April, 21, 2024
At Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA), we’re lucky to have incredible volunteers who bring their kindness, skills, and dedication to their work with us. One of those volunteers is Magnus Larsson, a high school student, who has made a big impact through his work with CAA’s vegan meal program for unhoused individuals.
Magnus has been volunteering with CAA for about a year now, helping to prepare and serve plant-based meals to people experiencing homelessness and living at Simpson Housing. He first got involved after his mom invited him to join a meal event she heard about through a friend. What started as a one-time experience turned into a regular act of kindness.
“I was attracted by the rare combination of human rights and animal rights,” Magnus says.
That powerful combination — serving plant-based meals to people in need — aligns perfectly with CAA’s mission of creating a more compassionate world for all beings. Through our partnership with Simpson Housing Services, volunteers like Magnus help prepare warm, nourishing vegan meals in a community setting.
Cooking With Care
Magnus helps in the kitchen by cooking hearty, animal-free meals, setting up the serving line, and sharing food with shelter guests. The meal program isn’t just about food — it’s about connection. Volunteers sit down and eat alongside the residents, building relationships and community while breaking bread.
“I most love the nature of the work and the people,” Magnus says. “Everyone is kind and helpful, and we are doing a good thing.”
That sense of shared purpose is one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering with the meal program. Guests often rave about the food, showing how a vegan diet can be both satisfying and compassionate.
Magnus brings more than just cooking skills to the table — he brings heart. Whether he’s chopping vegetables or visiting with guests, he exhibits how caring he is.
A Lifelong Love for Animals
Magnus is a plant-based eater who’s always felt a connection to animals. Growing up in a vegan home made it easy to avoid animal products. “For me, it seems like the obvious choice,” he says.
His love for animals and belief in their right to live free from harm is part of what motivates him to volunteer. He sees his work with CAA as an extension of his values — supporting efforts that reduce suffering for all beings.
Magnus is also a regular at CAA’s vegan potlucks, where community members come together to share delicious food and conversation. “I’ve been attending the potlucks even longer than I’ve been volunteering,” he says. These casual, friendly gatherings are another way he connects with others who care about animals, health, and the planet.
Balancing Passion and Programming
Outside of volunteering, Magnus is passionate about software development. He enjoys coding and spends much of his free time programming. His thoughtful and detail-oriented nature makes him a great asset to both the tech world and to the Simpson’s meal program.
Making a Difference Together
Volunteers like Magnus are at the heart of CAA’s success. His kindness, reliability, and strong belief in animal rights help us move toward our vision of a more compassionate Minnesota.
His experience shows how small actions — like preparing a plant-based meal or attending a community potluck — can make a big difference. It’s not just about food. It’s about justice, empathy, and creating a world where kindness is part of everyday life.
At CAA, we’re incredibly grateful for volunteers like Magnus who give their time and energy to help others. His story is a reminder that anyone can get involved, make connections, and be part of something bigger.
Inspired by Magnus? Get Involved With CAA!
If Magnus’s story inspires you, consider volunteering with CAA, donating, or exploring creative ways to support the organization, like securing a matching grant through your employer. Together, we can create a more compassionate world for animals, people, and the planet.
Past Volunteer Spotlights
If you would like to get to know some other volunteers, check out other recent volunteer profiles:
Volunteer Spotlight on Ronan Magnus
Volunteer Spotlight on Kedar Deshpande
Volunteer Spotlight on Anna Larsson
Volunteer Spotlight on Alysia Nelson
Volunteer Spotlight on Tom Hoch
Volunteer Spotlight on Lexy Race
Volunteer Spotlight on Faustine Micheyls
Volunteer Spotlight on Grace Prins
Volunteer Spotlight on Kim Milligan
Volunteer Spotlight on Allison Gamble
The Mutual Benefits of Volunteering for CAA
Volunteers are key to everything we do. They help us to accomplish far more than we can do with our small staff and amplify our impact for animals. In 2023, our staff engaged over 260 volunteers, contributing more than 740 hours, across 96 different activities — a savings of over $12,000 if we had hired them. Learn more about volunteer impact every year in our annual reports.
Equally important is that the volunteers themself benefit from enhanced skills in advocacy and leadership as well as a sense of community. This fits with our theory of change which includes the following cyclical steps: increasing awareness, building community, empowering advocates, and creating change. Volunteering touches on each of these areas.
See all volunteer opportunities here.
CAA’s Theory of Change
Our theory of change emphasizes a welcoming approach, which is recognized as most effective at creating change and models the empathy we want to promote.
The theory explains how we achieve our mission to encourage people to embrace their empathy for animals and move toward a plant-based diet. It also supports our vision of a world where all animals, human and nonhuman, can thrive.
This change theory reflects how we grow our movement. Through our CAA programs, events, and activities, we facilitate a cyclical process of increasing awareness, building community, empowering advocates, and creating change. This process focuses on both individual and institutional change.
What kind of change do we create? Our programs reduce consumption of animal products and improve the lives of farmed animals. In addition, they benefit the well-being of all Minnesotans.
Compassionate Action for Animals’ theory of change was initially developed in 2017 with an online survey sent to key stakeholders, two town hall meetings open to the community members, and a strategic planning meeting attended by staff, core volunteers, and board members.
Get Involved and Volunteer With CAA
If you believe in our mission and our theory of change, we encourage you to get involved too. Sign up for one of our upcoming volunteer opportunities. There are so many fun events and options to choose from. Whatever your talents may be, you can find a volunteer opportunity that’s right for you — from photography to cooking and serving food, helping with setup and cleanup at events, greeting guests, and so much more.
We thank you for all the ways that you speak up for animals and help our community!
