Affiliate member of North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS), Vegetarian Union of North America (VUNA), and International Vegetarian Union (IVU)
The Boston Vegetarian Society (BVS) is a non-profit educational organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with the purpose of promoting and supporting vegetarianism and veganism. It hosts monthly speaking events and an annual vegetarian food festival in the fall.[5]
History and purpose
The Boston Vegetarian Society began in 1986. The first activities were centered around holding vegan potlucks in a church basement during the late 1980s.[6] The Society has seen a steady rise in membership and attendance ever since.[6] In 1998, it was incorporated in Massachusetts as an educational non-profit.[3] In July 1998, it was granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the IRS.[1][2]
The BVS provides info on events and related organizations, hosts the annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (BVFF), holds cooking classes, and promotes vegetarianism through mass transit advertising, outreach at fairs and festivals, and monthly free educational seminars.[7][4] Their New Year's banquet and vegan cooking classes were reported to be particularly popular.[8] BVS provides education, encouragement, and community support for vegetarians.[9] The BVS also participates in the annual Earth Day Festival of Boston University.[10]
Boston Vegetarian Food Festival
Since 1996, the Boston Vegetarian Society has annually hosted the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (BVFF) in October or November.[11][12][13][14][15]
The second BVFF was held at Bunker Hill Community College on October 26, 1997.[20][21] This combined as one event their indoor vegetarian food festival and the sense of the World Vegetarian Day event, since the combined event would be perpetually held around October or November.[citation needed]
Starting with the third annual festival on October 3, 1998, the BVFF has been held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in the Roxbury Crossing section of Boston, across the street from Roxbury Community College.[22] Over the years, attendance grew so much that the festival was expanded from one day to two days in 2009; for the 2016 festival, organizers expected an attendance between 15,000 and 20,000.[23] Each year's roster of speakers is almost entirely new; Dr. Michael Greger has been the only speaker who returns nearly each year, typically on or around his birthday.[citation needed]
Several different branding logos have been used since 1996 for subway, bus, newspaper, and other advertising; the current committee is seeking a single brand for the increasingly popular event. The winning logos used on each year's festival's merchandise have emerged variably from college students and professional graphic artists.[citation needed]
^"About Dr. Attwood". VegSource. Retrieved 9 August 2020. Recent tours and keynote speaking engagements include...The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival...
^
"Calendar". Vegetarian Times. No. 242. October 1997. p. 118 – via EBSCOhost. Boston Vegetarian Food Festival at Bunker Hill Community College: October 2,11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Boston, Mass. For the second year, Beantown plays host to its free Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. The festival will feature free food samples, natural food store exhibits, produce exhibits, restaurant food court, cooking demonstrations and expert speakers, including John McDougall, M.D., and Suzanne Havala, R.D., M.S.
^
"Corrections". Vegetarian Times. No. 244. December 1997. p. 8. ProQuest205282788. We incorrectly listed the date of The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival as October 2, 1997. The actual date was October 26.
^
Marandino, Cristin (October 1998). "Bulletin board". Vegetarian Times. No. 254. p. 23. ProQuest205290778. The Boston Vegetarian Society is hosting its Third Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival on October 3, from 10a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out the free veggie samplings, nutrition workshops, cooking demos and children's activities. Admission and parking are free. Located at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St., Boston.