‘The Marshall Plan’ Documentary to Chronicle Rise of Veganism in Marshall Texas

Courtesy of The Marshall Plan

Marshall, Texas, is an amazing place. Renowned for its large-scale embrace of a whole foods, plant-based diets, the town is an anomaly—both within the state of Texas and the nation at large.

The move towards veganism came about when Marshall’s mayor, Ed Smith, reversed a prostate cancer diagnosis by switching to a healthy vegan diet. Since then, he’s led citizens on a journey towards health and wellness, with remarkable results.

Now, a duo out of Switzerland is working on a documentary about the amazing story. Caroline
Hofmann, a former PR advisor, and ​Roland Boeni​, a Zurich medical doctor, are spearheading the project. The two went vegan in January of 2014 and the two were pleasantly surprised by the changes they saw.

“Marshall Texas is a town with just 23,000 inhabitants,. We discovered there are seven restaurants that offer vegan options, some even with their own vegan menu, thanks to the mayor and his wife’s initiative” says Hofmann.

“What surprised us too was that people in leading positions, such as the county judge and the chief of the fire department, had embraced the vegan lifestyle. That was before we started filming. After switching, they all experienced a huge improvements in their health, and could get off certain medications for high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension.”

They’ve started an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the project, with an ultimate goal of $68,000. The two have already invested a significant amount in the film, and are looking for funding to turn the current rough cut into a final film production with the help of one of the world’s top editing companies.

“The scientific studies prove that lifestyle trumps genes. Yet, this is still quite unknown to the general public. Most people believe that if you acquire one of these chronic diseases, it’s due to bad genes or bad luck. But they’re not doomed to eventually become sick,” explains Hoffman.

“With ‘The Marshall Plan,’ we want to inform people that each of us everyday makes choices that have a profound impact on our own health. We all can—and should—take our health in our own hands. If changes this big are possible in the heart of Texas cattle country, they are basically possible everywhere.”

You can watch the trailer and donate to The Marshall Plan’s Indiegogo campaign here. 

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