The Kingston Whole-Food Plant-Based Group in Ontario, Canada has been practicing their virtual Pod meeting skills during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is keeping Pods from their regular in-person meetings. Group Leaders Roman Moretti and Kathleen Pratt held their first meeting using the Zoom platform featuring guest speaker Lisa, who gave a presentation on eating plant-based on a budget.
Lisa shared useful tips on how to save money while eating a whole-food plant-based diet. Webinar attendees enjoyed exchanging tips about shopping apps, meal planning, and cooking tips. Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing platform that can be used for video conferencing meetings, audio conferencing, webinars, meeting recordings, and live chat. This program allowed the Pod to connect face-to-face even when practicing social distancing.
While some were not comfortable with the technology and preferred to view the recording, a few members enjoyed the novelty of meeting on-line. Pods are important support groups for many and it’s inspiring to hear how they are staying connected during the pandemic, providing members with community, and helping them maintain their commitment to a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle.
Original Submission received from Roman Moretti, Group Leader of the Kingston Whole-Food Plant-Based Group on March 19, 2020