MACON, Ga. (AP) - Urenna and Antonio Lafortune recently moved to Macon from South Carolina, and in the past couple of years, they have worked towards eating less meat and animal products.
“We haven’t eaten really heavy meat in the last few years. So we’re really weaning ourselves off of it this year, and just moving to Macon, we saw that there was a vegan restaurant,” Urenna Lafortune said.
She’s talking about Southern Vegan Soul Cafe, where the group Macon Vegans passes out free bags of vegan food on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.
The couple decided to go to the restaurant to pick up food, and they have been helping pass out food each week ever since, they said.
“They actually have really fresh, great options for people that are trying to be vegan, and it helps them get there faster,” Urenna Lafortune said.
Macon Vegans is a nonprofit organization that provides resources and support for vegans in Middle Georgia. The group started giving out plant-based food bags to families in need during the holiday season with the help of Feeding GA Families, a nonprofit that received a grant for the bags.
“You got to take advantage of what’s in front of us and be thankful for it because you don’t see this in every state,” Antonio Lafortune said. “This is a wonderful thing to actually be a part of a community that provides healthy eating.”
Gigi Weaver, founder of Macon Vegans, said a group of volunteers drives to Feeding GA Families in Atlanta every Tuesday to pick up 50 bags of food to give out.
“We are a vegan organization, but we’re really trying to help the community through veganism. We’re trying to address some of our health issues here, and also uplift the community by bringing more business to the local businesses and the local entrepreneurs,” Weaver said.
Ischemic heart and vascular disease is the leading cause of death for people in Georgia and in Bibb County, according to Georgia Department of Public Health statistics.
Weaver said they do not require proof of income at the food giveaways.
To get involved, follow the group on Facebook or Instagram at @maconvegans.
WHY FORM A VEGAN GROUP IN MACON?
Gigi Weaver has wanted to be a vegan her whole life.
Growing up in an Afro-Cuban religion in south Florida, animal sacrifice remained popular among their traditions, and at 5 years old, Weaver said she had to kill a bird during a ritual.
“After that, they really couldn’t get me to eat chicken or turkey or anything like that, but I think that was really when I decided I didn’t want to eat animals,” Weaver said.
Although she had to eat what her family provided for her when she was a child, she decided to become a vegetarian around the age of 14, and she moved to veganism in college.
“I was pretty much left on my own because my family was not about it,” she said, noting that meat is an important fixture in Hispanic culture and cuisine. “It was definitely an adventure with food and a learning experience for me, but because of that, I did have to educate myself if I didn’t want to get sick and lose nutrition.”
More than 20 years later, Weaver decided she was going to help other vegans feel a sense of community in Middle Georgia by founding Macon Vegans and provide the resources she had to find for herself.
Weaver moved to Macon around 13 years ago, a difficult place to live and be vegan.
Over the last 10 years, she said vegan options have grown and more restaurants have vegan options on their menus.
When she started Macon Vegans, she organized meetups at different restaurants to eat vegan food.
“I did notice, and I hope that it was due to Macon Vegans, that there were more options available at restaurants,” she said.
The groups Facebook page has grown to more than 1,800 followers in the past two years without much promotion, Weaver said.
“Veganism is a movement that is growing worldwide, and we’re not apart from that here in Middle Georgia. We’re not untouched by that, so it’s growing here as well,” she said.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR MACON VEGANS?
Weaver has a lot planned for 2021, she said.
“One of our big things is to bring more vegan options to the area, but we are also trying to advocate for our health,” she said.
She is partnering with Middle Georgia Community Food Bank to become an emergency food bank in 2021 where they will give out plant-based food on a monthly basis, she said. Because they are partnering with the food bank, proof of income will be required.
The group also plans to launch a directory with restaurants that offer vegan options in January 2021. She said the directory will be updated, and they plan to have what options are available for each restaurant by the spring.
Macon Vegans is planning their third annual Vegan Cook-Off, and the group is working with Visit Macon to have a Vegan Week similar to Burger Week, Weaver said.
“Choosing a vegan lifestyle is choosing health for yourself. Choosing health for your planet, and choosing health and life for other living beings,” she said.
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