Factual information and delicious recipes are important and necessary, but nothing beats personal contact with other vegetarians in one's own city or town . Meeting and sharing food, thoughts and experiences with those who have already eliminated meat from their diets gives the almost-vegetarian powerful encouragement and support. Enter the local vegetarian group, which exists just to bring such people together to form an active community. This community not only deepens the vegetarian commitment of those already a part of it, but also, through outreach events , educates the general public about vegetarian issues as well.
People become vegetarians for many different reasons, and adopt different vegetarian diets as well.
We should strive to make them all feel welcome. Our conclusions are based on our own experience with local groups, the experience of people in other cities, and the VUNA survey of local groups. This survey is not the last word on vegetarian organizations, but does provide a starting point for understanding and interpreting our experience with local groups. This is important in terms of both the public and your own members. You should use dependable information, both about vegetarianism and about the workings of the group.