As shoppers bustle about grocery store aisles, Ailsa Lenk stops from time to time to examine the ingredient labels of food sheB次元官网网址檚 considering for her dinner plate.
SheB次元官网网址檚 better now at knowing if the ingredient comes from an animal, but when sheB次元官网网址檚 unsure, the Saanich resident will grab her cellphone and text her query to experienced vegan Dave Shishkoff.
B次元官网网址淵ou can go off on the Internet, and research for yourself and spend hours doing it B次元官网网址� and I fully support doing that too,B次元官网网址� Lenk said. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 also really nice to be able to ask somebody.B次元官网网址�
She recently has been able to go all the way with veganism B次元官网网址� and stick with it B次元官网网址� since she was partnered with her vegan mentor through a free new Vegan Buddy program that quietly launched in Greater Victoria last fall.
For Lenk, the program has taken the guesswork out of following a lifestyle that doesnB次元官网网址檛 include animal products B次元官网网址� from food and vitamins to toiletries and animal-friendly clothing and footwear, as well as products that arenB次元官网网址檛 tested on animals.
Shishkoff has been pairing screened vegan mentors with aspiring vegan buddies through his work with the Victoria chapter of animal rights group Friends of Animals. About 11 mentors and 12 buddies have so far signed up for the program.
B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e isolated and you donB次元官网网址檛 know many vegan people, (veganism) can be a challenge for sure,B次元官网网址� said Shishkoff, who serves as LenkB次元官网网址檚 mentor.
Their partnership proved instrumental in helping her smoothly transition from a vegetarian diet to a vegan lifestyle about two months ago.
B次元官网网址淲hen youB次元官网网址檙e doing something thatB次元官网网址檚 not the norm, I think itB次元官网网址檚 really helpful to have a mentor,B次元官网网址� said Lenk. B次元官网网址淚 really needed someone who knew their stuff because I tend to like to know the reasons IB次元官网网址檓 doing things.B次元官网网址�
At first she wanted to know what she could have for breakfast in place of eggs.
B次元官网网址淏reakfast was one of my concerns because being in carpentry, which is physically demanding, I didnB次元官网网址檛 want to be starving by nine oB次元官网网址檆lock in the morning,B次元官网网址� she noted.
Knowing how and where to start is a hurdle the Vegan Buddy program addresses for people who say they want better health, to have less of an ecological footprint on the planet and to be mindful of all living creatures B次元官网网址� from farm animals to honey bees.
Those reasons prompted Michelle Dagg to become a vegan last summer, but until she met her vegan mentor Jenn Marr last fall, she struggled through the unfamiliar process.
With MarrB次元官网网址檚 guidance, Dagg said she began eating better and her energy was restored.
B次元官网网址淚 felt more confident in the selection of foods I was choosing,B次元官网网址� said Dagg, the kind of support and guidance her own mentor would have appreciated during her transition three years before.
B次元官网网址淲hen I went vegan, my family wasnB次元官网网址檛 very supportive at first,B次元官网网址� said Marr.
In addition to health and nutrition, the Friends of Animals Vegan Buddy program can advise newcomers on animal-free products, from soap and safety footwear to candles.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an effort to be more in tune to everything around you, and what impact youB次元官网网址檙e having on other lives around you,B次元官网网址� said Shishkoff, who believes he too would have benefitted from an experienced vegan mentor when he first embraced the lifestyle 20 years ago.
B次元官网网址淚 am always empowered by (mentoring) and I certainly enjoy the process when I see people make shifts in their lives,B次元官网网址� he said.
Without ShoshkoffB次元官网网址檚 guidance, Lenk said she wouldnB次元官网网址檛 have eased into veganism like she did, and navigate the grocery store shelves with such confidence.
She can even envision herself as a future mentor one day who is just a text message away B次元官网网址渢o help you know where to go to shop so youB次元官网网址檙e not frustrated all the time trying stores where you canB次元官网网址檛 find what you want,B次元官网网址� Lenk said knowingly.
To sign up for the Vegan Buddy program, visit www.thevictoriavegan.com.
emccracken@vicnews.com
