Actor and Mother Wins a Maui Vacation
For Immediate Release:
May 31, 2011
Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382
Lookout Mountain, Tenn. — After nearly 48,000 votes were cast in the final round alone to help PETA select the winners, 24-year-old Lookout Mountain resident Kate Veltkamp beat out nine other finalists to be crowned the female winner of PETA's 2011 Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door contest. Veltkamp and a friend have won a seven-night stay in beautiful Maui, courtesy of the PETA Member Advantage Program.
"Kate is living proof that going vegetarian is a great way to protect your health, boost your energy level, and ramp up your sex appeal," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "After all, what's sexier than someone who exudes passion and compassion?"
Veltkamp—who went vegetarian two years ago and has been vegan for more than a year—is a full-time mother to a thriving vegetarian baby daughter. (Her husband, Scott, was also a finalist in the contest.) Possibly as a result of the big boost in energy that she attributes to her healthy diet, Veltkamp also finds time to pursue professions in photography, modeling, and acting. She says that her plant-based diet keeps her happy, keeps unwanted pounds off, and keeps the muscle on (numerous vegan foods are naturally packed with protein), which could explain why she can curl as much weight during her daily workout at the gym as many of the men.
Although she is enjoying the health perks of her vegan diet, Veltkamp had much more in mind when she stopped eating meat, eggs, and dairy products—namely, her concern for animals. She insists that if someone truly loves animals, he or she must seriously consider shunning milk and other dairy products because their production leads directly to the suffering and deaths of newborn calves in the cruel veal industry.
Veltkamp enjoys writing, hiking, cooking, and drinking red wine. Her turn-ons include long hair, compassion, nerds, outdoorsy types, and people who aren't afraid to get dirty—but couch potatoes and selfish people turn her off.
Veltkamp is available for interviews. For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.