| Boston Vegetarian Society | |
| Type: | Educational charity |
| Tax Id: | 04-3082813[1] [2] |
| Registration Id: | 043082813[3] |
| Location: | P.O. Box 38-1071 Cambridge, MA 02238 |
| Area Served: | Eastern Massachusetts |
| Services: | Educational events and literature supporting vegan diets |
| Focus: | Veganism, vegetarianism |
| Method: | Popular education |
| Revenue: | $52,434[4] |
| Endowment: | $127,324 |
| Num Volunteers: | [Figure needed] |
| Num Employees: | [Figure needed] |
| Num Members: | [Figure needed] |
| Subsid: | None |
| Footnotes: | Affiliate member of North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS), Vegetarian Union of North America (VUNA), and International Vegetarian Union (IVU) |
The Boston Vegetarian Society (BVS) is a non-profit educational organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with the purpose of promoting and supporting vegetarianism and veganism. It hosts monthly speaking events and an annual vegetarian food festival in the fall.[5] [6]
The Boston Vegetarian Society began in 1986. The first activities were centered around holding vegan potlucks in a church basement during the late 1980s.[7] The Society has seen a steady rise in membership and attendance ever since.[7] In 1998, it was incorporated in Massachusetts as an educational non-profit.[3] In July 1998, it was granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the IRS.
The BVS provides information on events and related organizations, hosts the annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (BVFF), holds cooking classes, and promotes vegetarianism through mass transit advertising, outreach at fairs and festivals, and monthly free educational seminars.[8] Their New Year's banquet and vegan cooking classes have been reported to be particularly popular.[9] BVS provides education, encouragement, and community support for vegetarians.[10] The BVS also participates in the annual Earth Day Festival of Boston University.[11]
Since 1996, the Boston Vegetarian Society has annually hosted the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (BVFF) in October or November.[12] It was first held on May 5, 1996, at MIT's Howard W. Johnson Athletics Center and was hosted by the MIT Vegetarian Support Group (VSG), later renamed MIT Vegetarian Group, and the Vegetarian Resource Group.[13] Notable speakers included Dr. Charles R. Attwood.[14]
The second BVFF was held at Bunker Hill Community College on October 26, 1997.[15] [16] Starting with the third annual festival on October 3, 1998, the BVFF has been held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in the Roxbury Crossing section of Boston, across the street from Roxbury Community College.[17]
Over the years, attendance grew so much that the festival was expanded from one day to two days in 2009; for the 2016 festival, organizers expected an attendance between 15,000 and 20,000.[18]
Each year's roster of speakers is almost entirely new; Dr. Michael Greger has been the only speaker who returns nearly each year, typically on or around his birthday.
Several different branding logos have been used since 1996 for subway, bus, newspaper, and other advertising; the current committee is seeking a single brand for the increasingly popular event. The winning logos used on each year's festival's merchandise have emerged variably from college students and professional graphic artists.