Wild and Free, a New Animal Rights Children’s Book!

Wild and Free is Sanctuary Publishers’ first published children’s book!

The author, Andrea Zimmer, is an elementary school teacher in OC California.  Her love for all animals led her to transition to veganism, and after having her daughter, Andrea became inspired to work towards creating tools that would help parents introduce young children to the concepts of animal rights, wrong versus right, compassion, and kindness for all.

Andrea tells us about her new book in 5 questions…

Sanctuary Publishers: Hi Andrea! We’re so excited for your first ever children’s book, Wild and Free! Can you tell us about it and how you became inspired to write a rhyming book that succinctly helps children make connections about their choices at such a young age?

Andrea Zimmer:  Hi and thank you! That’s a very good question! Being a teacher, I have seen what a huge impact a good book can have in a child’s life.  After I had my daughter 2 years ago, I was searching and searching for good vegan children’s books for “very young children” to help her understand “why vegan” and how our actions can greatly affect other nonhuman as well as human beings on this planet.  I found some that I liked, but thought, “I love words, especially rhyming words, and so do children. I can write my own book”. Then, one day while at school, the first verse popped in my head, and the rest is history.  I love it when a book “flows”, and Wild and Free flows with the truth in a kid friendly non-graphic way.

Sanctuary Publishers: Maritza Oliver, a well-known Vegan Children’s book author and illustrator, noted how the book and illustrations get this message across, as you mention, in a non-graphic way. Could you tell us more about that and what age group you wrote the book for?

Andrea Zimmer: Sure, I’d love to. This book was written for a younger audience from babies to toddlers but could also be a great first reader for preschool children too.  It’s a wonderful book to use to introduce our young children to the ethics of veganism and help them understand right vs. wrong without being graphic. However, it’s still being specific enough, so they can understand that it’s wrong to do what we are doing to our fellow nonhuman beings; thus, the kids still get a basic understanding of animal rights.

Sanctuary Publishers: What would you say is your favorite verse in the book and why?

Andrea Zimmer: That’s a tough question since I love all the verses, but honeybees are very close to my heart and are often a subject of debate in the vegan/plant-based communities. Without bees everything else is a moot point. Bees work very hard to make their honey, and they need it to survive. During the winter they feed on the honey they collected during the warmer months and it takes about 35 pounds of honey to provide enough food for a smaller colony of bees to survive the winter. Honey collection is destructive to a hive. A hive must travel far and wide to visit over 2 million flowers in order to produce just 1 pound of honey.  They fly approx. 55,000 miles to produce that 1 pound of honey.  Honeybees make their honey to provide for their hive, and we depend on them to help pollinate our plants. Without the bees our food chain collapses.  They are gentle little beings who help us do a big job, so why do we take away their food?

Sanctuary Publishers: What about the illustrations? Do you have a favorite?

Andrea Zimmer: I love all the illustrations, which were done by Julia Feliz Brueck. She is such a talented person and did a beautiful job bringing my words to life. The illustration at the end of the book with all the children standing united together with the animals touches my heart. It helps me remember that if we start with our younger generations and give them the information and tools they need, they will become empowered to use their compassion to fight for truth and justice for all beings – both nonhuman and human alike.  I like to say, “We are planting the seeds of change, one book and one child at a time, for a brighter future for all Earthlings”. I hope that my daughter’s generation will be the one that finally ends the exploitation of all living beings on Earth.

Sanctuary Publishers: One other unique thing about your book is that it ends with a list of 10 things kids can do with their parents to help raise the voices of both non-humans AND humans. So, it’s not just a book about connections – it’s also about taking action when we can. Why do you think this is important?

Andrea Zimmer: It’s extremely important that we as adults show our children that although we feel strongly about something it’s just as important to act and use our voices to make positive change.  They need to know they aren’t powerless and should be taught that their voices matter.  The future is in their hands, and they need to know how to make positive changes whether they are large or small.  Kindness has a ripple effect and one person can make a difference.  I’ll be working on more actions we can do with small children, so keep an eye on our Wild and Free Facebook page and Instagram for more. Together we can make this world a better place for ALL!

Wild and Free is now on sale!

-Available as eBook and hardcover from Amazon and bookstores-

Sales from each book sold will help support the residents at PreetiRang Sanctuary!

Read about the great work they are doing and about their residents, here:

http://www.preetirangsanctuary.org/

5 Questions with Saryta Rodríguez on Food Justice

Saryta Rodríguez is the the editor of our newly released book “Food Justice: A Primer.” Saryta recently sat down with us to discuss the book and her work as a vegan food justice advocate.

Food Justice: A Primer is your newest book just released under the Sanctuary Publishers label. Could you tell us about the book?

Saryta: Food Justice: A Primer is a compilation of essays examining food justice from a variety of angles, including economic, environmental, ethical, and social. The essays range in tone, from academic to personal; and in scope, from local to global. I wrote roughly half of the essays, have collaborators who have written a few others, and in one essay I conduct an interview with someone who has worked with the MST landless workers’ movement in Brazil, the global peasants’ movement organization Via Campesina, and the Occupy the Farm movement in Berkeley, California. So he is sort of a co-author to that chapter, the focus of which is on land rights struggles.

What made you pursue this collaborative project?

Saryta: I have become increasingly aware in my food justice work, both when advocating for nonhuman animals and when advocating for the rights of hungry humans, that these camps are unnecessarily divided. While their goals are the same— to create a world in which everyone’s right to healthful food is respected and food is grown and distributed in a way that benefits the planet and all life forms on it— rather than sharing resources and collaborating, these camps tend to keep to themselves and even often demonize one another. For instance, those trying to feed hungry humans around the world often accuse vegans of being naïve, of imagining that everyone can just go vegan right now and that that would solve all food-related problems— neither of which is true. Meanwhile, vegans are often very disrespectful in talking to people who can’t go vegan right now for a specific reason, or who may not understand, for instance, why dairy is problematic because they are used to thinking of milk and eggs as items nonhuman animals “give” to us rather than items we take from them (and which require nonhuman rights violations such as involuntary pregnancy and kidnapping).

Therefore, one goal I had for this book was to try to bring these camps together. Another was to provide some basic information for people who aren’t in any specific camp, but would like to learn more about food justice in a broad sense and get some ideas on how they can contribute to it in their homes and their communities. Ideally, this will result in both more people getting involved in food justice and those who are already involved having a better understanding of the interrelationship between humans, nonhumans and our planet and how all three of these are negatively impacted by mainstream agricultural and economic practices.

Who do you expect will benefit from the topics discussed in the book?

Saryta: Those who are interested in food justice and want to contribute to it, but are not sure how, will benefit from some of these topics. For instance, there is a chapter on veganic farming that can help anyone with access to gardening grow food for themselves, their families, and their communities. Those who are interested in food policy work or helping with government programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) here in the US will benefit from understanding food justice from a racialized lens, such as in a chapter about food justice and race in the US. Such people would also benefit from understanding how legislation and policy are frequently used as tools to criminalize rather than assist the less fortunate, as explored in a chapter called “Food Waste, Feeding Bans and the Criminalization of Dissent.” Those who are interested in broader international trends and economic policy may be interested in an exploration of US-Mexico trade relations provided by another chapter.

Another group of people who will benefit are those who are already involved, but who may have an incomplete view of the picture, or may have been persuaded by either the nonhuman or the human side of things that that one side is more important than the other. Two chapters in this book clarify how nonhuman animal agriculture is an injustice to humans and nonhumans alike, while also wreaking havoc on the planet; meanwhile, humans working in these operations are subject to horrific conditions and low wages, which is addressed in the Introduction.

One of Sanctuary Publishers’ goals is to give back with every book sold. Who/what will the book be supporting?

Saryta: The book will be supporting “Casa Vegana de la Comunidad”, which is the latest project of Chilis on Wheels, a nonprofit organization devoted to feeding vegan food to anyone who is hungry. The organization currently has branches in Brooklyn, New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico; the Brooklyn branch also serves the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Casa Vegana de la Comunidad was founded in 2018 in San Juan, following Chilis on Wheels’s months-long food relief efforts after Hurricane Maria. It is the “home base” for Chilis on Wheels volunteers to cook and prepare food for distribution. There is also a spare room in which people from out-of-town can stay while they volunteer, and I am very much looking forward to pursuing that opportunity as soon as I have the necessary funds for a flight.

Casa Vegana is also the home of Silencio, a chicken who was rescued from my mother’s own hometown of Vega Baja! I sure hope I get to introduce them one day.

Is there a reason you chose “Casa Vegana de la Comunidad?”

Saryta: Well, for starters, I had already been following Michelle’s work for some time, and she is one of my personal heroes. (Michelle Carrera is the founder of Chilis on Wheels, and she contributed to the very last chapter of the Food Justice: A Primer, “Teachable Moments.”)  I also desperately wanted to do something to help after Hurricane Maria, but did not have the money to go down there myself and do anything; so I thought the next best thing would be to give money to someone who I know is doing something “down there.” I am deeply ashamed that it has been nearly a year since Maria and I have still not been to Puerto Rico— my mother’s homeland, which I haven’t visited in roughly ten years— but knowing now that there is a community in place that I can work with to make a difference makes me happy, and even before I can join it in person, I want to do everything I can to support its efforts.

I have also volunteered with the Chilis on Wheels folks on the Lower East Side, but only once, because then I was sick for a while and later I had to move away for the summer. It got too difficult for me to commute to where they serve on time to be of use. So I am waiting now until I move to Brooklyn in the fall so that I can hopefully start working with them again.

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Read Food Justice: A Primer edited by Saryta Rodríguez by ordering a copy from Sanctuary Publishers or Amazon.

About the Editor:

Saryta Rodríguez is an author, editor, and social justice advocate. Their past writings have focused on food justice, veganism, race, and gentrification. Saryta is the author of the book Until Every Animal is Free (October 2015) and also contributed an essay, “Move to Berkeley! and Other Follies,” as well as part of the Introduction (regarding the distinction between intersectionality and diversity) to Veganism in an Oppressive World: A Vegans-of-Color Community Project (published in November 2017 by Sanctuary Publishers).  Saryta currently edits for Sanctuary Publishers, while also accepting unrepresented clients. Originally from Bay Shore, New York, they currently reside in Harlem.

Learn more about Saryta via www.sarytarodriguez.com

Support the work of Sanctuary Publishers via Facebook and Patreon!

Libro Sobre El Veganismo Puertorriqueño: Projecto Comunitario

Me llamo Julia y soy la fundadora de Sanctuary Publishers. Soy Puertorriqueña y vegana desde hace 10 años. Hoy les escribo por que me gustaría publicar un libro para ayudar a mas Puertorriqueños entender el veganismo y lo que significaria cocinar a lo vegano.

Este libro sería un projecto de la comunidad vegana en Puerto Rico y ayudaría a apoyar un projecto o organización vegana en la isla.

Estoy buscando personas que se interesen en ayudar con contribuciones de recetas originales (desayuno, almuerzo, cena, postres) que ayuden a una persona en la isla hacer la transicion al veganismo. La recetas pueden ser basadas en comidas tradicionales y/o en los typos de comidas que son mas facil de adquirir sin que una persona tenga que gastar mas o hacer muchos viajes a tiendas especiales ya que queremos que el veganismo Boricua sea lo mas accesible para todos en la isla.

El libro también incluira consejos sobre otras partes correspondientes al veganismo (materiales, productos no probados sobre los animales, entretenimientos veganos, etc.).

Si pueden ayudar, me pueden mandar un email a info@sanctuarypublishers.com

Pueden mandar las recetas en forma de “Word” o por Google Drive.
Tambien se busca un Puertorriqueño(a) vegano(a) que este interesado(a) en ayudar con el diseño de la portada del libro.

Gracias y espero que les guste la idea de este projecto.

Juntos podemos ayudar a los nuestros.

NEW RELEASE: “Veganism in an Oppressive World”

 

Veganism in an Oppressive World

A Vegans-of-Color Community Project

Edited by Julia Feliz Brueck

New Release Out Now!

Get your Paperback or eBook copy HERE.

 

What would it take to raise the voices of nonhumans and spread veganism further than ever before?

Veganism in an Oppressive World, a Vegans-of-Color Community Project edited by Julia Feliz Brueck will revolutionize the way you see our movement. A must read for new vegans and seasoned nonhuman animal activists alike, this community-led effort provides in-depth, first-hand accounts and analyses of what is needed to broaden the scope of veganism beyond its current status as a fringe or “single-issue” movement while ensuring that justice for nonhumans remains its central focus.

—

Veganism in an Oppressive World is…

“…a must read for anyone committed to doing serious work around the dismantling of speciesism and all other systems of oppression…” –Kevin Tillman, Vegan Hip Hop Movement

“…an insightful guide to creating a truly inclusive vegan world.” – Pax Ahimsa Gethen, photographer, writer, & activist

&

“…moves beyond cosmetic diversity and into the realm of complex discussions about intersectionality and consistent anti-oppression within veganism. These…timely essays…provide relief against the danger of it being co-opted by the very status quo it sought to decenter.

– Dr. A. Breeze Harper, author, speaker, & critical race theorist

—

From conception, art, and prose to design, editing, and publication, Veganism in an Oppressive World is an international vegans of color community book project.

From start to finish, in an attempt to raise the voices of nonhuman animals higher than before, the following writers and artists give readers the tools and guidance needed to spread the AR/vegan movement father than its current reach:

 

 

Contributors

 

Bipasha Ahmed is an activist and works as an academic psychologist with interests in inequalities research, particularly in relation to PoC communities. She is also a trustee of a South Asian womxn’s domestic violence service and has been involved in activism in relation to Violence Against Womxn and Girls (VAWG) and anti-racism for many years. She lives in London, England with her two daughters and partner.

 

Michelle Carrera is a professional translator, writer, and founding director of the vegan non-profit Chilis on Wheels, an organization that helps to provide people in need with warm vegan meals via chapters across the US and in Puerto Rico.

Website: www.chilisonwheels.org

 

Julia Feliz Brueck is a decade-long vegan of color from Puerto Rico. She is the author of the first ever vegan-themed board book, Libby Finds Vegan Sanctuary, and most recently, the Baby and Toddler Feeding Guide, a dietitian approved evidence based guide for raising young ones on plant based diets safely and simply. Julia is also a published book and magazine illustrator, as well as a research scientist (B.Sc. & M.Sc.), and a mom of two dedicated to standing up against all oppression and to raising the voices of nonhuman animals.

Website: www.juliafeliz.com

 

Rama Ganesan lived in Chennai India until the age of 10 when she emigrated to the UK with her family.  She graduated from the University of Oxford, and then got a PhD from the University of Wales. She then moved to the US with her spouse, and she has lived there ever since. She has two grown children, and a dog and two cat companions at home. Rama became a vegan after reading “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer, set as college reading for her son. She then began to work to promote veganism, and currently works as field educator for Ethical Choices Program, where she presents to thousands of students on the topic of compassionate eating choices.

 

Shazia Juna was born in Reading, England (UK). She has lived in both Pakistan and England during her childhood. Shazia began her scientific career as a laboratory technician in the chemical industry for a few years prior to studying for her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at University of York, UK. Shazia worked as a Development Chemist in the paint and printing ink sector for a few years and later, returned to academia and completed her MPhil (Organic Chemistry) at Bath University, UK, as well as her PhD (starch/natural materials) at Glyndwr University in North Wales, UK. Shazia worked as a postdoctoral researcher for over three years at Karl-Franzens University, Graz, Austria. Throughout her scientific career, she has been interested in renewable materials. Shazia currently lives in Vienna, Austria and is learning to draw and paint with a goal of exploring her scientific works through an artistic lens. Shazia also has a keen interest in the use of vegan art materials that are commercially available or homemade. She is also working on fiction novels based on the ecology and chemistry of trees/flora and has been travelling across Europe. Shazia has been a vegetarian since she was 18 and a vegan since August 2009.

Website: www.shaziajuna.com

 

Melissa John-Charles Carrillo has been vegan since 2001 and is passionate about wildlife, works with refugees, and writes about being a person of colour in a mostly white society.

Website: http://livingincolour651.wordpress.com

 

Vinamarata “Winnie” Kaur is a Ph.D. candidate in English and Comparative Literature at the University of Cincinnati (UC), Cincinnati, Ohio, United States with research and activism interests in Sikh studies, South Asian studies, feminist theories, critical human-animal studies, digital scholarship, and film and media studies. She teaches courses on writing, feminism, and film, media, and sexuality studies and offers writing assistance as a tutor to UC Health’s and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s medical professionals and UC’s undergraduate and graduate students. During her spare time, she enjoys offering online and in-person advice to those looking to transition to veganism, reading recent peer-reviewed medical research (human and veterinary), hiking with her canine companion, playing wand and light toy games with her feline friend, and exploring new vegan cuisines with her partner.

Website: www.winniekaur.com

 

Laila Kassam has a MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and a PhD in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She has worked in the international development sector since 2003. Her work has focused on conducting research related to poverty and food security for rural development projects in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Her research has been published in peer reviewed journals and by international organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. She became vegan in 2013 and co-founded the Veterinary Vegan Network with her partner Shailen Jasani, a vegan veterinary surgeon, in 2015.

Website: www.everyday-justice.com

 

Deepta Rao has an M.A. in Experiential Health and Healing from The Graduate Institute, Bethany, Connecticut, United States and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Institute of Technology and Management, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She also has a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies and eCornell. If she is not volunteering at her kids’ school, she is digging into the neural networks of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. She is also a student of the Chinmaya Mission San Jose and volunteers at the mission during weekends. Besides feeding her family delicious vegan food, she loves making beaded bracelets and elaborate travel plans.

 

Meneka Repka is an artist and teacher living in Calgary, Alberta.  She completed a BFA from ACAD in 2007, and a BEd from the University of Lethbridge in 2010. After teaching junior high and high school, Meneka became interested in expanding her knowledge in art education, and finished an MA from Concordia University (Montreal) in 2013.  She recently finished a PhD in education at the University of Calgary.  Meneka loves teaching, and feels just as engaged in her teaching practice as she does in her art practice.  As an illustrator, Meneka is interested in the animal, links between humans and nonhumans, nature, and environment.  In her work, she investigates the complicated relationships between humans and other animals.

Website: http://meneka.carbonmade.com

 

Margaret Robinson is a bisexual and two-spirit scholar from Eski’kewaq, Nova Scotia, and a member of the Lennox Island First Nation. A community-based researcher since 2009, her work examines the impact of intersecting oppressions and draws on critical, postcolonial, and queer theories, intersectionality, and third wave feminism.

Website: http://www.dal.ca/faculty/arts/sociology-social-anthropology/faculty-staff/our-faculty/margaret-robinson.html

 

Saryta Rodriguez is an author, editor, social justice advocate, and educator. Their first book, Until Every Animal is Free, was published in 2015, and they are currently working on a compilation of essays examining food justice from a variety of lenses. Saryta’s past writings have focused on food justice, veganism, race, and gentrification. Their articles have appeared on such notable social justice websites as Free From Harm, Causa Justa/Just Cause, and Reasonable Vegan. Saryta edits manuscripts of all genres, having worked previously for David Black Literary Agency (Brooklyn) and Penguin Publishing (Manhattan) and currently editing for Sanctuary Publishers. They also specialize in literacy tutoring for students in Grades K-12. Originally from Bay Shore, New York, Saryta currently resides in Harlem.

Website: http://www.sarytarodriguez.com

Danae Silva Montiel is a two decade-long vegan currently working as a graphic designer and illustrator.

 

Meenal Upadhyay is a software developer and a corporate trainer, although she would rather be a movie reviewer fulfilling two of her favorite pastimes—watching movies and writing. She loves writing about feminist issues. When she is not “mothering” her two daughters, she teaches coding to little kids.

 

Rayven Whitaker is a 9^th grade Home-Schooled Student, who chose to go vegan in March of this year after attending her second Triangle VegFest. She has been the co-host and co-producer of numerous Podcasts (dating back to 2012 at the earliest). She is looking forward to the continuing pursuits of her interests in (Music (composing, producing, singing and songwriting), Dance (as well as choreographing), Film (screenwriting, cinematography, directing, producing and acting), Photography, Writing, Journalism, etc.) and outside of the Arts.

 

Destiny Whitaker is an 11^th grade Home-Schooled Student with a passion for arts and music. Her many titles include: Musician, Arranger, Writer, Podcaster, Producer, Actress, Graphic Designer, Photographer, Activist, Journalist, Fangirl and much more. 

Websites: www.DestinyWhitakerProductions.Weebly.com & www.OurWorldAndFandomsGalore.com

 

Ankita Yadav is a research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and her areas of specialization include human-animal studies, interconnectivity of oppressions, and gender. She has published various scholarly and animal welfare related articles. She is a vegan, an animal welfare activist, and a leading blogger about cats in Delhi. She has pioneered a community effort project, based purely on volunteer engagement and local resources, to rescue, rehabilitate, and save from suffering and superstition, more than 750 cats (and counting) in the city. In 2016, TEDx Delhi recognized her as a Superhero of Delhi. When Ankita is not writing or rescuing cats, you would find her experimenting with funky earrings and lip colors and having interactive sessions with people where she educates them about veganism and animal welfare policies.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/everythingmeow.india/

 

—

 

Grant Support from: http://www.deutscher-jugendschutz-verband.de

 

 

Paperback & eBook available HERE.

Are you a Copy Editor?

Sanctuary Publishers is looking to form collaborations with editors for specific book projects that are currently in the works.

 

If you are interested in working with us, please apply with:

• an letter of interest outlining your skills and any previous experience, as well as why you would like to collaborate with Sanctuary Publishers.
• a copy of your CV.
• samples of previous work or a link to your online porfolio if you have one.
• your rates.

 

Send your application details to info@sanctuarypublishers.com

 

Illustrator Openings Available

Sanctuary Publishers is looking to form collaborations with illustrators for specific book projects that are currently in the works.

 

If you fit any of the below three types of illustrators, please apply with:

• an letter of interest outlining your skills and style of illustration, as well as why you would like to collaborate with Sanctuary Publishers.
• samples of your work or a link to your online portfolio

 

Send your application details to info@sanctuarypublishers.com

Please note: book projects are royalty based and done under contract.

 

 

 

 

 

Raising the Voices of Vegans of Color

 

 

In collaboration with TAVS – The Advocacy of Veganism Society and the VoC community, Sanctuary Publishers‘ newest book project will work to help raise the voices of vegans of color in an effort to speak up on behalf of nonhuman animals.

Vegans of color have stories to tell—stories about what veganism means to us and our communities. Because of this, we will be working to publish a two volume book set to help vegans of color gain visibility while in turn, continue to help spread veganism within our communities.

Profits from the two volumes will also help sponsor a pro-intersectional veganism starter kit booklet – the first of its kind.

Vegans artists and authors of color are welcome to make submissions towards the books. Guidelines for the types of submissions welcomed can be found on the publishers’ submission page.

If you are not VoC but would still like to help this important project, you can volunteer to help with promotion when the time comes or with graphic design.

You may also help support this project through donations.

Thank you – we are thrilled to bring this work to fruition!

 

Guest Post: Michelle Carrera, Chilis on Wheels

In tune with Sanctuary Publisher’s mission, a portion of sales from

Baby and Toddler Vegan Feeding Guide by Julia Feliz Brueck

will go towards supporting the work of Chilis on Wheels.

Through this beautifully written guest post, Michelle Carrera, founder of Chilis on Wheels, tells us more about this inspiring vegan-based humanitarian organization that is helping to change daily lives while staying true to nonhuman animal justice:

I’m sitting in the van of TheVTeamTour, rain pitters and patters on the roof, the refrigerator spurts and goes silent, our solar power is out; condensation arises and the windows begin to fog; Ollie, my six-year-old says “I’m bored”; Meli, the dog sees a squirrel in the distance and starts barking; my head throbs. I take a second and go inside myself, as I breathe “Think of what all this is about. Think of all the people it will help”. Clouds don’t immediately part, but I slow down and it doesn’t look so ugly and despairing after all. This is what Chilis on Wheels, and now its offshoot project TheVTeamTour has been all about. About gaining perspective on our privileges, and using every last bit to help others.

Chilis on Wheels is a mobile vegan soup kitchen that builds community around free vegan food. Among a warm vegan meal, we provide vegan education, personal care products not tested on animals in our Free Store; we engage the youth into participating in their community, and we create spaces where people can gather; we provide the warmth and the support of a community; and we create a safe space where everyone can belong to and take shelter from the harshness of the world. Because our communities are built by real people, what that space looks like is always changing according to the people that integrate it.

It all started on Thanksgiving 2014 when I looked for a vegan soup kitchen to volunteer at with my son, to teach him about community and to connect him and myself to other people. Upon not finding such a thing, Ollie and I made 15 meals in our kitchen, and distributed it ourselves to people in the streets of New York City. Unbeknownst to me, this day changed the course of my life. Something that day told me I needed to do more, and I started giving food out monthly, then weekly. I ran a crowdfunding campaign to help fund it, and I have poured all my resources, all my time, all my energy into making it flourish. Last year, we served 11, 239 meals!

Both Ollie and I have grown tremendously during this time. I have learned to trust more, in myself, and in others, in that everything will work out. I have learned that we are all rich, that money is not the only capital, not even the most important one; that when we band together and pool our skills, anything is possible. Last Thanksgiving, on our biggest event of the year, we served 1,000 vegan meals and covered the entirety of Manhattan! Close to 200 people joined us and helped serving, cooking, transporting, getting the word out, writing, printing, and taking pictures. In the end, on a day most people spend with their families, people who found themselves alone found a community to share a meal with; a meal possible thanks to the collective efforts of more than 200 people.

It is about the people that share a meal with us. I have made some great friends from the people that we serve. Irene is an older woman. She is gentle and kind, and soft spoken. She has been coming to our gatherings every week for two years, we talk of the weather, and our families, always positive and kind thoughts. James Brown joins us every week too, we like to complain about our aches, and throw some jokes in to ease it. Marcella sometimes brings her two lovely granddaughters. Chile gifts us the donations he receives from the food bank, things he cannot cook because he does not have a kitchen, for things we have already made. Howie is quiet but he is also kind, and loves the products we offer on our Free Store. Maria, is a 96-year-old woman from Puerto Rico, who I have adopted as my grandmother. She walks close to a mile every week to see us. She has come to a period in her life, where she has no one else to count on, except her grandson who visits her about once a month. In the meantime, she has us every Saturday to talk to, to laugh with, to complain to, or joke with. We have given her our phone numbers so she knows she can call us if she ever needs anything. She came to us very depressed and lonely, and we have seen her flourish since, making jokes and being saucy. Chilis on Wheels is so much more than just a meal.

It is about the volunteers. The people that come week after week to make this happen. People that store supplies in their closets which in the limited real estate of NYC this is a HUGE deal! People that come to cook on Saturday mornings, people that tread through blizzards, thunderstorms, heat waves, to make sure the people that rely on us for their Saturday meals, will not go empty handed. Michelle Thiele, now our NYC Chapter Director, a vegan mom to Jamie, one of our youngest volunteers who started helping us out when he was just 2 years old, comes week after week, stores food, cooks it, transports it, seeks out donations, coordinates volunteers, always with such a warmth! Her husband, Jeff, also helps us out every week with his permanent kind smile and solid support. Natassia comes in every week always willing and ready to help in whatever is needed. Christian, our Director of Chapter Development, our Renaissance Man, does a bit of everything, from shoveling snow to helping install solar panels in TheVTeamTour van, to cooking, to drumming up donations, to staying in touch with new chapters. Blake is our favorite babysitter and rule enforcer. And Jimmy, who came to us referred to by a social service agency two years ago. Jimmy is a young vegan; he was going through some hardships and found himself without a place to live, and looking for meals without animal products in the soup kitchens and shelters. Thankfully a social service agency connected us, and Jimmy came in one rainy afternoon. He instantly fit in with our volunteers, and he started coming weekly, having a meal with us and helping us to set up, and serve. Eventually he heard of a job opening in the Parks Dept. in NYC, and he applied, putting in his experience working with us, and including as a reference. He got the job, and has worked with them since. And he still finds time to volunteer with us most weeks. He is our Chilis on Wheels family, where we come together to care for ourselves and our community.

It is about the vegan education, and who we talk to about veganism, about inexpensive but filling and rich meals without animal products. It is about connecting people with their food, in the ingredients, in the process of growing it and bringing it to their table. We visited a school in the Bronx and we gave our standard talk on the importance of plant-based nutrition, connecting it to their readings and their community, and a student, 13 years of age, became so touched that she approached me after the talk, and asked me a million questions a minute. Her mind raced to keep up the pace with the new information; her ethics transformed that day, and we stayed in touch. She is now vegan, and although she cannot volunteer with us because we are more than an hour away from her, she stays in touch and texts me to update me on what she has said to her family and her friends and her local community activism.

So, when the rain pours down and everything seems so hard to live with, I take a minute to think of all the people we have brought together, and the ripple effects our presence continues to create. TheVTeamTour is going across the country gathering folks together to build communities around free vegan food, setting up chapters of Chilis on Wheels, infusing them with our contagious energy to build networks of people, to realize the value of our most underestimated capital: our communities. 

Support this amazing organization  and  nonhumans by ordering a copy of the Baby and Toddler Vegan Feeding Guide by Julia Feliz Brueck:

Order the paperback and eBook on Amazon. 

Also available at Vegan Essentials.

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New Release!

Join us in celebrating the NEW RELEASE of the

Baby and Toddler Vegan Feeding Guide

by author & illustrator Julia Feliz Brueck

as hardcopy and Kindle eBook on Amazon!

Also available at Vegan Essentials.

Thank you for helping to spread the word!

Read about the book through the author here.

A portion of money made from books sold will go to support the important work being done by Chilis on Wheels, an organization helping to feed the homeless and other people in need with vegan food.

Find Sanctuary Publishers on Facebook!

​5 Questions with Author & Illustrator Julia Feliz Brueck

Our first book by vegan author and illustrator Julia Feliz Brueck, The Baby and Toddler Vegan Feeding Guide is now officially published!

Julia tells us a little more about her NEW release in this special five question interview:

Your first published book was a vegan-themed children’s book, how did this new book, specific for parents, come about?

Since the time my son started eating solids, I would share them on social media and get quite a few curious comment about what he ate. One of those times, a fellow vegan on my Facebook left a comment last year saying that she hoped I would help her with what to feed her baby once the time came. At that moment, I decided that I would do it for her and for every parent out there that might need a little nudge, support, or help. I know we are all overtired with very little time once a little one arrives, so if I could use my skills as a researcher and do this to help others while helping nonhumans, as well, I would.

However, something deeper also inspired me to use my experience as a vegan, scientist, and now mother of two. I want to help parents rise above the dangerous pseudoscience that now abounds on social media, and I want to help give parents the tools they need to raise happy, healthy little vegans.

Is this book only for vegans?

Not at all. This is for anyone that needs a little help with finding the right direction in feeding their babies and toddlers a plant based diet. I read once that a possible reason more parents don’t go vegan or raise their kids vegan is because they genuinely might think that veganism is unhealthy for children. Therefore, one of the aims of this guide is to break down negative preconceived ideas about feeding children plant based diets and help families with young ones take the leap towards embracing a vegan life.

You also illustrated the cover and the images inside. Tell us more about those.

This is part of an illustration that I made of my oldest son and I when he was about 18 months, so it has special meaning to me. I thought that a drawn cover illustration would make the guide more personal and hopefully, depict how much love (I know it sounds tacky, but it’s true!) went into every aspect of creating this guide.

What do you hope to accomplish with this new book?

I hope to break down dietary myths, help parents become more evidence aware, and to reassure them, as well as inspire them to embrace plant based diets for their families as part of a commitment towards veganism.

I purposely made this guide short and to the point because I am well aware that with babies and toddlers, every minute of every day is precious, yet it is filled with evidence based tools to feed babies and toddlers. Above all, it is dietician approved, so you can feel secure about starting your little ones off of their own ethical vegan journey.

How does this book fit in with Sanctuary Publisher’s mission?

I made a commitment to myself to use my artistic abilities to raise the voices of the most marginalized. In addition to helping to guide families towards less harm of other living beings, I am excited to announce that a portion of the money made from guides sold will go towards the amazing, woman of color founded organization, Chilis on Wheels. The organization works hard to feed homeless people and those that need a little help each day.

Thank you for your support and for helping in spreading the word!

Order a copy on Amazon or Vegan Essentials!

Do come say hello on Facebook!