This month, international non-profit Million Dollar Vegan will achieve its ambitious target of sharing one million plant-based meals with communities around the world.
Since the start of the pandemic, the organization has partnered with volunteers, small vegan businesses, and local charities to share plant-based foods with communities impacted by Covid 19. In March 2020, it pledged to share one million meals where they were most needed, alongside hygiene products, seeds and tools, and information about cooking low-cost, nutritious plant-based meals.
Says Darshana Muzumdar of Million Dollar Vegan India: “We could see many communities struggling with the loss of income and access to basic healthcare. Some people felt isolated and lonely. Others were desperately worried about their livelihoods and futures. It seemed more important than ever that we connect with people, learn from them, provide support where we could, and showcase veganism as compassion in action.”
Million Dollar Vegan believes that access to sufficient, nutritious, and enjoyable foods is a basic human right, and acts in solidarity with different communities—from displaced peoples, to children, to those fighting for labor rights—by offering delicious plant-based meals. At the same time, the group seeks to educate more widely about the positive benefits of veganism, and its role in creating a kinder, safer, and healthier world for all.
With highly respected environmental scientists and research institutions increasingly urging people to choose plant-based foods to protect the planet from climate breakdown, and the number of animals raised inside factory farms stretching into the billions, Million Dollar Vegan says that addressing our food choices will yield benefits for everyone.
Continues Darshana: “One thing is certain: our own health is connected to that of the planet and animals, and when we harm one, we do harm to all. Pandemics emerge when we destroy the natural world; antibiotic-resistance is driven by the overuse of antibiotics in factory farms; rearing animals for their meat, milk, and eggs generates vast amounts of greenhouse gasses; while the consumption of animal products is connected to some of the world’s biggest killers, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Eating plant-based addresses all these issues and more, and helps us create the future we all want.”
The group, which has campaign staff in 10 countries, insists that despite achieving its original goal of one million meals, this is not the end of its food solidarity work. It plans to continue making and sharing plant-based meals where they are most needed, and to continue educating, inspiring, and supporting people to make food choices that are good for all.
Some of Million Dollar Vegan’s food solidarity projects have included sharing meals with:
- School children in Maasai Mara, Kenya
- People affected by war in eight cities in Ukraine
- Unhoused veterans in Los Angeles, USA, an action supported by actress Alicia Silverstone
- People evacuated from their homes due to Hurricane Delta in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- Unhoused people in São Paulo, Brazil, an action supported by actress Luisa Mell
- Underserved communities in Mumbai, India, an action supported by Bollywood actress Sunny Leone
- Underserved communities in East London, UK, an action supported by singer-songwriter Paloma Faith
- Sahrawi refugees in Bordeaux, France
- Communities living in slums and the streets in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Orphanages in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Families in remote communities in the state of Amazonas, Brazil
- People who lost their homes in the 2020 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon
- Social centers for disabled children and survivors of domestic violence in Morocco
- An orphanage in Uganda
- Frontline health workers in Turin, Italy; in Madrid, Spain; in Hamburg, Germany; and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Shoe-shiners in La Paz, Bolivia
- Unhoused people in Kecskemét, Hungary
- Displaced families in Gaza, Palestine
- People attending COP 26 in Glasgow, Scotland
The achievement of this goal marks the end of a chapter for Million Dollar Vegan, which is expected to announce some big changes to its mission and campaigns in the coming days.
