Vivavegie Society, Inc.

VivaVegie is an extremely unique organization that has for the most part gained its success entirely from a single publication: "101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian," by Pamela Rice. The group has dubbed this 16-page pamphlet "the mighty convincer." Over 180,000 hard copies of the document are in circulation, supported entirely by sponsors and other enthusiasts. The nonprofit group of today grew out of a "basement operation" that distributed the pamphlet on the streets of New York City. (Six editions, ten printings, of "101 Reasons..." have been since been produced over the past 14 years.) Out of the pamphlet's success, the group was able gain nonprofit status, which led to the opening of the Vegetarian Center of New York City (212-242-0011), the only facility of its kind open to the public in the nation. And in the tradition of excellent journalistic prose, it has published other quality printed materials, including a quarterly magazine called The VivaVine: The Vegetarian-Issues Magazine. All printed materials are available to Center visitors or to those who go to the VivaVegie Web site.


The Vegetarian Center of NYC, though now closed, was unique place, a concept way ahead of its time. On a daily basis, it received numerous phone calls and walk-in visits from inquisitive people interested in the vegetarian lifestyle. People were always grateful for what the center had to offer them, usually free of charge.

Serious researchers are still allowed access to the society's vast archive of information.

With the Vegetarian Center, vegetarians once had "a place to call home" - not just once a year, which might be the case at an annual conference, but all year long!

When we had our Vegetarian Center, it

* hosted lectures, video screenings, workshops, and discussion groups;
* offered a referral service for restaurants, stores, vegan products, and vegetarian organizations;
* functioned as a meeting place for groups and research room for students and journalists;
* served as a drop-in space for passers-by to pick up a restaurant guide or other vegetarian information;
* offered pro-vegetarian T-shirts and lapel buttons;
* was a place for visitors to speak one-on-one with a real, live vegetarian!