Toby (11) and Wesley (12) went vegan a few years ago after going vegetarian when Wesley, who was only 4 years old at the time, encouraged the rest of his family to stop eating animals by asking his mom what meatballs were made of. Later, Toby watched a movie on Netflix called Okja that really highlighted for him that if he cared about saving animals by not eating meat, he should also care about not eating other foods derived from them—like cow’s milk or chickens’ eggs. Once Wesley learned from his brother why he should go vegan, he quickly made the switch as well.

Both Toby and Wesley are very active in promoting animal rights at school. Toby created a petition to boycott chick-hatching there, talked with many classmates about why they should care about baby birds, and collected many signatures. Wesley likes talking to people about ditching meat and explaining to them that animals are friends, not food—and that the meat industry causes these animal friends to suffer.

In addition, the brothers advocate against animal dissection and believe that it’s wrong to take sensitive beings from their natural habitats, kill them, and bring their bodies into a classroom. They join their mom and dad in caring for their animal companions by helping to walk and feed their dog, Freddy, and giving lots of love and care to their four rescued cats.

Toby loves a good vegan burger and fries, while Wesley enjoys foods that are a little sweeter—like vegan donuts and anything . Wesley also bakes vegan sweets and wants to own a vegan bakery when he grows up. Toby, meanwhile, wants to help run an animal sanctuary someday. We can’t wait to visit both places!