Helen Wright (vegan) and Vegans Against World Hunger

After meeting vegans in this predicament and being “aware of the lack of UK-based charities providing vegan food and other necessities to people suffering from hunger, starvation, and malnutrition,” Helen Wright, the British founder of Vegans Against World Hunger (VAWH), launched the Bath Vegan Food Bank in Bath, UK, for the most vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether they follow a plant-based diet or not. In an interview with the news site SomersetLive, Helen said, “The food bank was set up because of the coronavirus pandemic. There’s no other vegan food bank in the area.”

Vegans Against World Hunger (VAWH) was established in February 2019 and is operated entirely by volunteers. With food bundles comprising of beans, lentils, fresh fruit and vegetables, plant-based milks, and vegan treats, the Bath Vegan Food Bank, a VAWH-run project, currently supports around 16 households each week. She explained that any small amount of help is always very much appreciated and can make a big difference in people’s lives. VAWH has obtained a house-to-house assortment license authorized by the Bath and Northeast Somerset Council, and it is now looking for more drivers and other volunteers to help distribute food bundles in their local neighborhoods regularly for as long as residents need it.

Volunteers of VAWH spare no effort to publicize reports and evidence of how animal livestock factories threaten global food security and severely harm the environment, such as through deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution, loss of biological diversity and greenhouse gas emissions, and how this tremendously destructive activity is the primary driver of climate change. The solution may not be as complicated as was once thought. Rather, it is simply about correcting popular misconceptions about food and switching to a vegan diet and lifestyle.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Joyfully present the Shining World Compassion Award to Vegans Against World Hunger, along with a humble contribution of US$10,000 to support its benevolent work of helping people in need and promoting veganism to save our world, with all admiration, love, and gratitude.”