While we have always had many campers and staff who aren’t vegetarian or vegan, an important feature of YEA Camp since the beginning is putting our food where our mouth is, so to speak, by serving vegan food.

It’s a simple but important choice for us to model living in a way that’s more sustainable, compassionate, and healthy, and a great example of how activists can make a difference through our daily actions in addition to more complex campaigns.

And our food is delicious! We make sure our food is accessible so that even campers and staff who aren’t accustomed to eating vegan love it! Changing the world takes a lot of brain power, so, we need to keep our campers well-fueled with the most amazing vegan food.

It wouldn’t be YEA Camp without Tofurky!

Feeding our campers the best vegan food in the world is possible thanks to the generous support from our sponsors who help make YEA Camp a reality.

Tofurky’s impact on getting vegan products into mainstream supermarkets has also been foundational, and so many new plant-based companies benefit from this work.

Tofurky is a family-owned and values-based company, as exhibited not only through its plant-based products but also by its incredible eco-friendly building and contributions to so many causes and organizations working to make the world a better place — including YEA Camp!

Proof you’ve been to YEA Camp! A yarn bracelet on one wrist and a Tofurky tattoo on the other!

Throughout our entire 10 years, Tofurky has loyally supported our camp, generously donating their delicious products at each and every one of our 29 sessions, helping us to show off to YEA Campers and staff just how tasty vegan food is.

As we reflect back on our 10 years of YEA Camp, one of the things every session has had in common was Tofurky! We have loved showcasing Tofurky foods, which our campers and staff love, and Tofurky tattoos have always been a big hit as well!

We were grateful to have the opportunity to sit down with Rachel Perman, Tofurky’s Director of Charitable Giving, to learn a bit more about their work and why doing business better makes the world a little nicer for all of us.

For those who don’t know, what is Tofurky?

Tofurky is an engine for global change. Our decisions and brand intentions are driven by how we can make the world more delicious, using plant-based ingredients.

Tell me about Tofurky’s decision to become a B-Corp and what that means.

B-Corps are social purposes companies, like fair-trade, for the whole business. They are for-profit companies that operate with many non-profit intentions, working to set a good example for how businesses can succeed in healthy ways for their communities and planet.

Tofurky has really always operated this way, before the practice was recognized in the media. So when B-Corp and its certifying body incorporated, it seemed like a natural fit to be audited for the certification and proudly display it in our corporate communication.

Tell me more about the “A Better World” campaign.

Part of being a B-Corp is being better for the environment. We exhibit this in many ways, from operating out of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility built to a LEED spec, recycling our food scraps, and producing plant-based foods that reduce our society’s dependence on animal agriculture. If these benefits are wrapped up in the purchase of food that is first and foremost, delicious, we are fulfilling our core tenants.

Why is it so important to advocate for animal and environmental rights?

We operate in a world where CEO Activism is seeing major inroads to editing public policy and perception. Our nation’s business leadership has real power to set intentions with a population hungry for change. If we reduce or eliminate animal products from our diet, we increase animal welfare and environmental sustainability.

So much research is coalescing right now to substantiate plant-based lifestyles; we’re not alone in our vision.  Our brand was one of the first to market almost 40 years ago and has evolved our mission to be first to political action, today.

Why has Tofurky been such a strong supporter of YEA Camp?

Supporting an advocacy group that works to teach, inspire, and empower young (and now also adult) activists seems like a no-brainer!

We are happy to support this important work, and it’s also important to us to make vegan eating tasty and accessible and for activists to feel supported by us. We value your advocacy!

Aww shucks! (We’re blushing.)

What would you say to someone who is trying to go vegan or eat a more plant-based diet but isn’t sure where to begin?

Start small. Pick one item that could be replaced in your regular eating habits. Or pick one meal a week to dedicate to plant-based foods. Tell people your intentions; you’ll find many who are also bringing more plant-based products into their lifestyle and still others who are curious to join. Give that one change 30 days until it becomes an easy habit. Repeat.

Where can people find you?

We’re carried in virtually every store in the nation. Walmart, Target, Publix, Safeway, Kroger and most natural markets. Depending on where you live, you can also buy our products on Amazon Fresh. Yum!

Most importantly, what’s your favorite Tofurky meal?

Tofurky’s Pizza Grilled Cheese OMG!

Oooh – tough one. This pizza grilled cheese sandwich is pretty amazing. A crowd pleaser, for sure!

Wow! Thank you so much, Rachel and Tofurky!

—

We are so grateful to Rachel and team Tofurky for taking the time to talk with us (and for giving us dinner plans – hello pizza grilled cheese sandwich)!

And from everyone here at YEA Camp, thank you so much to Tofurky for your generous support, for your delicious food, and for everything you do to put animals and our planet first!

If you want to try delicious Tofurky products, go out and buy them just about anywhere — or come join us at YEA Camp and try them this summer! Our amazing food is just one of the reasons to attend! If you’re concerned about the state of the world, YEA Camp was designed to help you take your change-making to new heights — and to have the time of your life learning how.

Learn about or sign up for YEA Camp’s teen camp and YEA Camp for Adults here.

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There is a reason why we care. There is an event or a person that has enlightened us, who has taught us to care. I sat down at YEA Camp trying to remember, and I knew right away.

My brother was the kindest person I ever knew. His smile lit up the room and his laugh was contagious. He was also the strongest. Constant hospitalizations and medical procedures seemed to not phase him as he fought hard but still managed to radiate positivity. So when he passed away at the young age of 3, something changed within me. He taught me compassion, strength, and courage better than anyone else could have, and I just knew it was my job to help others.

Why do you care? Why do you fight for justice?

I ask this, because after all the rejection, the failure, the disappointment, and the times when you fall, the answer is why you pick yourself back up. It is why every day you walk back out into this unjust world and continue to fight.

Find this reason and hold onto it.

That is one of the many epiphanies that I had during my week at YEA Camp. I learned countless new ideas and lessons. Issues that had never crossed my mind were brought to my attention. I made lifelong friends who are more like family. Last but not least, I made a plan.

Elyanna speaking into a bullhorn for the first time at a protest!

I will be starting an animal rights club at my school. My goal is to do vegan outreach with students and ultimately educate the public about the harms of animal agriculture, and cruelty of consuming, using, or wearing animals. This will include documentary screenings with free vegan food, giving out free vegan food in exchange for watching a short video, implementing more vegan food in the cafeteria, ending dissection, and did I mention free vegan food?!

I have many details to work out, but I know where to start and who to talk to thanks to what I learned. I’m not scared to fail because I will continue improving. My longer-term goal is to create a “Vegan Teens” group in my city.

I will also be taking advantage of any conversation I can have about this issue, writing letters to companies about what they need to change, leafleting, doing street activism, and using my social media to spread awareness.

When I got home from camp, everyone asked me, “How was it?”

My answer every time was: “Amazing.” I found it hard to sum up an extremely educational, incredibly fun, insanely inspirational, and life-changing week into one brief conversation. There was just something about it. YEA Camp is something you must experience yourself.

Maybe it’s the seclusion in the woods or the amazing food, or the sense of community. I’m a passionate person but before I attended YEA Camp I didn’t know how to utilize my passion, where to focus my energy, and I did not believe in myself.

I left YEA camp saying “ I’m going to change the world” and I knew I had all my new friends beside me saying the same thing. Because it’s true. If it’s anyone, it’s going to be us. We are going out into the world and voicing our concerns and our solutions, and people are listening. We are rising up to the occasion. Watch out injustice! We are coming for you.

Elyanna Calle is 16 years old and came all the way from San Antonio, Texas, to attend YEA Camp in Massachusetts.

To find out more YEA Camp, go to YEACamp.org.

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