Our Mission

San Francisco Vegan Society (SFVS) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization founded in 1968

We promote the adoption of a vegan lifestyle for healthy, ethical and sustainable living. Based in the historically progressive San Francisco Bay Area, we offer a community for people to meet, learn, exchange ideas and information, and interact with others interested in compassionate living for a better world.

SFVS welcomes people wherever they are on the path to an all-plant, vegan diet and lifestyle. Together we can make this movement grow and encourage a way of life that is better for your health, better for the well-being of animals, better for the environment, and better for humanity. We couldn't do this without the support of our members, so please join us today!

San Francisco Vegan Society has been at the forefront of plant-based living for over 50 years. In 1968, the year following San Francisco’s Summer of Love, Mr. Frederick Baldus placed an ad in San Francisco Chronicle calling for “Vegetarians Unite.”

Thirty compassionate people responded to the ad. They decided it was not enough only to preach peace and love for our fellow humans. One year after their first meeting, San Francisco Vegetarian Society was incorporated as a non-profit organization to advocate kindness to all animals and the protection of the beautiful planet we all share. A brief visual history of SFVS was presented by our former president, Greg Rorhbach, at the 50th anniversary during the 19th Annual Veg Festival opening remarks.

In 2023, SFVS was rebranded as San Francisco Vegan Society as our former president proudly announced at the 23rd Annual Veg Fest and our first VEGAN Festival. Our mission is to promote veganism, compassion for all beings, and a healthy, ethical, and sustainable way of life.