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Activist Toolkit

Hosting a Feed-In

While some forms of activism may seem imposing to the novice animal advocate, it’s difficult to go wrong with a feed-in. With a feed-in, you can combine your love of vegan foods with the excitement of showing others how the diet can benefit animals, the planet and people’s health. Just follow these simple steps and bring the deliciousness of a cruelty-free diet to the streets!

Set the date, time and location. Gather the logistical ingredients of your feed-in before getting to work on the creative details.

1. Choose a public site that has heavy pedestrian traffic. Scope out, for example, retail districts, public transportation stations and entertainment venues. In general, you can set up in public spaces, but not on private property without the express permission of the property owner. If you are not sure if a particular location is public, call a local government office or police station to inquire.
2. If you hold the feed-in on a week day, set up during lunch hours. There will be many people out and about – and they will be hungry! At lunch, they also have more time to spare than early in the morning, and more energy than later in the afternoon. Go get ‘em!
3. If you hold the feed-in on a weekend, set up during the early afternoon when the spot is likely to be busiest.

Obtain the necessary permits. To serve food to the public, you may need to apply for government licenses, or permits.

1. A feed-in may require, for example, a temporary food service establishment license or a temporary health permit. You may need to apply for separate documentation from the city and state governments.
2. Visit the websites for both the city and state government and call local government offices to be sure that you’re aware of all required documentation.
3. When scheduling the feed-in, allow for ample time between applying for permits and receiving the issued documentation.
4. During the feed-in, be sure to prominently display all required permits and documents.

Gather a team of volunteers and necessary supplies.

1. Ask friends, family and fellow members of the local vegan community to join the feed-in. They can lend a helping hand in a variety of ways: donating money to pay for ingredients, preparing dishes, and hitting the streets with you the day of the event.
2. On the big day, be sure to muster a team of at least three volunteers. While two people pass out food, the third person can be on hand to answer questions and distribute literature (see “Offer a side of additional information and literature” below).
3. Non-edible ingredients for a successful feed-in include a table, a tablecloth, trash bags, and a large banner or poster that declares your purpose (be sure to include the words “free” and “food” on the banner). Depending on the food you’re serving, you will also need some kind of serving supplies, such as trays, toothpicks, napkins, and plates. If using disposable items, which is certainly easier, opt for a recycled, eco-friendly variety. You may also choose to provide inexpensive aprons for the servers.

Serve it up! There are a few key steps to follow when preparing your feed-in foods.

1. Choose dishes that are easy to divide into sample sizes and handle. For example, vegan chicken nuggets would be easier to distribute on a large scale than servings of spaghetti and soy meatballs.
2. You might choose to serve vegan versions of dishes that are traditionally prepared with meat, eggs or dairy. By preparing familiar dishes with alternatives such as mock meats, egg replacer and non-dairy butter or cream, you’ll illustrate to tasters that well-loved foods by no means require animal products to taste delicious. Chocolate chip cookies are a classic winner.
3. Pack your food items into containers that will travel easily and that retain the temperature you’re hoping to serve them at.

Offer a side of additional information and literature. Send your tasters along with food to eat and food for thought.

1. When serving your food, have a l of all the ingredients in the item that you serve. This will emphasize the tasty vegan ingredients that went into the delicious food samples, in addition to listing all allergens that the samples may contain. If you’re serving food that can be found at nearby grocery stores or restaurants, let the folks who are eating your food know where they can get it and what to look for.
2. Offer literature on the many reasons to adopt a vegan diet: discouraging cruelty to farm animals, promoting more environmentally-conscious food practices, and improving one’s own health. Farm Sanctuary prints brochures and leaflets on these and related topics that you can order to distribute at activist events. Browse our complete selection of Literature and Resources, then contact us by phone at 607-583-2225 or by e-mail to order pamphlets.
3. Want to host your feed-in for free? Apply for funding from our friends at VegFund to cover the cost of hosting your feed-in, including your food and literature!

To learn more about hosting feed-ins and other forms of advocating for farm animals, and to stay in the loop about Farm Sanctuary’s national campaigns, local volunteer opportunities and inspiring activist stories, join our Advocacy Campaign Team!