Our Projects
Monthly Potlucks and Presentations
Each month we host a Portland and Vancouver potluck, followed by an educational presentation or cooking demonstration. Our potlucks explore delicious food and enable you to meet others within the community. We also host a potluck and program every other month in the Hillsboro area.
Educational Programs
Northwest VEG offers these programs annually:
Veg 101 is a 6-week series on vegetarianism, featuring both a lecture and a cooking class (with samples) each week. The lectures provide an excellent grounding in topics such as health, nutrition, factory farming, environmental impact, and related subjects.
Northwest VegFest
Northwest VegFest is our largest event of the year. Northwest VegFest 2026 is August 29-30 and will be held at the Wingspan Event Center in Hillsboro, right on the MAX Blue Line. We are gearing up for another unforgettable weekend of plant-powered inspiration. This month, we’re opening registration for vendors and speakers, so if you’ve been dreaming of sharing your delicious plant-based foods, innovative products, or passion for compassionate living, now’s the time to jump in!
VegFest is where businesses, nonprofits, educators, chefs, and community members come together to celebrate healthy, sustainable, ethical lifestyles—and 2026 is shaping up to be our most vibrant year yet. Keep us on your radar, spread the word, and stay tuned for exciting updates, announcements, and opening-day details at nwveg.org/vegfest.
Education of Health Professionals
For many years, Northwest VEG co-sponsored and coordinated the annual Northwest Health and Nutrition Conference professional health conference. The conference presented the latest information on plant-based diets with respect to clinical nutrition, the effects of diet on chronic disease prevention and control, and on designing an optimum plant-based diet. The conference offered continuing education credits for many medical professionals. The conference went on hiatus following the COVID pandemic. In its place, we co-sponsored the Food as Medicine conference in 2024, and provided outreach and support to the Food as Medicine conference in San Diego in 2025. In 2026 and beyond we will coordinate with the Food as Medicine conference organizers and will contribute a larger presence as our capacity grows.
Social Events
Northwest VEG coordinates an annual Compassionate Thanksgiving Vegan Potluck, an annual 4th of July Potluck Picnic Celebration, as well as monthly potlucks, dineouts and happy hours. To view upcoming events, check out our online calendar.
Community Outreach
Northwest VEG has an information booth at over 35 events each year in the Portland area. We cast the widest net possible to reach as many people as we can. At each event, we offer free Vegetarian Starter Kits, a sampler of healthy veg recipes, health information on hot button topics and schedules of our upcoming educational and social events, as well as our restaurant dining guide.
We are also dedicated to highlighting activities and events hosted by partner organizations and businesses, as well as working to increase the platform for intersectional & underserved communities in the vegan space.
Publications
We send monthly emails that include information on our upcoming events, educational articles, and a plant-based recipe. Click here to subscribe.
Information Resource
We provide the community with information, contacts, and guest presenters. If you've got a plant-based question, or you're looking for a presenter, please contact us for assistance.