I am THRILLED to be back my second year with Charlotte VegFest as a Social Media Manager!
Here’s the scoop … SO FAR ….
There’s A Date …
There’s a date – September 30, 2023, the last Saturday in September. Traditionally Charlotte VegFest has been held in the summer, so we chose this date in hopes of cooler weather. Details like specific entry times and booth rental costs will be available soon!
There’s A Place …
Charlotte VegFest 2023 will once again be held in the historic Ford Building at Camp North End.
There’s A New Board …
There’s an ENTIRELY new board, unanimously elected by returning members of last year’s VegFest committee!
President: Jameka Whitten
Jameka is the founder and CEO of JSW Media Group, a boutique public relations and brand management agency.
Jameka has been plant-based and vegan since birth – as evidenced by her gorgeous vegan “glow”.
A Charlotte native, she has been involved with Charlotte VegFest since 2019 and is the first Black President to lead the decade-old organization.
Vice President: Jessica Barrett, Vegan RDN, LDN
Jess has been involved in the Charlotte vegan scene for many years, including working with Nourish vegan meal delivery service in several capacities. She’s the one that advised Nourish on ways to make their already-healthy meals even healthier by reducing sodium and fat (especially coconut oil).
Jess’ business as a RDN is thriving. Her current passion is fighting food insecurity.
Secretary: Jasmine McCarton
Jasmine is an illustrator, graphic designer, and painter. She is the Chief Designer Officer of a Washington DC based company.
Jasmine brings her phenomenal creativity, amazing artistic ability, and organizational skills to her new role on the Charlotte VegFest board.
Treasurer: Amrik Singh
Amrik holds degrees in both Accounting and Business Administration. Amrik previously worked as a CFO for several years before beginning a long career in IT at some of the nation’s largest banks.
A lifelong vegetarian, Amrik became vegan in 2011 inspired in part by his love for animals, including his beloved Scruffy.
“Why love one and eat the other?”
Amrik is the first Indian to hold an officer position on the Charlotte VegFest Board.
The Committee Is Growing
The VegFest committee welcomes back many previous volunteers as well as new ones. It’s exciting because our team is so diverse – a mix of races, cultures, ages, sexes, sexual orientations. It’s especially gratifying to me because for years I was told I “lived in a bubble” and veganism was only for (pick one) whites/women/rich people/young people. Only for the “privileged”. And “out of reach” for most. One glance at our group shows just how inclusive – and welcoming – veganism really is.
We’re Expanding Our Focus
Yes, we will always support small businesses, but we also want to expand our focus to education, good nutrition (especially in schools), and food insecurity.
We’re Going To Have Fun!
Eating good vegan food is always fun, but we’re going have more social events throughout the year. We’ve partnered with Charlotte Humane Happy Hour to do monthly mixers. Don’t let the name keep you away if you’re a non-drinker like me – there’s also non-alcoholic drinks at these events and, always, vegan food.
We’re planning a few new, fun things for Charlotte VegFest 2023 in September as well!
Our First Charlotte VegFest/Humane Happy Hour Mixer
Our first mixer in partnership with Humane Happy Hour at Pilot Brewing 4/28/23 was a huge success!
The VegFest team celebrated President Jameka’s birthday and a good GREAT time was had by all!
Food was provided by Zizi’s Food Truck – salads, fries, and “cheesesteak” sandwiches and wraps. There were a few hiccups with the food – mostly because the turnout was so much larger than anticipated! The food was so yummy it was worth the wait!
For beverages, the award-winning Pilot Brewing offered a number of their small batch, experimental beers on draft.
For the sober curious, Pilot offered bottled water, soft drinks (Coke and Ginger Ale), Lenny Boy soft kombuchas in Lavenderade and Strawberry Lime, Untitled Art non-alcoholic beer, Untitled Art CBD Sparkling Water in Strawberry, and VYBES Hemp Drinks in Peach Ginger and Apple Basil.
I chose the Untitled Art CBD Strawberry Sparkling Water. Great strawberry taste, plus gives you the tiniest bit of chill while keeping a clear, sharp mind. Pro Tip: Have the bartender pour it into a glass for you. It’s almost luminescent and you will look like you have a magical orb in your hand.
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VegCharlotte 
I volunteered for the first time last year and it was great! I was “The Vegan Police” and would love to volunteer again this year. 😁
That’s wonderful! We have sign-up sheets at our monthly mixers and once our website is updated, you’ll be able to sign up electronically. Can’t wait to meet you!