Founder and Executive Director of Mercy for Animals

Nathan Runkle is the Founder and Executive Director of Mercy For Animals. Raised on a farm in rural Ohio, Nathan has long had a deep connection with farmed animals and agriculture. After a local farmed animal abuse case, involving a piglet slammed head first into a concrete floor during an agriculture project at a nearby high school, Nathan founded Mercy For Animals to give “food” animals a much needed advocate in his local community.

Since founding Mercy For Animals a decade ago, Nathan has overseen the organization’s growth into a leading national force for the respectful and compassionate treatment of farmed animals. A grassroots organizer and coordinator for many years, Nathan has spearheaded hundreds of demonstrations and outreach events across the country – ranging from protests outside pork and egg producer conventions to parade marches, educational exhibits, and more.

A nationally recognized speaker on animal advocacy, grassroots activism, and factory farming, Nathan has spoken at colleges, forums, and conferences from coast-to-coast.

Through his work with MFA, Nathan has been an outspoken advocate for animal rights, appearing in hundreds of newspaper, television, and radio interviews, including National Public Radio, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune.

Investigations & Animal Rescues

During the formative years of MFA, Nathan conducted numerous investigations and rescue operations at factory farms, livestock auctions, and rodeo events. Nathan led teams of MFA investigators into Ohio’s four largest egg factory farms, exposing egregious animal cruelty and neglect, as well as directly rescuing dozens of animals in dire need of veterinary care. Nathan spearheaded the organization’s efforts to rescue, rehabilitate, and find homes for over 500 hens rescued from a battery-cage facility dilapidated by a tornado.

Effective Advocacy

Nathan has spoken with and worked alongside elected officials, corporate executives, heads of international organizations, professors, farmers, celebrities, and film producers to pass landmark farmed animal protection legislation, raise public awareness about vegetarianism, and implement animal welfare policy changes.

Overseeing MFA’s hard-hitting pro-vegetarian MTV commercials, highway billboards, and bus campaigns in Chicago, New York, and Boston, Nathan has helped the organization open the hearts and minds of consumers nationwide to the hidden cost of factory-farmed meat, dairy, and eggs.

One of the Top 20 Activists Under 30 Years Old

VegNews magazine has recognized both Mercy For Animals and Nathan for making substantial contributions to the vegetarian movement, naming MFA “Non-Profit of the Year” and Nathan one of the “25 Most Fascinating Vegetarians” and one of the country’s “Top 20 Activists Under 30 Years Old.”

More info on Worcester VegFest 2012

Worcester VegFest is on Sunday, April 15, 2012 at Worcester Tech High. It is FREE. More info at http://WorcesterVegFest.com

Check out of current confirmed sponsors:

• Worcester Magazine
• Mercy for Animals
• Loving Hut
• Spirit of Change Magazine
• Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition

Do you run a restaurant, business or organization and want to sponsor the 2012 VegFest? Here’s all the info you need.

T. Colin Campell’s impact cannot be understated. His research has played a huge part in why veganism is being discussed on CNN, why we keep hearing that veganism is now mainstream, why a handful of public figures have recently gone vegan, and why veganism is increasingly being discussed as a healthier way to live. Campbell’s legacy, The China Study played an important role in inspiring Bill Clinton to go vegan. Campbell and his research were the focus of the film, Forks Over Knives, which got an amazing review from Robert Ebert and the Boston Globe wrote a good review of it too. Campbell has successfully introduced the health arugment for a plant-based diet to thousands and thousands people.

Read Campbell’s full bio at WorcesterVegFest.com and keep checking our blog to get updates about presenters, sponsors and exhibitors.

His bio from WorcesterVegFest.com:

T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. is a giant in the field of nutrition research, with a brilliant career spanning over 40 years.  His legacy, the China Study, is the most comprehensive study ever conducted of the connection between diet and disease. The China Study was the focus of the recent film, Forks Over Knives. Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and Project Director of the renowned China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project, the largest population study in world history of the effects of diet on health.  The study was the culmination of a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.  The results were clear: People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease, and the closer you get to eating an all-plant diet, the greater the health benefits.

read the rest of his bio at WorcesterVegFest.com

Oh and have you RSVP’ed to VegFest on facebook yet? Do it, dude!

With the 2012 VegFest coming up on April 15, our facebook page is a great way to stay up-to-date on developments. Yeah, we’ll post the big news here on this blog, but there are always small updates that are exciting but Manda I don’t always write a whole blog post about it. So check the fb and you’ll stay in the loop.

What can I do?

Between now and April, we need peeps to help us put up posters, design flyers, set up tables at events, prepare mailings, call people, make buttons, paint banners and signs, and lots of other crafty things.

Volunteer Work-Party Schedule

All work parties will have tasty (and free) vegan snacks. We’ll have projects ready, so no need to bring anything. Feel free to drop in for one or all of these.

• Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7pm-9pm at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center – come meet some of the VegFest organizers
• Thursday, February 9, 2012 7pm-9pm at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center
• Thursday, February 23, 2012 7pm-9pm at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center
• Thursday, March 1, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, March 8, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, March 15, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, March 29, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, April 5, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, April 12, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Sunday, April 15, 2012 Worcester VegFest at Worcester Technical High School

Help us recruit volunteers.

Can’t make it to our volunteer work parties? Well, we could also use help printing and hanging up these flyers to recruit volunteers. Print out this PDF volunteer flyer and hang it up at your work, at coffee shops, where ever you can.

So, the new year is already in full force and you’ve likely started your new year’s resolution of cutting cheese out of your diet or turning your Meatless Mondays into Meatless Everyday. Heck, maybe you’re already vegan and your goal is to finally make that taco recipe from Terry Hope Romero’s Viva Vegan or spend some time volunteering at Maple Farm Sanctuary.

VegWorcester is setting our goals for the new year as well and we’re getting psyched to make some big announcements soon about our upcoming VegFest. It got us thinking; maybe we should briefly pause to reflect on the kick ass things that happened during the last 12 months in the microcosm of Worcester from a veg-head point of view. So, here goes…

In 2011…

• VegWorcester started the year off strong by hosting our second Mac Daddy Mac N’ Cheeze Cook-off, and the winner was WooDaddy Waffles!
• Duck Yao, the formerly underground vegan eatery made a comeback in Worcester, opening a small sit-in and take-out restaurant on Main Street in Worcester.
• VegWorcester members took trips to view veg-themed films such as Forks Over Knives in Boston and a showing of Bold Native at WPI in Worcester.
• In April, VegWorcester hosted the 2nd annual Worcester VegFest. We estimate that approximately 3,000 attendees came to the event at Worcester State University that included speakers Bruce Friedrich, Tracye McQuirter, Will Potter, and an awesome cooking demo by Terry Hope Romero. We had family-friendly performances, 40+ ethical and cruelty-free exhibitors, coverage in a variety of online/print/news media, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
• After a city-wide crackdown on curiously tasty vegan cupcakes (Okay, we’re exaggerating there,)VegWorcester’s vegan bake sale fundraiser was shut down. In response, we took it upon ourselves to legalize bake sales in the city of Worcester.
• VegWorcester started a more regular monthly general volunteer meeting where we discuss ideas for vegan outreach and invite anyone who is interested to join us and get involved.
• VegWorcester raised money with your help and created a snazzy updated Summer version of the Worcester Vegetarian Dining Guide. 5,000 copies were distributed over the summer around Worcester County. 5,000 more copies of a newly updated Fall version of the guide have also now been distributed in the thousands! …..Wow!
• Volunteers leafleted at local universities and events, and did a ton of tabling outreach at just about every summer and fall festival in out city including the 3th Annual Pet Rock Festival, Start on The Street: Spring Edition, 2011 Fall StART On The Street, King St. Block Party, Open Road Festival, 21st Century Worcester Pride, Main Street Celebrates, and more.
• As a community with many animal activists, we joined with other local groups and protested Ringling Circus, Fur as “fashion,” McDonalds cruelty, and other animal abuses.
• Local animal rights defenders such as Michael Budkie of SAEN and Alexis Fox of The Humane Society came to Worcester to educate about abuses in our own state and what we can do as a community to have the most impact.
• In the fall many of us enjoyed vegan “Thanks-living” celebrations such as the free SAVVY Vegan Thanksgiving at Clark University.
• Loving Hut celebrated 2 years of Loving Hut Buffet fundraisers, and continued to donate 10% of buffet profits to VegWorcester to support our outreach to help animals.
• Finally, to close out the year with a bang, VegWorcester hosted its 1st annual Holiday Vegan Cookie Swap complete with a vegan Santa. We had 24 entrants with bakers swapping over 1,500 vegan cookies!

If you’re interested in getting involved with VegWorcester or the 3rd annual Worcester VegFest, come to our General – Volunteer Meeting this Tuesday, January 17th @ WPI (Taylor Room – Campus Ctr) from 7pm~8:30pm and we’ll get you up to speed on what we have planned for 2012!

We’re meeting at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center at 7pm. See you then?

Here’s the fb event: https://www.facebook.com/events/254623084607588/

If you haven’t seen Forks Over Knives yet, go to this potluck on Saturday. (Well, after you fill up at Loving Hut’s buffet.)

The Seventh Day Adventist group in Worcester is hosting another showing of Forks Over Knives in Worcester this Saturday, January 14 at 5:30pm. The film screening is at the Better Living Center, 2 Airport Drive, Worcester. Vegan potluck too, but don’t worry if you can’t bring anything. They have some serious cooks who are already planning to bring plenty.

Earlier in the day Loving Hut is having their monthly all-you-can-eat buffet fundraiser for VegWorcester (RSVP to the buffet on facebook), so you can make an entire day of this.

Why haven’t you watched Forks Over Knives yet?

Ebert gave it a kick-ass review, and the Boston Globe liked it too. The Adventist group actually had a screening of of the film last month, so it was probably popular enough that they wanted to do it again. Watch Forks Over Knives! You can even get it on netflix now. So if you can’t make the showing this Saturday, maybe you could watch it on your laptop tonight while the whole world fills with snow.