Local vegans now have a dedicated community center.
The Rochester Vegan Community Center officially opens Saturday with a large kick-off event, featuring Demosthenes Maratos, speaker from the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College; music from Michael Harren and a vegan dinner from Everyday Gourmet.
Rochester Area Vegans is the group behind the Center. Dr. Ted Barnett is one of the co-organizers who has been a vegan for more than 25 years. Saturday's event is sold out and Barnett belives veganism is on the rise, especially since he started his journey in 1991.
"We have over 300 members and we have regular monthly meetings. This last meeting close to 100 people showed up," he said.
He says vegans choose the lifestyle for various reasons including: environmentalism, concern for animals and health.
“Pretty much everyone I treat got on our treatment table because of some lifestyle choices they’ve made. Smoking, eating the standard American diet, that type of thing,” Barnett said. He and his family went vegan and have maintained the lifestyle for decades.
The building came as a surprise from another member Mary Barletta, Barnett says that, “(She) kinda took us all by surprise. She said ‘hey, I have this space.’ A bunch of our members volunteered and helped to clean it out, paint it and we had our first benefit dinner there, I don’t know a few months ago.”
The building is located on Monroe Avenue, in Rochester, and accessible by bus line and to downtown. It also has ramp access and a full parking lot. The building is primarily used for event space, meaning most days it will be closed to the public.
Barnett said the space will be used to gather, but it’s also the next step in engaging people in veganism and spreading the lifestyle to those interested in learning more. Visit their website to learn more.