Vegan Bake Sale to Raise Funds for Migrant Families

Chicago-based media brand Vegan Street partnered with local vegan bar and video-game hotspot Logan Arcade to host a vegan bake sale on July 1 to raise funds for immigrants and asylum-seekers in the United States. “Some of the hardest working, most resourceful and, sadly, most vulnerable people are those who are seeking a better life in the United States,” Vegan Street co-founder Marla Rose told VegNews. Rose explained that all of the funds raised from the bake sale will be split between the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) and Proyecto de Acción de los Suburbios del Oeste (PASO), organizations currently working to reunite migrant families separated at the border by the “zero tolerance” policy recently implemented by the Trump Administration. The bake sale features a selection of donated goods (with gluten-free options) from local businesses and individuals, including Pie, Pie My Darling, Chicago Diner, Chunky Scones, Sandi Swiss Sweets, Mindful Baking, and cookbook author and photographer Kelly Peloza. “Since we started organizing this less than a week ago,” Rose said, “I have been blown away by the level of commitment and engagement from our local vegan food professionals.” In these trying times, Rose said that vegans are especially suited to standing up for the individuals and families at the border. “As vegans, we speak up for the oppressed and the brutalized, for those who were not born into a level playing field or equal consideration just due to the bodies they were born in,” Rose said. “Here, I would ask that we stand up, speak up, and care for those who deserve respect, opportunity and kindness.”