Earlier this year, Jon Camp hit the road to talk to college students about how they can help animals on factory farms. At the end of 60 days, he had logged 9,365 miles and had rallied volunteers to help him hand literature to more than 43,000 students.

Camp is the director of outreach for national non-profit Vegan Outreach (VO) and it’s hard to imagine a more dedicated and effective animal advocate. He spreads the word about factory farming by distributing information to college students through VO’s Adopt a College program.  

It’s not an especially glamorous job, but Camp, who is widely known for his humility and selflessness, isn’t deterred by that. Since Vegan Outreach focuses on maximum bang for every donated buck, Camp travels by the economy plan. Crisscrossing the country in his own car—he’s traveled nearly 200,000 miles in eight years—he depends on the generosity of friends and supporters to offer him a bed, couch, or even a floor to sleep on at his various stops.  And depending on where his travels take him, he can end up leafleting on a pleasant sunny day, or may need to bundle up to brave the snow or rain.   

While hundreds of activists hand out Vegan Outreach booklets at events and colleges, Camp was the first to do this work full-time. Since 2004, he has placed booklets with VO’s message of compassion directly into the hands of more than 750,000 people. Based on the feedback they receive, Vegan Outreach estimates that between 2 and 5 percent of those receiving this literature end up changing their diets.

Growing up just north of Chicago, Camp studied music and didn’t envision himself as an activist for animals. But, when he enrolled in an ethics course at a local community college in 1995, it opened his eyes to the depth of suffering that animals experience on modern factory farms. He went vegetarian himself soon after and then was drawn to the work of leafleting as one of the most cost-effective ways to produce change and reduce animal suffering.

Vegan Outreach targets college students as a demographic likely to be receptive to their message. Their booklets discuss what farm animals endure on factory farms and how individuals can help through diet choices.

As he travels across the country, Camp divides his time between leafleting and giving talks on effective activism as a way to encourage others to get out and advocate for farmed animals. Vegan Outreach Executive Director Matt Ball says that one of Camp’s chief talents lies in his ability to inspire others. “A number of our most active leafleters got on board after meeting Jon,” he says. “His ability to connect with people and inspire them to get involved has been a key factor in expanding our impact.”

Camp admits that for those who want to leaflet, that first booklet can be the hardest to give out. His advice: “Don’t think too much about it -- jump in! You don’t need to be an extrovert or an encyclopedia on animal issues; being friendly and sincere is all that is needed.”

As to why he is willing to sacrifice so much energy as well as his own personal comfort to bring a message of compassion to college students, Camp gave this simple explanation in an interview with author Mark Hawthorne: “I get a great deal of joy knowing that I’m doing what I can to push the ball forward for animals, that I’m living for something greater than myself. And when we really think about it, what can be better than spending our days deliberately working to make the world a kinder, more just place?”