00:00
Sophia Magnanini
Oak City Move is a podcast on WKNC's 88.1 FM HD 1 Raleigh where we highlight people and organizations creating positive change in the Triangle and beyond. Oak City Move can be heard on air every Other Monday on 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh or online at wknc.org Listen for episodes and more information, go to our blog at blog.wknc.org or follow us on SoundCloud at wknc88.1. Hello, wknc88.1 Raleigh. The song you just heard was House of mango by surf ninja3. I'm Sophia Magnanini, your host and you're listening to Oak City Move. Today we're joined by a very special guest, Helene Greenberg, founder and president of Vegfest Expo.
00:47
Sophia Magnanini
So first off, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to join me and if you want to tell us a little bit about yourself and also about Vegfest and how it first got started and what's all about.
00:58
Helene Greenberg
Oh, that's awesome. Well, hi, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. And I am the executive director of Triangle Vegfest Expos. We produce vegan festivals in the Triangle and in multiple states. This year we'll be in or we have been in Georgia, North Carolina and we'll be in New York. We're all over the state this year for North Carolina, including four festivals locally in Raleigh, Durham, which is pretty cool.
01:24
Sophia Magnanini
That's really cool. Especially it going all you guys are going kind of all around the east coast.
01:31
Helene Greenberg
Yes, I've been in as much as five states.
01:33
Sophia Magnanini
Oh wow.
01:35
Helene Greenberg
It's been a lot.
01:37
Sophia Magnanini
And do you think that's just you're going to try and grow that as it goes on?
01:43
Helene Greenberg
Well, it's an interesting question because I'm actually pulling back and going through attrition as opposed to because I've expanded to the point where we've been as far as Tennessee and for. And Florida and for my own sanity and my mental health, I'm kind of pulling it back and that's why there's more stuff local because I live here and it makes it easier for me. And this like this is the foundation of pretty much everything I do in my community. And basically I go around trying to build community and build veganism and support for it, saving the planet, saving the animals and of course your health all over the east coast. And you know, next year it might be something different. I will know the answer to that before the end of this year. So that's to come.
02:31
Helene Greenberg
If some things fall into place, then you might just see me, you know, going further west. Yeah, going further north and just, you know, helping out as much as I can and spreading the word and having people understand that, you know, the reason why it's so warm is, you know, climate change, which can be directly impacted by the food that you eat.
02:55
Sophia Magnanini
Which I know my next question was going to be like, what the overall mission is, but you did kind of explain some of that. If you want to go more in depth or kind of add some other things to that.
03:05
Helene Greenberg
I think the overall mission is to bring people to a festival or an event where it is warm and welcoming and inclusive. That's the most important thing. Veganism is about intersectionality, not just about food. So we are open to all people, all kinds, all sexes, all ages. Just come and enjoy the event. And when you come in, I pride myself on it being like a warm welcome hug. So no intimidation. So basically I want you, if you're not vegan, to come and check it out because when you walk in, it will look like any festival that you've been to. Food trucks, shopping, free face painting, dj. So music, it just looks like a place where you can go have fun and shop. And super important this year of any of all the years so far is to shop small.
03:52
Sophia Magnanini
That's really cool that just the welcoming because I feel like it's such a stereotype or almost like a. That when people choose to be vegetarian or vegan, that they're always like or against like any. But it's like you guys are just trying to do you. What is the right thing and educating and creating a welcome open space for people to also learn and be educated. It's really, it's really special and it's.
04:19
Helene Greenberg
Important because it could save someone's life or somebody that, you know who gets diagnosed with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, strokes, whatever it is that is happening. Because that's typically the impetus for what somebody looks for a change. There's some catalyst that says, well, let me do a Google search, you know, let me see what's out there. And they find the event. And fortunately for the fall, I have three festivals that have a dedicated education day. So the Durham November 1st event at the Armory is an education day. And then October 4th in Asheville, AB Tech is an education day. And then actually it's two dedicated education days. And then Syracuse, New York has education during the event.
05:04
Sophia Magnanini
That's really cool.
05:05
Helene Greenberg
Yes, you can come and learn. You can Listen, we have doctors, we have chefs, we have cooking demos, we have all these things going on where you can learn and shop and have fun, which is important because if you want to know more, we want to give you the opportunity to know more. I think that's really important. And also we want you to eat.
05:26
Sophia Magnanini
The food going back to you, talking about bringing things kind of back locally. Have you seen an impact on the local community, like since it began, since the festival began? Or like do you see more people curious about the plant based lifestyles each year? Like more and more coming?
05:44
Helene Greenberg
Well, it's interesting because when I moved here in 2011, it was still a vegan friendly place, but there was not a single hundred percent vegan restaurant. And, and since, and then you look at Charlotte, right? Charlotte has a whole bunch of vegan restaurants and they kind of were outpacing the Triangle. I feel, I think, I'm pretty sure that the Triangle is more a hundred percent vegan restaurants now than the rest of the state.
06:11
Sophia Magnanini
Oh, wow.
06:12
Helene Greenberg
Which is, which is super cool. We have also seen some close, which is happening all over the country. But we have a ton of amazing vegan restaurants that are owned by very cool people who are, who work very hard to give you delicious food. So that's a big change. And then Covid actually made it so people spent so much time online, so all they did was research and of course your home and you can impact your health. So people started learning about the. There was an increase in people purchasing vegan whole foods items during COVID You know, because you were home, you weren't doing anything, you want to eat healthier. But then we're past Covid and people are kind of back to not really caring about what they're eating. So it's kind of, it's been.
06:55
Helene Greenberg
And any movement ebbs and flows, any movement has its ups and downs. And of course we're seeing that in the products that people choose to purchase with companies having a harder time selling. So my goal is to get people to understand that this food is amazing and you don't just want to eat it out. You want, you can easily cook it at home. It's at your fingertips. Now veganism food, whole food, plant based, like plant based cheeses, plant based meats are at your fingertips. People who were vegan 40 years ago are just like amazed at, you know, they used to drink soy milk that was powdered. Now there's like millions of different dairy free milks. Even when you go to your coffee.
07:35
Sophia Magnanini
Shop, which that is really cool. And also it makes it so much easier for people because sometimes people think that they want to start this, and then they're like, well, it might be harder to get this stuff or might be more expensive. But now I feel like it's become such a. Yeah. What you're saying, like, at your fingertips, that it's so many more opportunities to start and things to make and places to get these things at.
07:57
Helene Greenberg
Exactly. It's very. It's mainstream, and you can easily go into the supermarket, especially locally, and you can see, like, the myriad of choices that you have depending on which store you're going to. But even Food lion locally has vegan cheese. That's a big deal.
08:17
Sophia Magnanini
Yeah. Speaking of, like, at the fingertips, when you're doing the festivals or what I was gonna ask, like, what ways does it support, like, local farmers, restaurants, or small businesses? Is there a lot of, like, your pro. Well, you can explain. I don't know.
08:35
Helene Greenberg
I can see me. But I'm shaking my head.
08:36
Sophia Magnanini
Yeah.
08:37
Helene Greenberg
So, yes, the. The whole premise for me in doing this is to support small businesses. It has really turned into that. And at this point, I started in 2014. It's 2025. I've worked with thousands of small businesses, you could say, and they know they have my heart, and I don't survive if they don't. So I really am pushing people, when you come to this festival, to come with money and to spend it, because you really, at this point, can keep their doors open by spending money that day. It's. It's. It's. It's the worst it's ever been because our economy is, like, you know, wacky. But for these small businesses, these entrepreneurs, they need you. So I basically been telling people like, you need soap, you need shampoo, you need. You need these things that you use all the time. Right. Cleaning products.
09:31
Helene Greenberg
Go to a festival and doesn't have to be mine or your farmer's market. Just go out and buy those things locally and support these small businesses, these people who are, like, busting their asses to survive as well. You really can make the difference in that one day of them keeping their doors open. And that's a big deal. And that is a very huge premise of what this nonprofit was based on. Veganism is the. You know, the main thing is everything is vegan. But at this point, it's kind of morphed into shop, small, support, small business, go local, come out to the festivals and have a good time. And then. And the. The cool part about that is, you get to learn about a way that you can save the planet, you can save animals, and also improve your health, which.
10:20
Sophia Magnanini
Yeah, that's. I was going to say, like, it. It loops around to. Because as well as like supporting small businesses, but also sustainability and awareness, which was good. Which leads right into my next question. How do you guys help promote the sustainability and environmental awareness? I know you're saying your education days, or is it just kind of something that is all around the festival?
10:45
Helene Greenberg
Well, it's an interesting thing because one of my strictest rules and I have sent vendors to the store is no Styrofoam ever at my events. Then they have had to leave on a Sunday morning and go to the store or go to another vendor too. Because if I find Styrofoam, I cut you off right there. Because it is so horrible for the environment. Really is. And then we try to compost as best we can. You know, everything like recycling and composting. All I'm learning is that it's. It's. I think it's more feel good than it's actually being done. So. But at the same time, it's minimizing plastic, minimizing the things that will stay in a landfill for longer than our lives. Multiples of our lives, actually. And, you know, we need to do that and think consciously about, you know, a lot of.
11:41
Helene Greenberg
A lot of our attendees will actually bring their own silverware. They'll bring their own, like, containers. So they'll have the vendor put it in their containers. And it is the mom and daughter that come down from Virginia, almost everything we do, and they bring their own containers even to our Mac and cheese cook off. They like, bring their own glass plates and say, here, put it in here. As opposed to using our compostable plate. So it's, you know, if you can get to that point where you know, go to a restaurant, you blink, bring your containers for your takeout. That's some really cool stuff that you can do that. You know, I would never tell someone not to, you know, and I'd love to see, like all these businesses never use Styrofoam again.
12:22
Helene Greenberg
But I also understand that you need to keep your doors open. And Styrofoam is the least expensive thing you can use. So you have to balance that out. Survival kind of trumps sometimes the things that you use. But yeah, everything about the festival is thinking about being conscious of the environment and just eating vegan is good for the environment. It's the best thing that you can do to Help save this planet.
12:51
Sophia Magnanini
I love that especially because even if people, like you're saying, come in to the festival and not know much or even, like, not practice that much of, like, sustainability, they'll see the people around them and it'll kind of make them think, like, maybe I should do this, or like, maybe I should bring my own bags to the grocery store or something like that. Or like, my own, like, stuff like that, which is very important. And my next question is also kind of something that we've been talking about, but if you could go into detail a little bit more about the educational workshops and then also the other activities that you have at the festival to help people connect with what actually goes on.
13:35
Helene Greenberg
Right. The goal is to keep people there for as long as you can stay. Because a good person. I was going to say good person. That's not fair. A person who knows how to VegFest and knows to walk into the festival. This is for any event, walk into the festival, and you just walk through the whole thing. Don't shop. Walk through the whole thing. Because that impulse buy, you could be really upset in about 10 minutes. So just walk through, survey, look around, and then do your next walkthrough and start buying. Typically, people start with food. They get on the line, get their food, then they eat. And then I'm like, go shop. Shop the festival. And then you're going to eat again because there's so much food at the event. And then people go into dessert, and of course there's drinks there.
14:23
Helene Greenberg
So there's a certain way to veg fest that is like, to me. To me, that's the best way to do it. Because then you don't. You don't see a T shirt and, like, buy it, and then like, five minutes later see another T shirt and go, if I hadn't spent the money on that T shirt, I would have bought this T shirt. You know, it's. It just. It's just awkward. So it's. One of the best ways you can support small is to do that. And then the education days, gosh, we've got doctors, we've got chefs. We have people who can talk on pretty much any topic that's related to the environment, to the animals, and to your health. And that's who you need. It's also diverse lineup of people coming because you want people, especially in a diverse community like Durham, like Atlanta.
15:09
Helene Greenberg
You know, people want to sit in front of someone who they can relate to, and sometimes that means a person of color wants to sit in front of a person of color doctor who actually has the same genetics and same background that they can say, I understand, like how you grew up and what you've grown up eating. And this is how we can do it in a vegan way, right? And this is how you can do it in a healthier way. And this is these are the diseases that you are that your families are suffering from. And so what we can do to make that better.
15:39
Helene Greenberg
So that's a really big piece of that education, really big piece is that people can relate to who's there and that the topics are something that people want to listen to and that the people who are speaking are enjoyable to listen to. You see, otherwise, you know, you could have walked away. I don't want anyone snoozing because that's no fun. And that's not fun for the speaker either. So everyone I tend to bring is a good speaker and can engage the audience and help them to learn and also are very engaging to be able to come and talk to them personally. So that's that piece. And then of course, the free face painting is a big deal in Georgia. They really.
16:17
Helene Greenberg
The last event I did was in Marietta, Georgia and on Saturday I was just basically telling people, I said, it's not just for kids, the face painting. And it's not just for faces. It's your elbow, it's your d, it's your shoulder. I don't care. Not, not your breasts and not that far, but it's like the rest of your, you know. And a lot of the adults had got face paint or got painted at the festival. I was so happy to see it because I love seeing the kids, but seeing the adults do it too. And also to the kids who don't want their face touched, I'm like, I say to the parents, we could do it on their hand, you know, you can all get matching. You do go do.
16:56
Helene Greenberg
It's something that I pay for or that we pay for as a non profit to keep the kids happy so that the parents can stay. Because if kids are happy, parents can stay longer. So we learned that lesson back in 2015 and that's like one of the big parts. And of course, and I also like created these AI coloring sheets. So I printed those out, brought them so the kids could color and they were all gone by the end of the two days, which was neat. So. And we usually have some more stuff, but I don't have the capacity to bring more things. So like in Raleigh they have a whole bunch of stuff they can put out that's part of the venue, so that's cool. If I can fit it, I'll bring it. But I really like cornhole and stuff like that.
17:37
Helene Greenberg
I don't have the ability to bring it unless I have another car. So pretty much that's the event. And then the food trucks, the shopping. The DJ plays great music that's relatable to everyone who's there. Keeps you moving, keeps you vibing. Like, if you like this song, you can hear it, but if you don't like the song, it's just in the background. So you're still able to talk to the vendors. The vendors are still able to sell, but it's not silent. Yeah, it's just. It's. There's just an energy going through and you. You perk up when it's something you enjoy and then you kind of don't hear it when you are like, that's not my favorite song. And then you're just kind of bopping. And then you're just like, oh. And then it's over and you just keep moving.
18:18
Helene Greenberg
That's pretty much the feel of the event. And I just run around the whole day and don't sit.
18:23
Sophia Magnanini
I love that it. Because it does sound like this is just a lot. The whole festival is almost surrounded by or centered on inclusivity and educating and everyone coming together, community and just helping educate one another, helping us stay healthy, all the health help stay entertained, which is really important and really cool. And I feel like a lot of people, when they think of something, like, they might not think of this, but it's like once you go and actually try and you see how cool it is, and it's like, oh, wait, yeah, maybe this is something for me. Like, which is very important, right?
19:04
Helene Greenberg
Exactly. It's planting seeds. And, you know, for seeds you have to water them and you have to help them to grow. So each year we have these events and, you know, people will come back and they'll tell me they were there the previous year they weren't vegan, and now they're trying it because there's no pressure. The best thing you can do is just start replacing, you know, start. Start replacing like a hamburger with a Beyond Burger. Say, even if you do that one day a week, or if you just do it for two weeks and you see how you feel, you know, because even eating processed meat that's vegan is still not good for you. So the more whole foods you go, the better you're going to feel. It's just amazing.
19:48
Helene Greenberg
And you know, you just have to have that willpower to want to go that direction. And you hope that it's not because you were diagnosed with something.
20:01
Sophia Magnanini
Especially in this day and age. I feel like it's been hard or from a lot of people, it's hard to be able to get those whole foods, get those like they're always kind of thinking about time, cost, that stuff. Where we live in like a society where a lot of the things that are cheap, fast are not that good for you and not that good for the environment. So it really just is taking the steps and being like, this might take a little longer for me to make or might be a little more. But at the end of the day it'll help me, it'll help my environment, it'll help the community, small businesses, etc. Which I think is really important.
20:43
Helene Greenberg
Right. And he doesn't have to cost a lot of money because you can buy rice, not expensive. You can buy a bag of beans, not expensive. And I use an instant pot. You can throw them in the instant pot, you know, the rice first you can add the beans. After the rice is kind of almost fully cooked, mix that together, put seasoning in there, you can turn it into a soup, you can eat it with rice and beans, you can put some salsa, you can put some vegan cheese, you can turn into a chili. It's so versatile. And with whatever spices you choose to put in there, you have a meal that is super inexpensive, very filling and also super healthy.
21:21
Sophia Magnanini
And it's also nice because it's like you can kind of cater to your tastes and whatnot. Like it's very much like they're all the same ingredients, but you can put them in differently and see all. See what makes. Which I was going to ask kind of later, but I guess since we're kind of talking about now, is there any kind of meals for like, for newly vegetarians, newly vegans that you would recommend as like kind of either fast, cheap or just really good that you like, really love?
21:49
Helene Greenberg
Well, I think one of the things that people like Mac and cheese, right? Super easy to make. And it can be, it doesn't have to be like overly fattening because it's what you put in there. Like when I make Mac and cheese, the pasta, instead of putting oil to coat the pasta, I use a plant based milk. So use the plant based milk, which will also add to creaminess. Nutritional yeast is like your best friend. It's that cheesy Flavor super easy, not expensive. Like a quarter cup goes in there. And you know, because I basically cook the pasta like 15 minutes, maybe 20 max. I could be eating. I make it super simple. Cook the pasta, do al dente and then put the, you know, put the plant based milk to coat it. Nothing too crazy. I use like a plant based cheese.
22:42
Helene Greenberg
I'll use maybe a quarter cup. It doesn't have to be, but if you want, you throw the whole bag in there because it'll be even more cheesy. I lean more on the healthy side. And then sometimes I'll have peas in there, some love corn in there. I'll cook, I'll cook the peas with the pasta to make it easy and then mix that up. Throw in your spices with the newt. I also, vegan mayo is like a little secret ingredient. Throwing some vegan mayo in there gives it some tang. Also Dijon mustard. Put that all together or miso could go in there too.
23:14
Sophia Magnanini
That does sound really good.
23:14
Helene Greenberg
And you mix it all together and you're eating because you'll cook, you'll. The cheese will melt over the stove. After, like you throw the pasta and all that together, it's still hot, so it all melts in together. And you put it back on the stove. So it's not on, but the heat's still going and you're done. And another way is to take cashews, put them into a blender with miso and spices, little lemon juice and like water, don't forget the water. And mix that up and put that into pasta and eat. And that can go Italian, that can go Mac and cheese, that can go French, that can go any, which can go Mexican, all depending on what spices you put in there. And again, you could be eating in 20 minutes.
23:52
Sophia Magnanini
Those sounds really good. I know, I'm like remembering these ideas for tonight's dinner, but that does show. It's like there's so many ways to do things that you wouldn't really think of or that almost we've kind of been programmed to be like, oh, well, but it's amazing. Yeah, that sounds really good.
24:11
Helene Greenberg
It's super simple and it's something that you're familiar with that you'll eat. And it's probably one of my favorite meals to make, you know, is to make the Mac and cheese. I had it the other day, I just finished it yesterday. I made it like four days ago, five days ago. So I just finished that, you know, pretty much that recipe with the. I didn't put miso or mustard in it. And I wish I had.
24:36
Sophia Magnanini
No, that does sound delicious. Especially think. I feel like people always think that it's like, oh, vegan, I'm only going to eat, like, carrots or something. Like, only it's like, no, you can make. You can make really good stuff. I mean, not saying carrots and, like, vegetables aren't good, like, but it's. It's not as strict as people think that it would be.
25:00
Helene Greenberg
Right.
25:01
Sophia Magnanini
Which.
25:01
Helene Greenberg
You can make flavorful, filling meals that are healthy, that lean healthy, and you can do it very easily because the reason why meat tastes good isn't the meat, it's the seasonings you put on it. So take those seasonings and apply it tofu. Take those seasonings, apply it to seitan. Take those seasonings, apply it to your pasta dish. I mean, super easy. I'm also a cook that doesn't really measure.
25:30
Sophia Magnanini
Yeah.
25:31
Helene Greenberg
Recipe is a guideline. So those. For those people who, like, need a recipe to be. Exactly. I'm not your person, but if every time I follow a recipe to the T, I don't like it, so I have to change it.
25:45
Sophia Magnanini
Using the measuring cup.
25:47
Helene Greenberg
Right. And tasting it, and it's like, well, I don't have that spice, so I'll just use this spice. Because, I mean, I'm not gonna not make something unless there's. It's like, a really important thing, like baking soda, you know, like, you can't bake. You can't bake without something. I'm like, well, I guess I can't make things. I don't have that. But everything else, it's like, oh, it calls for this. Oh, I have that. I can use that. And I know. I know I can do that. Yeah. So. And potatoes are a fantastic food that's super healthy. Absolutely amazing. In the air fryer, in the microwave, in the oven, you don't need any fat whatsoever. You can just eat potatoes left and right. And as Dr. McDougal said, it's just, like, one of the healthiest foods on the planet.
26:29
Sophia Magnanini
Which I know now I'm getting kind of hungry thinking that were talking about this. I'm like, but, yeah, it really shows just how. How easy it is for people to start get into it. And also, yeah, it doesn't have to be this big chore. It doesn't have to be these crazy things. It can be things that you've already know and, like. And you're just kind of changing it a little, or. I'm trying to think of the right.
26:55
Helene Greenberg
I think it's Making them the highlight. Yes, they were that they. What you considered sides can be the highlight of your dish and probably should be more the highlight of your dish, even if they are your sides. Because if you make them in the health and a healthier way, you should be eating more of those than you should be eating meat, just in general, and especially dairy. If anything, I tell people, just don't. Don't eat dairy at all. It's insidious.
27:24
Sophia Magnanini
But then going back to the festival, what are some challenges that go into organizing a festival like this, or how do you try to overcome them?
27:38
Helene Greenberg
Well, in year 11, probably the biggest obstacle I've had is Covid and I still did festivals during COVID so we just. I did one in Nashville in 2020. Mass temperature checks, you know, two days. Somebody had to spread people out, and people did come out and. And they shopped, which was what was needed. But, you know, it takes. It takes a talent and a certain human being to do this, because there's a lot of organization, There's a lot of stuff that's going on, and I have that talent. So it's hard because people look at me and go, how do you make it look so easy? And it's not always easy. Sometimes there's a lot of screaming and yelling inside my walls, in my house because people.
28:27
Helene Greenberg
It's working with people, and people can be frustrating, but at the same time, people can be absolutely amazing. So the. The hard. The biggest stressors for me now are the vendors signing up. They're waiting longer and longer to register. Like, for Georgia, I think I had 18 vendors sign up in six days, about two weeks. Within two weeks of the event. That's stressful. Yeah, it's like super stressful. And you just kind of. I just kind of have to come back to center and just kind of go, it's going to be fine. And then, of course, you need the attendees to come out. You need the attendees come out and spend money in a time where things where people don't have a lot of discretionary funds.
29:09
Helene Greenberg
So if you're going to come out, you know, and you want to support this, you want to support our vendors, save up to do that, or, you know, this is the place to, like I said, buy your soap, eat. You know, you don't just have to eat lunch there. You can actually buy food and eat it over the course of the week. It doesn't just have to be that day because people are like, I'm so full. And I'm like, well, there's Tomorrow, there's also later, because I promise you're going to be hungry later, so you don't want to go home and think, gosh, I wish I got another. Because you might not see that vendor. Some of them travel. You might not see that vendor until the next one.
29:47
Sophia Magnanini
Because it is. It's like not just going to the festival, but it's almost like the grocery trip for the week. You can get everything you need and everything. And then you can take time, like trying it out and being like, oh, wait, I really liked this. So then it's like, once again, like, planting the seeds. Are there any vendors that are like always that are like, you guys have a really good partnership with.
30:11
Helene Greenberg
For my festivals that lean, like, for Asheville, A Piece of Soul out of Columbia, South Carolina is always there. And that's some amazing. She does like a bucket of vegan fried chicken and chicken sandwiches and stuff. It's. It's really. She was just voted. They were just voted, like, number one vegan restaurant or vegan food in Columbia, South Carolina, so. And Asheville, oddly enough, is voted number one festival in western North Carolina.
30:36
Sophia Magnanini
Oh, wow.
30:37
Helene Greenberg
The second year of. In a row. Yes. Super proud of that. Even if. Even though the fall festival didn't happen last year because of a hurricane with my name. So, yeah, Uprooted vegan comes from South Carolina as well. She's been traveling and coming to pretty much all the events. She will be in Durham and she'll be in Asheville. And she thought about coming to Syracuse, but she was just in Rochester, which is amazing because that's really far as super far up in Syracuse, though. Strongheart's Cafe is the reason why I'm even helping with Syracuse. We'll be at the event. Very excited about that. And I mean, vendors like, not food, but Compassion Company Andy, he travels all over the country. He comes to a lot of our events. He'll be in Asheville, he'll be in Syracuse. And I don't know.
31:22
Helene Greenberg
He was just here for a food fest in July. So you just. I mean, you all. Sometimes you don't imagine vegan from Memphis, Tennessee, they tend to. They'll travel and come. It's amazing. They'll travel from Memphis to come and support the events. They can't make it for October and September. But they did come to Statesville because I asked for a. Because I asked for a hug. They drove literally for a round trip, probably 24 hours. They didn't even. They spent the night. They. They came, slept, woke up, did the festival, left after the festival went home because I asked for a hug. That's, that's the. And that gives you an idea of the loving, supportive relationship that it goes both ways.
32:07
Sophia Magnanini
Yes, it's very much community, a give and take, leaning one another, which is really awesome and just sounds amazing. A very nice environment to be in and very safe space.
32:19
Helene Greenberg
Yes, that's very important. It is a safe space.
32:23
Sophia Magnanini
If you wanted. For listeners who are interested, if you wanted to kind of shout out the dates and where it's at.
32:30
Helene Greenberg
Oh, definitely. Next one coming up is at Durham Central park in Durham, North Carolina on 9 14. And then we'll be in Syracuse, New York on 9 21. And then we'll be in Asheville on 104 and 10 5. And then we'll be back in Durham on 11 1, 112 at the Durham Armory. And that closes out my year.
32:49
Sophia Magnanini
All right, perfect. No, that sounds so cool. I'm definitely going to be checking out. I'm definitely coming to the Durham one, the closest one.
32:58
Helene Greenberg
Oh, that's amazing. VegFestExpos.com is the best place to go and see everything. And if you could spread the word on campus, I would love you forever. Okay.
33:06
Sophia Magnanini
Yeah, perfect. And are there any other opportunities for people to support Vegfest outside of just attending the festival?
33:15
Helene Greenberg
There is. I actually just posted a special shirt designed just for Triangle Vegfest for this rest of the year. But also we need volunteers.
33:23
Sophia Magnanini
Okay, perfect.
33:24
Helene Greenberg
So you can go to the website vegfestexpos.com and you can see where you can click on the volunteer and then you can sign up on our form and I will. You have the choice of all the ones that we have and we've. That we really need.
33:36
Sophia Magnanini
Okay.
33:37
Helene Greenberg
No, I mean, money is great. I mean, money's wonderful, but I mean, but right now I need volunteers.
33:44
Sophia Magnanini
Perfect. Well, we'll definitely be looking out for that and if anyone, any listeners want to get involved. And also I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to come and speak with me. I know it was a little rough getting it all started, but I think it was a really great conversation.
34:00
Helene Greenberg
No, I really appreciate you. Thank you for reaching out.
34:02
Sophia Magnanini
As we come up on the end of our chat, I just want to thank you all again for coming and listening and for Helene. Thank you for coming in and chatting with me by your organization and community. It's just so great what you guys are doing to promote sustainability and environmental activism overall. But thank you all for listening to Oak City move. Once again, I'm your host, Sophia Magnanini. And if you're interested in listening to this episode again or to past episodes of the show, you can go to wknc.org podcast and make sure to tune in to our show every other Monday on WKNC 88.1 FM Raleigh. Have a great day.
