Windsor vegan group gives away 100 meat-free ‘turkeys’ for Thanksgiving

Free plant-based turkey products being given out in Windsor, Ont. on Oct. 12, 2024. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

A Windsor-based group has teamed up with PETA to encourage Windsor residents to consider vegan options this Thanksgiving.

The group participated in PETA’s initiative to distribute free vegan roasts in several cities across North America, including Windsor.

“We host monthly vegan potlucks in our community and do vegan outreach events like this,” said Brenda LaFleshe, founder of The Sweet Life of Vegan.

LaFleshe, who turned vegan more than 20 years ago, said the initiative aims to offer a “more compassionate” alternative to traditional, meat-based holiday meals.

“I became vegetarian when I was 14 years old,” she said, adding she later made the transition to a fully vegan diet after learning more about the dairy and egg industries.

She also pointed to the environmental impacts of animal agriculture, saying, “eating animals causes the most pollution” and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and habitat loss.

“No animal wants to die, and it’s unnecessary for us to eat them. It’s unethical,” said LaFleshe.

In total, 100 vegan turkeys are being given away Saturday between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at the corner of Wyandotte Street East and Ouellette Avenue in downtown Windsor.