Whether you make the change for the love of animals, the environment, social justice, or your health, becoming vegan is such a thrill. But it can also be lonely. The desire to share the magic of this amazing lifestyle may not always be met with enthusiasm by friends and family, and here you just want to explore new recipes and throw a dinner party every night! Well, that might be a bit much….How about once a month?
No matter where you live, there are other vegans (or pre-gans) in your community – and they may be feeling a bit isolated, too. Starting a plant-based potluck in your town is a great way to find like-minded people and make new friends. A potluck can be a cozy get-together with other vegans, where you don’t have to worry about what’s in the food, and can just relax. Or do you want to create a potluck for activism?
The intention of our potluck in Montana
(Photo Credit 2013 Thanks Living Dinner: Robert Howell)
is to demystify veganism and share delicious food and easy recipes with people who are open-minded and veg-curious. Everyone is welcome at Live and Let Livingston events; our slogan is “You don’t have to be Vegan, but the Food Does!”
Four people attended the first potluck six years ago. Now we average a couple dozen every month, and double that during the holidays. Thanks-Living Dinners are the most popular, and our “Ugly Christmas Sweater Party” even made front page news!
If you want to start a monthly potluck that’s open to the public and educational, here are ten tips:
1. Secure a location that provides tables and chairs. It’s great to find a place that also has counter space, coffee makers and a sink. Many public libraries have free meeting rooms that are perfect for this kind of gathering. Other suggestions are community centers, school classrooms, or church meeting rooms. Grocery stores with a deli dining area may be interested in hosting. Goodness knows, it’s great for their business: people just show up and buy hummus on the spot!
2. Free advertising is your friend.
Send press releases to your local papers, web sites, and the Chamber of Commerce calendar.
Create a Facebook page for your group and events.
Put up posters at coffee shops, health food stores, and funky shops.
Start an email invitation list, and use a free service like Mail Chimp, for easy and professional looking e-vites. Include recipe ideas and kitchen tips with your e-vite!
List your potluck on Happy Cow.
MeetUp.com is another great way to advertise and find new members. (MeetUp is free for the members, but there is an annual fee for the host.)
3. Create a potluck checklist. Napkins, cups, plates, serving spoons, extension cords, tablecloths, sign-up sheets. Pen and paper so folks can share recipes and write up their ingredient lists. And name tags! –there are new people every month. (At our potlucks, we provide dishes, utensils, hot plates, and extra serving bowls. Bonus: these items were all donated or purchased at thrift shops.)
4. Have a theme. People want a theme; it gives them a chance to be creative. Ethnic foods, specific ingredients, famous birthdays, and weird holidays are all popular themes. Some themes we have enjoyed include:
Richard Nixon’s Birthday
The Mother’s Day Nutritional Yeast Feast.
National Pecan Month.
The Roswell Incident (had a very silly poster, some people dressed like aliens!).
Are you a Good Witch or a Sandwich?
Black and White Party.
The Easter Sunday “What a Friend We Have in Cheeses” Potluck (all non-dairy, of course!)
Oktoberfest
5. Let people know they DO NOT have to cook. No need to intimidate newbies: they can bring something to drink, or something simple like salsa.
6. Require a list of ingredients. This is helpful for those who have food allergies, and a charm for weeding out any accidental non-vegan dishes. No matter how often you say, “Bring a 100% plant-based dish, free of flesh, animal-derived dairy, eggs, gelatin or honey,” some people just don’t realize that ranch dressing contains dairy. We bring a cooler to store any items that aren’t appropriate for the potluck. (The priority in these situations is to use humor and be discreet. You don’t want to embarrass anyone; make sure the newcomer knows it’s an easy mistake and stays to enjoy the potluck!)
7. Make it Fun and Educational.
Decorate with colorful informative posters: print out some memes from veganstreet.com. (If you haven’t joined Vegan Street on Facebook, do it right NOW. We’ll wait.)
Provide free literature: Vegetarian starter kits from PCRM, Mercy for Animals, or Vegan Outreach are great resources. Contact your favorite food companies (like Tofurky or Tofutti) and ask if they have any brochures or coupons to share.
Share your personal library If your house is overflowing with cookbooks and documentaries, why not share them? To keep track of your collection, library cards and pockets can be found on eBay. Amazon.com is a great place to find used books. (Our favorites are any cookbook by Isa Moskowitz or Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Main Street Vegan by Victoria Moran (of course!!), Thanking the Monkey by Karen Dawn, and the children’s books by Ruby Roth. As for DVDs: Vegucated, Got the Facts on Milk?, PlanEat, and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead are all winners.)
Do a 5-Minute Recipe Demo: Vegan or not, most people show up late to potlucks. That’s why we prepare an easy recipe (like chickpea salad, cashew nacho cheese sauce, or mushroom gravy) while we wait for everyone to arrive. This is also a great opportunity to introduce non-vegans to great products like Tofutti, Daiya, or Just Mayo!
Show a short video: always upbeat and informative (not graphic) and less that four minutes long. Our favorites are: “Meatless Mondays” from HSUS., “Why Vegan?” by Evolve Campaigns, the hilarious Silk almond milk commercials on YouTube, “Ask Your Doctor about Meat” (also on YouTube), and “Make History” by VeganPledge.com.
Have an after-dinner presentation: A group that has inspired ours is Sandpoint Vegetarians in Idaho. They often have live music at their potlucks, and a guest speaker, too.
8. Realize that your potluck may attract others. Sometimes potlucks attract homeless/hungry people, and this is a tough situation. You don’t want to scare off new attendees, and at the same time you want to show compassion to everyone. We never turn people away, but to prevent this situation, some groups charge a small fee to attend. One group charges annual “membership dues” and uses those funds to purchase subscriptions to VegNews for every member – isn’t that a fabulous idea?
9. Leave the location cleaner than it was when you arrived. Bonus points for stealth activism if you bring treats when you return the key!
10. Prepare to meet the most amazing people. There are so many reasons to explore a plant–based diet; you will meet animal lovers, raw foodies, environmentalists, and goodhearted people of all ages. Our dearest friends today are people we met at the potluck, and it’s a joy to share delicious food with this ever-growing group every month.
Bonnie Goodman, VLCE (photo) is a glass beadmaker and founder of Live and Let Livingston in Montana. She shares her studio/gallery Mordam Art with husband Parke, and lives with a dog, nine cats, and a parrot that meows. Big Thanks to potluck organizers Cindy Aase, Marla Rose, Delisa Renideo and Sue Eakins, from Idaho, Illinois, Alaska, and Montana…for their constant inspiration, advice, and encouragement.
Editor’s note: Bonnie is too modest to self-promote, but as a jewelry artist, she makes some wonderful pieces with subtle and charming vegan, animal welfare, health, and compassionate living messages. With the holidays around the corner, do check out Bonnie’s designs at mordamart.com/bonnifidedesigns.