04/09/2026
At the start of the 2026–2027 school year, Aides aux Personnes Démunies (APED) organized a community awareness session, at the request of students’ parents, focused on the transition toward a vegan diet, as well as respect for and protection of animals.
The activity brought together 73 parents and 8 student representatives, for a total of 81 direct participants. As part of the session, 86 meals were prepared and served, giving participants a practical opportunity to experience plant-based meals prepared with locally available foods.
Awareness That Reaches Beyond the School
The parents’ interest was particularly encouraging. They wanted to hear directly the messages their children had brought home during the previous school year about veganism, respect for animals, and animal protection.
For APED, this request is an important sign of community ownership. The messages shared with students are beginning to move beyond the school environment and generate discussion and reflection within families.
At the end of the session, participants expressed their appreciation to APED and its partner, Thrive Philanthropy, for their support. They encouraged APED to continue these activities and expand them to other schools and communities so that more children, parents, and families can benefit from this type of education.
From Awareness to Action
Participants also encouraged APED to continue and strengthen its “One Plot, One Garden” program, which promotes the development of vegetable gardens in schools, households, and communities.
For APED, these gardens provide a practical way to connect:
Awareness → local food production → healthy eating → children’s education → environmental protection → respect for animals → community participation.
School gardens can therefore become living classrooms, where children learn how to grow part of their own food while developing healthier eating habits and a stronger understanding of environmental stewardship.
A Recommendation for the Next Phase
Participants also recommended that APED, with support from its partners, explore the possibility of establishing vegan school cafeterias.
This is not yet an operational commitment, but rather a development opportunity identified directly by participants. Such cafeterias could allow students to put into practice what they learn during awareness sessions and regularly experience nutritious vegan meals prepared with local foods, including produce grown in school gardens.
What APED Is Most Proud Of
APED is particularly proud to see that children are becoming agents of change within their own families. The fact that parents themselves requested to hear the messages directly demonstrates that the awareness activities are beginning to create an impact beyond the original target audience.
With 81 direct participants and 86 meals served, this activity represents an encouraging step toward a more sustainable approach combining education, plant-based nutrition, school gardens, animal protection, and environmental stewardship.
Impact, Learning, and Next Steps
This experience has shown APED that a single awareness activity can become the starting point for a broader community-driven process:
Activity implemented → participation → messages shared with families → increased interest among parents → community ownership → new recommendations → potential for expansion.
Building on this experience, APED's next steps are to continue documenting results, strengthen the “One Plot, One Garden” program, and explore with schools and partners opportunities to replicate this approach in additional schools and communities.
APED sincerely thanks Thrive Philanthropy for its support and partnership. This support is helping APED develop and test practical approaches that promote healthy eating, animal protection, environmental stewardship, and more sustainable communities.
