experience. I'll be there all day Saturday and would love for you to join me! This is a perfect opportunity for someone who has never done any leafletting before. I'll show you how it's done! All you need to do is show up!"

Other outreach opportunities including leafleting on Sept 20th at the Powell St cable car turnaround. If tabling is more your style, we need your help at Solano Stroll in Berkeley/Alameda on Sun, Sept 14th.

Please see the event calendar for more details on all events.

Our leafleting team in Vegan Outreach's Adopt-a-College Program has already started with 150 leaflets distributed during the lunch hour at a downtown SF college. We did 1,000 leaflets in Spring 2008, and are looking to beat that number. Several people have already pledged to leaflet regularly at a local college -- can we count on YOUR help?? Whether it's weekly or monthly, for 10 or 60 minutes, it all adds up.

No previous experience necessary for leafleting, just a smile and a willingness to help animals. Contact us for more info or to sign-up.

As Nora, the organizer for the Golden Gate Park leafleting, says "Aren’t you glad you know about how the animals are treated so that you can choose to do something about it? Give others that opportunity to make a difference, as well! And give the animals an opportunity for people to consider their plight."

Do you get tongue-tied when you’re put on the spot by inquisitive family or friends? Or just curious how others handle it? If so, check out the PETA podcast featuring Dr. Alka Chandna, formerly a Bay Area activist and currently PETA’s laboratory oversight specialist, and PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. They take you through snappy and compelling comebacks to the toughest animal rights questions.

If you have a useful website you'd like to suggest for a future spotlight, please let us know.

Last month saw the closure of Wild Greens in Petaluma, less than 6 months after it opened, and the launch of Loving Hut in Milpitas. Loving Hut is a new vegan restaurant featuring Vietnamese cuisine with a few western dishes like burgers and spaghetti. FYI, Souley Vegan (Oakland) is temporarily closed for remodelling.

For more details on the above, and regular updates, check out our Guide News blog

Have Your Say -- voice your opinion with an Ultimate Guide review. With 1,493 reviews in the Ultimate Guide, these vegetarian restaurants are ranked the best.

Top Ten Vegetarian Restaurants

1) Fragrance Land, Cupertino - 4.8 (New entry)
2) Garden Fresh, Mtn View - 4.57
3) Cha-Ya, Berkeley - 4.55
4) Vegetarian House, San Jose - 4.54
5) Pizza Plaza, Oakland - 4.52
6) Vital Ital Calabash - 4.5
7) Good Karma, San Jose - 4.38
8) Tofoo Com Chay, San Jose - 4.29
9) Millennium, SF - 4.27
10) New World Vegetarian - 4.21

If you’re vegan, you might worry that attending a traditional wedding in the Midwest would create an eating challenge for you. I was lucky enough to attend one of those traditional Midwestern weddings yesterday, and I didn’t bring so much as a single peanut.

09/06 Power to the Peaceful: Go Veg Leafleting - SF (Golden Gate Park)
09/06 KFC Cruelty Protest! - San Jose
09/06 Grass-and-Lake Vegan Food Party - Lake Temescal (Oakland)
09/09 Happy Bamboo Dinner - San Jose
09/13 Hike and Vegan Food Party - San Rafael
09/14 Outreach at Solano Stroll - Albany
09/14 Food For Thought: Specious Science
09/14 KFC Cruelty Protest - SF
09/14 Veganauts: Mission to the New World - Oakland
09/16 Letter Writing Party & Dinner - Berkeley
09/18 Fragrance Land Dinner - Cupertino
09/20 Have a Heart, Go Veg Leafleting & Lunch - SF
09/21 Vegan Book Club Discussion - SF
09/21 Activist Writers' Salon - San Jose
09/24 Garden Fresh Vegan Dinner - Mountain View
09/28 East Bay Vegan Brunch/Lunch - Berkeley

10/04 KFC Cruelty Protest - San Jose
10/12 KFC Cruelty Protest - SF

Outlook users can use the 'calendar' icon link ()to add this event to their calendar.

For latest news and events for Bay Area Vegetarians, check out the News Blog and Event Calendar. We don't always announce it, but event photos are added periodically to the gallery, too.