Millions of Americans currently don’t know where their next meal is coming from and yet studies have shown that a switch toward a plant-based diet could potentially feed billions more than we are currently accommodating.  The reasons are complex, but they are due, in part, to the diversion of grain crops to feed livestock rather than being distributed directly to humans.  

Another challenge to the hunger equation is that the food being distributed to those most in need is often of poor nutritional value.  We believe that having access to nutritional foods is a basic human right and nobody should be forced to compromise their health because of their financial circumstances.  Add to this the negative impact that raising animals for food has on our environment and it’s easier to imagine how a simple move toward a more plant-based diet can have very positive benefits for all life on this planet.

And while our healthy food distribution system seems to be broken, we have the power to set things right… if we work together.

Green Menu Organization of Los Angeles County recently started a new fundraising campaign to establish a plant-based food bank in our community.  As a 501(c)(3) Certified Charity whose mission it is to ease hunger and promote human and environmental health through plant-based diets, we’re very excited to involve our community in our latest efforts.

We are currently looking for donors/sponsors for financial support to help us complete our mission.  We estimate that the initial cost of establishing and running a Food Bank for the first year will be somewhere between $100,000 and $110,000 which we hope to reduce to $50,000 per year, thereafter.  If we are able to reach our fundraising goals, our organization will be able to diminish food insecurity for those in need while at the same time improving human and environmental health for all. 

The great philosopher, Lao Tzu once said “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  We hope that you will take that first step with us by supporting this noble and humanitarian cause. Any amount you can contribute will make a difference.

Thank you for learning about our latest mission, and please reach out if you’d like to learn more or get involved with our fundraising efforts.

If  you would like to make a donation now,  please click on the following link:
https://greenmenu.org/donation/

We thank you for your support!

The Green Menu Team

WHY PLANT-BASED?

HUMAN HEALTH
Financial hardship doesn’t just mean having fewer assets and having trouble making ends meet. According to data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, those in poverty are more likely to suffer from a variety of chronic health problems, both psychological and physical.

A plant-based diet has been shown to lower the risk for many chronic diseases, such as obesity, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Additionally, a plant-based diet significantly lowers the risk for many cancers, including: colon, breast, prostate, stomach, lung, and esophagus.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
The United Nations FAO report states, unequivocally, that factory farming of animals for meat production has a bigger impact on global warming than all the planes, trains, buses, and cars on the planet combined.

Air and water pollution can be directly attributed to the livestock sector, which is the largest contributor to global water pollution. Animal agriculture is also one of the leading drivers of global deforestation, and is linked to 75 percent of deforestation in the Amazonian rainforest. The amount of waste produced by livestock and poultry in factory farms is almost 13 times more than that produced by the entire U.S. human population.

ECONOMICS & WORLD HUNGER
Pound-for-pound, gallon-for-gallon, animal-sourced foods use vastly more water and carbon to produce than plant-based foods.. Approximately 70 percent of all grains grown are fed to farmed animals rather than to people, and the world’s cattle alone consume enough food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people — That is more than the entire human population on Earth.

Compared to the 4,200 gallons of water per day it takes to produce a meat-eater’s diet, A plant-based diet uses only 300 gallons of water per day. Additionally, a staggering 70 percent of our domestic freshwater goes directly to animal agriculture as well.

ANIMAL WELFARE
More than 200 million land animals are killed for food around the world every day. If you include wild-caught and farmed fishes, that number gets closer to 3 billion animals killed daily. That comes out to 72 billion land animals and over 1.2 trillion aquatic animals killed for food around the world every year.

Eating more plant-based meals lowers demand for meat which dramatically reduces animal suffering on factory farms around the world while simultaneously improving human and environmental health. This is why a plant-based diet is a win-win for our planet and all of her inhabitants.