VegWorcester, a local grassroots organization, is coordinating the first annual Worcester Vegan and Vegetarian food festival. The event will be held on April 17, from 12 pm - 5 pm, at the Student Center at Worcester State College located at 486 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA.

The 2010 Worcester VegFest (www.vegworcester.com/festival) is a free event that brings together residents to celebrate veganism/vegetarianism – focusing on animal-friendly, environmentally sustainable, and healthy lifestyles. The event features socially responsible businesses, inspiring speakers, musicians, and lots of free samples of tasty vegan food from local restaurants such as Buddha Hut (now called Loving Hut) and Belmont Vegetarian. This event is also kid friendly.

"The best way to save the greatest number of animals is to simply not eat them. By adopting a vegan lifestyle, you will save more than 100 animals every year," says Drew Wilson, an organizer in VegWorcester. The American Dietetic Association says that vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes or cancer, and less likely to become obese, than meat-eaters. Also, eating meat is one of the biggest causes of many of the world’s biggest environmental problems. These are just a few reasons for participating in VegWorcester and for coming to the VegFest ’10!

The 2010 Worcester VegFest brings together top national speakers to discuss the latest in clinical nutrition, animal rights campaigns, getting involved in the movement, and connecting veganism to other actions. Our four speakers are Dr. Michael Greger, Erica Meier, Jon Camp, and John Sanbonmatu. It also features local musicians, including Melodeego, Boston’s soul and roll nation, as well as Midi and the Modern Dance from Connecticut.

VegWorcester is a not-for-profit, community organization that advocates vegetarian living to the population of Central Massachusetts. We organize educational events around veganism, animal rights, and the environmental impact of meat production. They are working to create a more peaceful world by encouraging people to think twice about the suffering inherent in eating animals by building a culture of support for vegetarianism.