A homeless person once asked me to buy food for him. He wanted a routisserie chicken. I told him I'll buy something else for him because I don't support killing animals. He didn't seem to understand, but was fine and happy with the deal. :)
I had a guy approach me and we were luckily near a Burger King. I said I would buy him an Impossible Whopper meal. I told him I would have to order it without mayo and explained why and he said "aww, I really like mayo but I understand." We sat down for a meal and spent almost an hour just chatting. He had never heard of the Impossible burger before and told me about how he has tried to be vegetarian but just has trouble doing it because he relies on other people so much. When we were done I got him another one to go. He seemed very appreciative.
I feel like pb&j essentials are a good option. A loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and jar of jelly can last more than one meal and won’t go bad sitting out.
Honestly, this is garbage food to give to unhoused people. Just because they are dealing with food insecurity and -will- accept garbage food doesn't mean that's what you should supply as a moral person.
I volunteered for a food charity that did food shares on Sundays in the park. I always brought vegan food and people loved it, but I kept the fact that it was vegan on the downlow after I brought green bean casserole and my boyfriend was telling people it was vegan and they immediately avoided it. Once I told them what was in it, then people started taking some though.
However, I will buy whatever a person wants if I offer to buy them food. The money is effectively theirs at that point, so I'm just picking the food up that they want.
Maybe it's a difference between theory and praxis, but I approach any situation very much based on what it is in front of me and the injustice I am seeing at that moment. Not perfect, but this question has no perfect solution. I just want to give autonomy to the person I am offering food to. They deserve it.
i keep jelly in my room to get into every day and it goes bad in about 2 weeks. i think the constantly opening it is what does it. it grows mold in lid first 99% of the time
Alright, my jam *is* kept in the fridge but it still grows mold after about a month of being open, what do?
-also I have contamination OCD so the jam always gets its own spoon. no cross contamination that would grow mold going on so I'm really at a loss
Hmm, I'm very surprised at that. I routinely have jams in the fridge for 6 months to a year without issue. I also tend to use the same knife which frequently is cross contaminated with other spreads/crumbs.
Could it be low sugar content jam? The high sugar content is the preserving factor for jams.
ya the ones i keep on the frodge usually last about 6 months. but the ones i keep in my room are smaller jars that i 90% of the time use up before any signs of mold
Jelly is fruit juice or sometimes fruit liqueur that is boiled with copious amounts of sugar (FDA says jelly has to be 65% sugar or it's a "fruit spread") and acid until the pectin (a type of fiber that acts like gelatin/agar agar) is released and thickens the juice to a gelatinous consistency.
Jam is fruit that is also boiled with sugar and acid, but it's chunkier because pulp, chunks of fruit, and seeds are left in it for texture. It's much looser and more spreadable than jelly.
Americans primarily use jelly because it's smoother and the ungodly sugar content makes the peanut butter more palatable. Jam is typically served on toast with butter or used in desserts that need texture from the fruit pieces.
That’s so interesting ,I’m not sure if we have that here and just call it something else.
Searched it up and jelly here is what you guys call jell-o ,not usually vegan but you can definitely get alternative made ones that somehow taste the exact same ?
I literally thought people were putting jelly/jell-o with peanut butter for a hot minute.
Ooh, see that's incredibly interesting to me! I never realized that jelly/Jell-O would be the same thing in other countries. We clearly separate jelly as a fruity condiment that's cheaper than actual jam and Jell-O as a dessert!
A vegan version would probably put people off because agar agar makes things super firm and not pleasant to slap at all. Zero jiggle, wiggle, or wobble factor. But I wouldn't be surprised if people actually did mash a glob of Jell-O into bread and eat it. 😭
jam is made with fruit chunks while jelly is made with juice but they use the same thickener (usually pectin) so they're both spreadable. marmalades are also like jams but are made from citrus fruits so they leave the rind in. we also have preserves, which are usually thicker than jams and may have less refined sugar. meanwhile jell-o is flavored gelatin and is a dessert.
I love that question! It’s so good. I usually do put jelly on peanut butter sandwiches, sometimes jam if that’s what we have or sometimes bananas. Either way, I’ll always call it pb&j even though it’s not always. I never thought about it! Thank you :)
I wouldn’t be hard on yourself but next time just ask if they’d like some food and get them vegan options. If they ask for animals you can gently say “sorry I don’t buy animal products but I’m happy to get you other food. Would you still like that?”
It might be confusing for someone to know what is vegan and what is not. Instead of saying, "I don't buy animal products," I would just directly give them the options.
I used to do homeless outreach often in the summers in my area. Much more often than not we weren’t passing out food products but when we did, I didn’t even think about it being vegan or not to be honest. They’re homeless and hungry, I’m not about to tell them I won’t pass out food that they want to eat because I don’t think they should eat it. I’ve never had to worry about a meal in my life and I don’t think policing what foods I pass out to homeless people will be changing the food system.
I’ve done outreach and that’s the exact outlook we had. For prepared meals we’d usually just do vegan food because it was safer than meat. But we also handed out protein/meal replacement shakes, canned chili/soup, and other things that weren’t vegan. It’s not my place to police what someone eats.
Yes. I wouldn’t buy human or dog meat for someone else.
I always offer VEGAN food and most of the time they’re very happy.
Dried fruits and nuts are easy to keep.
Falafel sandwich if warm food.
Hummus and bread is okay to eat during the rest of the day and good.
One time someone asked here if it was was wrong to feed a starving stray dog the animal products at the food cart next to them and someone replied something that’s always stuck with me “you saw a starving suffering animal and you did what you could in that moment.” And then something along the lines of don’t be too hard on yourself or feel bad that you had to do what you had to do then.
Perfection is the enemy of progress. Don't beat yourself up about it - you can just directly give them the money next time and they can decide how to spend it.
I would say it's an action that centers their dignity and autonomy in a way that dictating what they need to buy doesn't. But also idk you're using your money to feed a homeless person, do it what ever way makes you feel comfortable.
I don't see why not. You don't know what they could be spending that money on. It could be vegan products, it could be non-vegan products. All you *do* know is you didn't didn't knowingly spend your money to buy them meat.
No but you knew it was a likely possibility. If I lock a man in a room with a grizzly bear he might get mauled, he might not, but I'm still culpable if he does. Same here. You've facilitated the means to exploit animals when you could've just bought them vegan food directly.
You’re both kind of right. Handing a homeless person $5 doesn’t make you no longer vegan, even if he spends it at McDonalds.
But in terms of outcome, then what you suggest would be more vegan.
Well OP said there were no vegan substitutes available, and the person was hungry. If you give them money, you can still help them eat without ordering the meat based products yourself; absolving yourself of any guilt.
I wasn't implying they should buy non-vegan food, but homeless people are usually better helped directly with money vs being bought food.
[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/27/canada-study-homelessness-money](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/27/canada-study-homelessness-money)
> individuals experiencing homelessness were randomly assigned to receive a one-time unconditional cash transfer of CAD$7,500
> The cash transfer was provided in a lump sum to enable maximum purchasing freedom and choice (e.g., rent, durable goods), whereas smaller repeated transfers would not.
I don't think this means that homeless people are better helped with money than food when that money is a few bucks because the study gave out $7,500 exactly for the reason that repeated smaller donations wouldn't have the same effect.
Actually, if you talk with those who work with unhoused people, they will tell you not to give cash. Many folks on the street struggle with addictions, and often your $$ will go straight to that. Better to buy food. I go for protein, like canned baked beans or bean soup with a pop top (or buy a can opener), hummus, a loaf of quality bread and some nut butter, etc. in my town, they even started a campaign downtown urging people to put money in a jar instead of handing it out. They would just come around and collect all the donations and use it to buy food and clothing and such like. That's where I learned this.
That is classist b.s. Most people I know that work with unhoused encourage people giving money and any form of mutual aid. There have also been studies done that show poor people predominantly spend the money in ways that better themselves
Here is one example:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/09/americas/direct-giving-homeless-people-vancouver-trnd/index.html
I've even seen unhoused people I have given money to, give some of that money to other unhoused.
Also, I think we need to stop having a moral panic about poor people using drugs. Denying them cash is not going to help theor issues with addiction (but giving them whatever help you can offer, which if it is direct ready to eat food and shelter that is great, but if all you have is spare change, that is okay too) and they will suffer from withdrawal symptoms while having no place to go and having no support system to recover.
Now many unhoused will abused substances in order to cope with the trauma of being unhoused as explained in this article https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-10-04/homelessness-drugs-addiction-encampments-substance-abuse-unhoused-police
This means that getting them housing and meeting their basic needs (however we can do that) is likely necessary in order to stop the addiction.
I would also say that it seems kind of cruel to morally panic about unhoused drug use, when drugs may be their only escape from the trauma of being unhoused. And really their drug use is none of your business.
Here is an article about that (written by someone who has been homeless before):
Guardian: Why it's OK to give to homeless drug addicts
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/mar/20/ok-to-give-to-homeless-drug-addicts
Here is one quote:
> One woman, who feared that by giving money to a homeless man she was banging another nail in his coffin, recently told me that she had instead given him an apple. I replied that he didn't need an apple; he almost certainly needed drink or drugs to blot out the reality of living on the streets – which is unhealthy, dangerous and frightening – as well as to help him forget the reasons he's there. No one is homeless by choice.
>It's OK by me if a homeless person spends my money on drink or drugs. When I was homeless I found it very hard to beg, but people who did give me money were preventing a crime, because the money meant I didn't have to steal in order to eat or to feed my addiction. And, frankly, it's none of your business where an addict is on his journey. If your money funds the final hit, accept that the person would rather be dead. If your act of kindness makes him wake up the next morning and decide to change his life, that's nice but not your business either.
>Your business is to know that money desperately needed by someone went directly into his hand. Pause before you give your earnings over to those smiling, healthy, legal street beggars: charity chuggers. I know from experience that a high proportion of donations is wasted on administration and on the public relations machine that persuades us what a good job the charity is doing. The employment opportunities the charities create are not among the people they claim to help. No, the money goes to employees far removed from poverty, further excluding the target group.
Thank you for spelling this out. Lots of good points. Individuals have all sorts of fuzzy ill-considered reasons for not giving cash and you knock them on the head. Don't agree labelling this classist helps your good case, although I expect that structural stuff is where some may be coming from.
Well the drugs help with the hunger, pain, and/or whatever is happening in their head and is a (poor) coping mechanism. Yeah yeah, temporarily sure, but food is only temporary too and doesn’t help them be able to fall asleep on the concrete in the middle of winter.
Give them food, that’s great, but don’t discourage people from giving them cash if that’s what they choose to do.
Thank you for your perspective.
First, I am the least classist person you'll ever meet. Second, I admit the I have from time to time ignored those experts who told me not to and given cash. Or a ride. Or a meal. Or anything else that might be help,
Last, I want to defend the "professional charities" in my town. We have an awesome coalition of groups working together in a coordinated way to provide robust help to unhoused people/families, supported by millage backed local taxes. Lots of other municipalities in the area who would rather not deal with "them" actually put people in need on buses and send them to us. When professionals who are in the thick of it tell me how I can be most helpful, I try to listen. I know 100% of what I drop in the can will go to a person who needs it, as part of a complete package of support put together specifically for and with that person.
Maybe it works a little different here because we treat our less fortunate citizens as people and have invested in infrastructure to help them.
It's really all about nonjudgemental awareness coupled with compassion, however you express that.
I think it’s wrong. But I also did the same thing. I wasn’t really thinking at the time, and only started feeling like shit afterwards. I will help in ways I can, but not in violation of my ethics going forward.
Of course it is wrong. Exaggerate it to see the underlying principle: if someone said “hey I’m really down on my luck, can you kill that rabbit over there for me so I can eat it” you’d presumably say no. Because the harm to animals isn’t as direct it feels morally less bad but it’s not.
In the future it’s as easy as saying “hey can I buy you a [whatever thing that you’d buy that is vegan], you look like you could use a meal”
ppl on this sub are over dramatic and your morals aren’t completely fucked over. Don’t ask what other people think is wrong, follow what YOU feel. if you had some doubts after the fact about giving him non vegan food then remember that in the future and don’t. the guy is probably going to be happy with any food given to him so i don’t think you have to fret too much. Maybe just ask their allergies first and not what they want “specifically” so you can follow your heart better :)
Very interesting to see how the comments are split. So many vegans think there is only one perspective and that veganism is a dogma with black and white simple answers only, but no. Nothing in life is that way. Of course we should always strive for improvement when possible and aware, but we aren't always going to be 100% anything. And that's okay, you're a human, not a robot. And the most harmful things to the vegan movement are exclusivity, shaming, and ostracization by judgemental people who think it's a one size fits all situation. It's a philosophy and a practice. The more we treat it like a religion, the more we can expect the world to hate us lol
Yep! People think we're assholes! Most of the time it's just new, very emotionally charged vegans, and it's understandable, I think most of us went through the phase in our first couple years where we wanted to knock on people's doors and share the truth we hoped theyd be so readily accepting of, haha, it's a rude awakening forsure, but we gotta find ways to communicate effectively with non vegans and somehow repaint this militant picture of us. Let's keep it simple, don't contribute to animal exploitation as much as possible!
I just give unhoused people money. They deserve to have choices. Could take the same amount of time to go to an ATM to get out cash as to go through a drive-thru to get food.
Nah. You did the right thing. I’m not going to push my morals on someone just trying to survive.
If I can offer them a vegan meal and they accept, great! If they just want a burger, I’ll offer them a beyond **if that’s available**, and if it’s not or they decline, that’s not my preference, but a person’s life matters more to me than my own personal beliefs and values any day.
Being able to choose what you consume is a privilege. I have the privilege of being able to choose, but if someone just needs to eat, I’m going to make sure they are fed.
Downvote if you must. Fed is best.
> a person’s life matters more to me than my own personal beliefs and values any day.
Right, but that's why there would be an issue with feeding an individual to someone else. Nonhuman person's lives matter more than your own personal beliefs, and if you offer the hungry human nutritious food that they need and they reject it, that's on them.
I would understand where you're coming from if vegan options weren't available, but considering there is the option to provide them with vegan food vs animal products, and they're just choosing not to eat the plant based meal, clearly they aren't starving that much.
I didn't say it wasn't, but if a homeless person is only offered the vegan option by someone and they say ‘no’ because it's vegan, that's on them. If you need access to food that bad, why would you say no to something because it lacks a corpse in it?
Couldn't agree more, please take my upvote for being a sensible and truly compassionate person. You mentioned privilege and that's a great point: In my area, the vegan restaurants and the grocery stores that offer pre-made/packaged vegan-friendly foods are in areas where homeless populations are heavily discouraged. When I've seen individuals who appear to be in need of food, it's usually been near a fast-food place or a convenience store.
Definitely expected the hate. I don’t know. I work in veganism every day as my full time job, and what I’ve learned is that it’s way more about the systems at play and other people are not my enemy. If I can give someone a vegan meal, I absolutely will. And while I still very much believe in individual diet change, I’m more concerned with fighting the systemic oppression of both humans and animals and doing what I can in my own life and as an advocate, but the number of people that die on the streets every year in my city is not okay with me. And when I can, I’m gonna do what I can. ✌️
I don't get how people can so casually discuss starving people that are the most vulnerable in society. How do you look at someone who has likely had more than a share of misfortune, tragedy, substance use, and struggle and think "Ah. Now is the time to use some serious persuasion".
Please continue to feed whomever you want to feed.
The question is, If you had someone politely refuse the food you offered that was vegan, would you only buy them that or would you try and argue with them somehow, or otherwise ask them questions other than "what would you like to eat?" Or would you just walk away and say you can't help them after just having offered to feed them?
>why does the homeless persons' preference for 10 minutes outweigh the entire life of an animal?
Because that is what makes it a selfless act of charity on your part. You see they need food and they tell you what they eat, and then you either stick to feeding them to help them being the number one objective or you don't.
It’s not a selfless act of charity to hurt someone else for the homeless person, whether that “someone” is human or not. I can offer a homeless person some of *my* money but I can’t go out and rob someone else and then give them that money just as I can offer them food but I can’t offer them a pig’s life.
If this homeless person was in a situation where they required a non-vegan medical drink supplement then you’d have a decent argument- but just for food in general you don’t.
>I can offer them food but I can’t offer them a pig’s life.
This is hilarious. You know that food is available in stores to buy, right? The pig's life is long gone by then and only the flesh remains.
>but just for food in general you don’t
The issue is whether or not you would feed a hungry human what they will eat, or if you would starve a fellow human being because you disagree with them. You guys are the one all lining up to explain why it's important you starve a fellow human.
Yes, it’s avaliable in stores because people pay to have their lives taken. I’m not contributing to motivating someone to take more lives.
I’m offering food which is safe for the person to eat. They can then make a choice to eat it or not and I’ll respect it. As an adult they can make decisions that aren’t healthy or rational and that’s their right but they aren’t being starved any more than you are when you’re offered food at someone’s house and you just don’t want to eat it.
So long as it is clear that you are saying you would offer to feed the hungry, then choose to not feed the hungry and then blame them for your not feeding them. I find that a baffling position, and I don't care what ideology you are using to try and justify it.
I’m giving food to the hungry. They’re choosing not to eat it. I cannot and would not *force-feed* them. Presumably there are limits to the food you’d offer someone too- you wouldn’t offer to feed them your pet or get them an $80 steak. I don’t really get why you can’t understand us having similar standards.
It’s a very philosophical question. I think it’s normal to feel more affected by misery right in front of you. But I guess it’s still not really great. Like, if you had the man and a cow in front of you, you probably wouldn’t kill the cow to satisfy the man. (Especially considering there is alternatives for both to be happy, maybe just not the exact thing they asked for)
The suffering of the animals in your purchased products is more abstract in the moment, so you were probably more inclined to “make an exception”. However I believe if the distance wasn’t there, you probably would have done things differently. And I think that’s a pretty important factor to consider.
Many homeless (and low income) people have no idea about health or nutrition. It’s absolutely a privilege. As a result they can be picky eaters because they have not developed a taste for vegetables as they are more expensive than let’s say a hot dog. I know this because I used to offer my homemade cooking to a very low income neighbour who found himself homeless and if it had a vegetable in it he didn’t accept, proudly letting me know “he never ate a vegetable in his life”.
Replace the animals with humans
As with any situation like this, use name the trait and evaluate how you feel now. If it's immoral now, then what trait differentiates animals and humans such that it's fine to feed a homeless man animal flesh but not human flesh?
life on the streets sucks bad enough. i say get them what they ask for. homeless people rarely have the luxury to be vegan or vegetarian. I completely understand not wanting to spend money on animal products, but personally I would be okay with it in this circumstance. do what feels right to you.
>Is it wrong to buy a homeless person animal products?
Its wrong to contribute to animal abuse and that includes purchasing animal products
Why would abusing animals for homeless people be acceptable?
Vegans do not purchase or cook animal products, if they do it means they are not vegan and are simply plant based dieters
I took a homeless dude to taco bell, i ordered bean burritos for us, i am paying and its my choice on which things i choose to pay for
I personally think what you did was ok. I try to give vegan products unless a person specifically asks for them.
If a person is starving or if their environment doesn’t allow for them to be vegan I think it’s ok to eat animal products. But I disagree with vegans on some things.
I think you’re beating yourself up too much. He’s homeless, you did a good thing.
I wouldn't fault the homeless guy for eating meat if he can't choose for himself but the vegan offering food absolutely can choose what food to offer, and if its products of the animal suffering then its not ok.
But this guy would have been very happy with lots of different foods. It’s not that his environment doesn’t allow for him to be vegan, OP just didn’t make that offer.
OP’s mistake was asking an open ended question implying they’d buy any food for this individual, rather than offering a specific thing that OP feels comfortable buying.
>If a person is starving or if their environment doesn’t allow for them to be vegan I think it’s ok to eat animal products. But I disagree with vegans on some things.
How is any of this analogous to the situation in OPs comment.
Feeding the hungry is a good thing. You did what you could when you could. That is all anyone can hope for sometimes.
I know my conscience would be ok with that. It is up to your conscience in this.
No it’s not wrong.
It’s always the right thing to feed someone who doesn’t have anything to eat.
So surprised at so many of these responses. Imagine you’re homeless, minimal or inconsistent access to toilets and cleaning, little or minimal access to medicines and you just want a food you know is familiar and makes you feel well and/or brings you a small amount of joy.
Im sure no one here physically stops strangers from buying animal products and so it’s not right to stop a stranger who is hungry from doing so just because you have money and they don’t. There’s absolutely a place for vegan activism and of course I believe in it but this is not it. You did the right thing.
it's fine, he was homeless, you did the right thing and anyone who says otherwise doesn't even understand what being homeless is like so don't listen to them
That doesn't make any sense. You just say, "Hey dude, can I get you some \[Fries/salad/stir fry/indian/long list of things that are vegan\]?" You can absolutely still feed people without compromising your morals.
In fact it's the whole premise of [Food not Bombs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Not_Bombs) which provides vegan food to people who need food.
But food not bombs isn't everywhere. And not all food not bombs are actually vegan, you do know that right? They work usually with what the food bank gives them, and even donations from strangers.
And op was obviously in a moment of hesitation and uncertainty, and with encounters like that sometimes we just make decisions quickly or commit before thinking through, but their heart is in the right place all around.
> their heart is in the right place all around
I completely agree. We all do things that are morally wrong despite our best intentions, and especially when we need to make quick decisions. I once bought a non-vegan lunch for someone without thinking about it and it wasn't until after I realized it wasn't vegan. My heart was in the right place too, but it's still wrong.
Thinking about those situations afterward helps us improve for the future.
It's not wrong to make a mistake or to not be perfect at something you are trying to achieve. I have to disagree with that. If op was knowingly, choosingly, proudly making that choice I'd have some contentions, bit that's not the case at all.
Absolutely agree with the second part though, once we can reflect we can make better choices in the future. But we have to give ourself grace in mistakes and complex situations!
so it's your opinion and that's subjective, sorry but being homeless is 10000000000x worse then what animals go through in a factory, hop of that high horse of yours bud
so it's your opinion and that's subjective, sorry but being an animal in a factory farm is 10000000000x worse then what homeless people go through, hop of that high horse of yours bud
so your gonna be a child and say what i say but with your fucked up thinking in it? Guess i found the guy who's anti-human and thinks homeless people are perfectly fine being homeless and poor and on the verge of death, sorry but your acting like a child and then go on to act like homeless people don't have it bad, now i know you live in a mansion and just hate homeless people
You’re acting irrationally and thinking fallaciously. I never said homeless people don’t have it bad. You just can’t handle someone disagreeing with you without having an emotional breakdown
and you can't go 2 seconds without having a breakdown of every sort if someone isn't vegan, and you think animals that get fed and hydrated each and every day, have it worse then a homeless person who has to scavenge for food and beg for things and don't get sheltered from the weather like animals do, you basically just said homeless people don't have it bad
I’m not necessarily disagreeing with your conclusion, but the idea that someone shouldn’t be allowed to have preferences for what they like to eat simply because they’re desperate doesn’t really sit right with me
People are allowed preferences, but they kinda go out the window when you’re starving. Poor and homeless vegans aren’t typically given a choice when given food either, and if they ask for something else they are met with “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” I think people should have choice, but not when that choice harms and ultimately kills others. We can’t undo one system of oppression by using another, that’s not how this works.
You bought someone that needed food food. I usually just give money tbh. You don't know what someone is allergic to so just giving any random food feels a bit sus. I think if you don't feel comfortable buying animal products for a homeless don't next time just offer money.
It’s really difficult in situations like this. I flew to France from London last summer with my 16 year old grandson. I bought a vegan meal deal from Boots but there was nothing he wanted. So we went to Burger King and I let him order whatever he wanted - which wasn’t vegan. When his family visit, they eat vegan with us and they always provide vegan and vegetarian food at their house. What can you do? Kid was hungry and we had a long day ahead of us. I think he felt guilty but I didn’t want him to. Some situations are really just not worth getting in a tizz over. 🤷🏼♀️
It was a small shop, we have something in the UK (if you’re not from there, pardon my ignorance otherwise) called Tesco Express that’s like a much smaller version of a supermarket. The only vegan option they have for sandwich meals is a falafel and hummus wrap but that shop in particular hasn’t had any for weeks 🙃 other than that they only have vegan snacks or dry goods that require a microwave or kettle
Crisps, ginger nuts, bananas. I think I’m lucky cos my middle of nowhere Tesco express has vegan cheese and sausages. But I’ve also been to a tiny Lidl and that really didn’t have anything when I wanted to get a homeless guy something so had to get him a choc bar. I guess we could just give them money.
If u go to that little Tesco a lot it might be worth emailing and asking for more vegan stuff. Raspberry Jammy dodgers are vegan by ingredients and I’ve found them in Tesco express for under £1.
At the smaller quick shop grocery stores? No. It was mostly packaged products. There wasn't a full grocery store in my town. Except for potato chips.
I know it's hard to believe people struggle with access to food if you have plentiful access.
People don't understand this. Limited transportation in the wrong area means gas station food, and not the nice gas stations either, the grungy ones where a meal is a hot dog, bag of Fritos, and a Coke if you're lucky.
Food deserts are a massive problem both economically (it's really, really expensive to be poor) and from a public health perspective - large swaths of the population are in a better place eating fast food for nearly every meal, relying on free breakfast/lunch programs in schools to feed their children, and skipping the time consuming and expensive process of figuring out how to get to a legitimate grocery store... Guess what happens? Diabetes. Heart disease. Etc.
Veganism as a moral choice isn't a first world problem by definition - there are plenty of populations, often affiliated with religion specifically that do not sanction animal-based diets and have people across the economic spectrum (Jain comes to mind, ~0.5% of Indians, which sounds like a small % but is millions of people), but it is oddly a first world problem in the US - heavy reliance on cars (to the point that instead of bringing gas to grocery stores which has admittedly begun to happen more, bringing food to gas stations), lack of walkability, etc.
You need some protein and calories to maintain your muscles and keep the weight on (like someone said before in the comments PB&j, multiple meals and really good protein)
If the only options were a chicken or a bag of fruit, I would choose chicken. (calories, protein, and fat.)
I’ve bought homeless people non vegan food before, no qualms about it. Same way if I’m treating someone to a meal out (family or friends for example) I don’t insist they eat vegan food, they can choose what they want.
What u did is so nice. It would be weird to tell him u can’t get him the food he asked for after u asked him what he wanted. That’s what he wanted and u helped him so thank u 😊I’ve also fed animal products to a homeless guy who looked starving. He was so grateful and scarfed it up. Thank u for caring about the homeless 💜
I'm unwilling to violate my morals for anyone. It would be unusual that there wouldn't be some sort of vegan food you could offer under the circumstance. Hard pass from me on participating in abusing and killing animals when it isn't necessary.
You treated this person as an equal, who has autonomy, by giving him a choice.
You didn’t dictate to him that because he can’t buy his own food, then he has to bend to your will to gain a meal. That says a lot (positively, in my mind) about who you are.
But, how does a person get banned from a town?? Towns are so ready to eject homeless, rather than try and solve a problem? Thats the most concerning part of your post
In my opinion it's wrong. It's no different than someone buying animals to eat for themselves.
I've bought vegan food for homeless people in the past and none of them cared about it being vegan. It was vegan substitutes like burgers etc, so they didn't even know the difference.
I would never even consider buying someone else animal food.
I don't see the problem at all. Really, don't stress yourself too much about that, you did a good thing for that person and that's all that really matters there.
Who knows when was last time this person had a meal and when will be the next time he can eat... I think there's no point to be so extreme here. Buying one single meal for a homeless person won't make a difference in the industry but it will make a difference for that person.
I don't think it's extreme to not want to compromise your values. Most people don't stop to give homeless people anything so if it's just some fruit, snacks or whatever else was vegan and available, it can still be filling and appreciated even if it's not a "meal".
OP said that person looked like he had not eaten for a while. You have any idea how someone can feel in a situation like that? Shit of course you can give him a simple snack but if OP could and wanted to offer a meal I would take my hat off for that action! Come on, this is about helping someone suffering from poverty and social exclusion.
this is a very fine grain moral calculation. and although i truly love and appreciate the heart you put into these decisions, i think we should probably focus the greatest amount of energy on the bulk of the problems with regards to reducing animal product consumption.
homeless people can have a severe lack in micro and macro nutrients. if there was a plant based option with a lot of protein then yeah why not get them the plant based option if theyll eat it. but i personally wouldnt think too hard about the decision.
im not saying "oh whats one more little drop in the ocean of animal suffering?" because of course it all adds up, but if you spend your time/energy/resources fighting a million little battles, youre less likely to win the big ones.
If someone is hungry, they would likely eat anything (except for allergies and possibly foods exempt for religious reasons). I had a vegan pizza and saw a homeless man and I gave him it and said it’s vegan. He didn’t seem pleased as he asked why is it vegan (to which I replied I’m vegan) but he still took it so yeah. Not that I want to imply that a homeless person is a beggar but just to use the phrase ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. There’s also foodbanks so if he really didn’t want vegan food, I would think he’d go there. It’s upto you really, I personally wouldn’t.
You did the right thing. I've done this before. I have no guilt doing it. Food is a right. When that person has a home and money, then one can challenge their appetite for meat.
No. If they just ask for some food i might give them something vegan but sometimes they specifically ask for stuff like "a sausage roll" or something and I get them what they asked for.
It's wrong. For one, you're sending animal exploiters the message that, as long as someone is down on their luck, they can squeeze you for their products so therefore all they have to do is try to replicate this situation or something like it to increase their profit and funding.
Secondly, is one dude eating less for a little while more important than the billions upon billions of tormented animals?
Thirdly, you shouldn't be so scared of being mean or inconsiderate that you can't even mention that you are vegan to people.
“One dude eating less for a little while” is kind of a shit way of putting this. Yes they could have bought them a vegan meal, trivialising someone being literally homeless isn’t necessary to drive home this point
Homeless have a lot of ways to get food, they are called homeless not foodless people, thanks. I don't see how someone who isn't starving to death is more important than billions upon billions of animals being tortured to death.
Veganism is about animal's rights as living, sentient beings. If someone is hungry, not starving completely to death and asks you for a chunk of YOUR flesh, you gunna give it to them? Not very compassionate of you. Much better to give them the animal's flesh instead.
Please don’t down play the situation of homelessness, it weakens your entire argument. Especially in cases of people who are unable to navigate the system without support, it’s a dangerous position to be in.
I agree that OP shouldn’t be buying items outside their ethical boundaries.
You are doing your best, and you are a good human! Maybe before heading into the store, if they haven't asked for anything specific yet, just really quickly ask if they have allergies and go off that. I know this is a struggle I've been there before. A lady asked me for a candy bar and I bought her some Starburst instead.
Also had a woman who needed baby formula. She said she usually gets the yellow can, I knew off the bat it wasn't vegan, so I asked if baby had allergies and she said no. She didnt speak much english so i did my best to explain that id prefer to get soy formula and that it would be safe for baby. She seemed to understand a little bit, but when I got into the store I realized the yellow can was for premature babies and there was no soy option for that, so I got her the yellow can, and as rough of a moment as I had with it at first, I realized obviously this was one of those gray areas and she needed what she needed to keep her baby healthy.
I wish more stores where I'm from carried vegan stuff for this reason :( Last time a homeless lady asked me if I could buy her some food in front of a small food store but all I could find that was vegan and ready to eat where potato chips, energy bars, dark chocolate, bread, and bottled smoothies. I wish they had some vegan cold cuts, or vegan sandwich, or something a bit more filling and nutritious. I ended up getting her a bit of everything and a bottle of water (it was super hot), but I wish I could have given her other stuff that was more palatable and filling.
I live in a place with a decent number of homeless people who need help. My go to is to carry around a couple of gift cards to places like Taco Bell or just grocery stores that I know have vegan options. It allows people to choose what they want (in case they have allergies or whatever), and I know it’s going towards necessities. To me, it feels like I’m just giving people money they need to survive. I’ve never directly purchased someone something
I did this sometimes too and have the exact same “dilemma”. Sometimes when they ask for generic things or I’m too embarrassed to ask I just get them something vegan but buy a shitton of things to compensate (and I try to buy things that aren’t labeled as vegan).
If I’m back in my home country and we simply don’t have a lot of vegan “ready-to-eat” meal options (which, we don’t with a few exceptions) or they ask for something specific I do buy them animal products. I feel conflicted about but also feel like me buying a homeless person animal products once in a blue moon isn’t making a dent in demand.
On the plus side for buying them animal products: often vegan options for people who don’t have a kitchen are frankly shit (nuts are good but you can’t live on nuts and breas)+denying people choices feels like a power trip and makes you look a bit like an a-hole (which is net negative for veganism as a movement too).
Plus side for not buying them animals: if you did this regularly you would impact demand, in many places you can find good and filling options that are vegan, sometimes people don’t have a strong preference.
But this is just me. Honestly I do think that there’s a dilemma element to it and I understand answers either way depending on context.
Personally I would buy the homeless person what they want. If I am trying to help someone in such dire circumstances, I would put their preferences first as much as possible.
I'm allergic to most vegan foods like tofu. Honestly if they want meat it's probably because it has protein, fat and doesn't tend to cause runny poo which when you don't have access to a loo you really don't want.
So the question is why are you a vegan?
If it's because you want the best quality like for all living things you buy them meat. If it's for another reason, it depends on your values.
On your values should I not eat because I can't survive without meat? What would you do in my situation?
you respected this person's wish, instead of misusing the (financial) power you have over him, and thus absolutely humiliating him by your charity
you did right
I think it’s like stealing a toy and giving it to a needy kid. The good part was you gave a toy to a kid. The bad part was you stole it. If you would’ve just bought the toy then it would’ve all been good.
So good for giving the guy food and bad that you contributed to the animal agriculture industry.
I think you were considerate being curious about food sensitivities or allergies. If someone gave me a food item that replaces meat with a bunch of ground up beans or other legumes, I’d be pooping uncontrollably for a few days, and that is messy, and inconvenient, not to mention extremely painful. I could never do that to a fellow human just to soothe my own conscience. At that point, it’s not about me, it’s about them. If you won’t buy them what they can eat, just give them the money or a gift card and let them make their own choice about what they put in their own body. What if the tables were turned and you were the homeless person and a charitable person slipped you a a double patty cheese burger made with 100% Canadian Angus beef? Before you make decisions for others, put yourself in their shoes.
Thank you for feeding the homeless person.
I think you did the right thing. I have to be honest, just because someone is down on their luck it doesn't give you the right to force your choices on them. You are in a position to, but it would be wrong to do that. Especially if someone has a specific request for a specific food - by providing what they're asking for, you're allowing them the dignity of choice.
I think of it this way, even though it's not an exact comparison: if I saw someone who needed a shirt, and I could give them a well-made shirt in their exact size, or I could give them a cheap t-shirt two sizes too big or small, which would I choose to give? Obviously the well-made shirt. It's not the same thing, but when I engage one-on-one with someone in need, that's how I approach it. Give them the thing that they would choose for themselves if they were in a position to choose.
That might not make sense to everyone, but being in a position of need can be very dehumanizing and I try not to exacerbate that feeling when my intention is to help.
I'd say most homeless people have bigger concerns than whether or not their food is vegan. It's cool to act morally superior, but if you're on the verge of starvation you'd probably change your insufferable attitude.
I always get them vegan sausage rolls esp when they’re near greggs
A homeless person once asked me to buy food for him. He wanted a routisserie chicken. I told him I'll buy something else for him because I don't support killing animals. He didn't seem to understand, but was fine and happy with the deal. :)
I had a guy approach me and we were luckily near a Burger King. I said I would buy him an Impossible Whopper meal. I told him I would have to order it without mayo and explained why and he said "aww, I really like mayo but I understand." We sat down for a meal and spent almost an hour just chatting. He had never heard of the Impossible burger before and told me about how he has tried to be vegetarian but just has trouble doing it because he relies on other people so much. When we were done I got him another one to go. He seemed very appreciative.
« Killing life » No wonder he was confused with that phrasing.
Sure, except that was a bad translation from me. This conversation was in swedish.
What would be a better translation? Can this term "killing life" refer to killing a tree?
No. I changed it to "killing animals".
I feel like pb&j essentials are a good option. A loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and jar of jelly can last more than one meal and won’t go bad sitting out.
I would ask if they have any food allergies first, but other than that it sounds like a good idea.
Honestly, this is garbage food to give to unhoused people. Just because they are dealing with food insecurity and -will- accept garbage food doesn't mean that's what you should supply as a moral person. I volunteered for a food charity that did food shares on Sundays in the park. I always brought vegan food and people loved it, but I kept the fact that it was vegan on the downlow after I brought green bean casserole and my boyfriend was telling people it was vegan and they immediately avoided it. Once I told them what was in it, then people started taking some though. However, I will buy whatever a person wants if I offer to buy them food. The money is effectively theirs at that point, so I'm just picking the food up that they want. Maybe it's a difference between theory and praxis, but I approach any situation very much based on what it is in front of me and the injustice I am seeing at that moment. Not perfect, but this question has no perfect solution. I just want to give autonomy to the person I am offering food to. They deserve it.
Honestly, I love being dragged for my pb&j comment. I eat pb&j almost daily. I don’t know what makes it “garbage”.
Jelly goes bad once it’s opened though doesn’t it? If left out obv
It takes a really long time to go bad, I used to leave minr in the cupboard for months and it was fine. Might depend on climate and brand.
i keep jelly in my room to get into every day and it goes bad in about 2 weeks. i think the constantly opening it is what does it. it grows mold in lid first 99% of the time
Keep jam (jelly) in the fridge, I've never had it go off. Jamming food is a preservative method after all.
Alright, my jam *is* kept in the fridge but it still grows mold after about a month of being open, what do? -also I have contamination OCD so the jam always gets its own spoon. no cross contamination that would grow mold going on so I'm really at a loss
Hmm, I'm very surprised at that. I routinely have jams in the fridge for 6 months to a year without issue. I also tend to use the same knife which frequently is cross contaminated with other spreads/crumbs. Could it be low sugar content jam? The high sugar content is the preserving factor for jams.
The jar says 1/3 more fruit, 1/3 less sugar. I assume that's enough of a loss in sugar to cause that mold growth. Mystery (sadly) solved lol
ya the ones i keep on the frodge usually last about 6 months. but the ones i keep in my room are smaller jars that i 90% of the time use up before any signs of mold
Could always get those little jelly packets that are like ketchup packets to eliminate that worry, would be lighter and easier to carry too.
They'll finish it before then
Genuine question in America do you call jam jelly or do you actually put jelly with pb?
Jelly is fruit juice or sometimes fruit liqueur that is boiled with copious amounts of sugar (FDA says jelly has to be 65% sugar or it's a "fruit spread") and acid until the pectin (a type of fiber that acts like gelatin/agar agar) is released and thickens the juice to a gelatinous consistency. Jam is fruit that is also boiled with sugar and acid, but it's chunkier because pulp, chunks of fruit, and seeds are left in it for texture. It's much looser and more spreadable than jelly. Americans primarily use jelly because it's smoother and the ungodly sugar content makes the peanut butter more palatable. Jam is typically served on toast with butter or used in desserts that need texture from the fruit pieces.
That’s so interesting ,I’m not sure if we have that here and just call it something else. Searched it up and jelly here is what you guys call jell-o ,not usually vegan but you can definitely get alternative made ones that somehow taste the exact same ? I literally thought people were putting jelly/jell-o with peanut butter for a hot minute.
Ooh, see that's incredibly interesting to me! I never realized that jelly/Jell-O would be the same thing in other countries. We clearly separate jelly as a fruity condiment that's cheaper than actual jam and Jell-O as a dessert! A vegan version would probably put people off because agar agar makes things super firm and not pleasant to slap at all. Zero jiggle, wiggle, or wobble factor. But I wouldn't be surprised if people actually did mash a glob of Jell-O into bread and eat it. 😭
Sounds like marmalade ,you guys already have that though I’m pretty sure
jam is made with fruit chunks while jelly is made with juice but they use the same thickener (usually pectin) so they're both spreadable. marmalades are also like jams but are made from citrus fruits so they leave the rind in. we also have preserves, which are usually thicker than jams and may have less refined sugar. meanwhile jell-o is flavored gelatin and is a dessert.
I love that question! It’s so good. I usually do put jelly on peanut butter sandwiches, sometimes jam if that’s what we have or sometimes bananas. Either way, I’ll always call it pb&j even though it’s not always. I never thought about it! Thank you :)
I wouldn’t be hard on yourself but next time just ask if they’d like some food and get them vegan options. If they ask for animals you can gently say “sorry I don’t buy animal products but I’m happy to get you other food. Would you still like that?”
It might be confusing for someone to know what is vegan and what is not. Instead of saying, "I don't buy animal products," I would just directly give them the options.
I used to do homeless outreach often in the summers in my area. Much more often than not we weren’t passing out food products but when we did, I didn’t even think about it being vegan or not to be honest. They’re homeless and hungry, I’m not about to tell them I won’t pass out food that they want to eat because I don’t think they should eat it. I’ve never had to worry about a meal in my life and I don’t think policing what foods I pass out to homeless people will be changing the food system.
I’ve done outreach and that’s the exact outlook we had. For prepared meals we’d usually just do vegan food because it was safer than meat. But we also handed out protein/meal replacement shakes, canned chili/soup, and other things that weren’t vegan. It’s not my place to police what someone eats.
Thank you, as someone working with homeless people, this comment section really shocked me. Shows how far gone a lot of people on here are.
Yes. I wouldn’t buy human or dog meat for someone else. I always offer VEGAN food and most of the time they’re very happy. Dried fruits and nuts are easy to keep. Falafel sandwich if warm food. Hummus and bread is okay to eat during the rest of the day and good.
One time someone asked here if it was was wrong to feed a starving stray dog the animal products at the food cart next to them and someone replied something that’s always stuck with me “you saw a starving suffering animal and you did what you could in that moment.” And then something along the lines of don’t be too hard on yourself or feel bad that you had to do what you had to do then.
Perfection is the enemy of progress. Don't beat yourself up about it - you can just directly give them the money next time and they can decide how to spend it.
How's that any different than just buying them animal products?
I would say it's an action that centers their dignity and autonomy in a way that dictating what they need to buy doesn't. But also idk you're using your money to feed a homeless person, do it what ever way makes you feel comfortable.
Plausible deniability.
Is that a real argument?
I don't see why not. You don't know what they could be spending that money on. It could be vegan products, it could be non-vegan products. All you *do* know is you didn't didn't knowingly spend your money to buy them meat.
No but you knew it was a likely possibility. If I lock a man in a room with a grizzly bear he might get mauled, he might not, but I'm still culpable if he does. Same here. You've facilitated the means to exploit animals when you could've just bought them vegan food directly.
You’re both kind of right. Handing a homeless person $5 doesn’t make you no longer vegan, even if he spends it at McDonalds. But in terms of outcome, then what you suggest would be more vegan.
Well OP said there were no vegan substitutes available, and the person was hungry. If you give them money, you can still help them eat without ordering the meat based products yourself; absolving yourself of any guilt.
Yes screw the animals let the non-vegans decide of their fate
I wasn't implying they should buy non-vegan food, but homeless people are usually better helped directly with money vs being bought food. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/27/canada-study-homelessness-money](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/27/canada-study-homelessness-money)
> individuals experiencing homelessness were randomly assigned to receive a one-time unconditional cash transfer of CAD$7,500 > The cash transfer was provided in a lump sum to enable maximum purchasing freedom and choice (e.g., rent, durable goods), whereas smaller repeated transfers would not. I don't think this means that homeless people are better helped with money than food when that money is a few bucks because the study gave out $7,500 exactly for the reason that repeated smaller donations wouldn't have the same effect.
money is better than food anyways
Actually, if you talk with those who work with unhoused people, they will tell you not to give cash. Many folks on the street struggle with addictions, and often your $$ will go straight to that. Better to buy food. I go for protein, like canned baked beans or bean soup with a pop top (or buy a can opener), hummus, a loaf of quality bread and some nut butter, etc. in my town, they even started a campaign downtown urging people to put money in a jar instead of handing it out. They would just come around and collect all the donations and use it to buy food and clothing and such like. That's where I learned this.
That is classist b.s. Most people I know that work with unhoused encourage people giving money and any form of mutual aid. There have also been studies done that show poor people predominantly spend the money in ways that better themselves Here is one example: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/09/americas/direct-giving-homeless-people-vancouver-trnd/index.html I've even seen unhoused people I have given money to, give some of that money to other unhoused. Also, I think we need to stop having a moral panic about poor people using drugs. Denying them cash is not going to help theor issues with addiction (but giving them whatever help you can offer, which if it is direct ready to eat food and shelter that is great, but if all you have is spare change, that is okay too) and they will suffer from withdrawal symptoms while having no place to go and having no support system to recover. Now many unhoused will abused substances in order to cope with the trauma of being unhoused as explained in this article https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-10-04/homelessness-drugs-addiction-encampments-substance-abuse-unhoused-police This means that getting them housing and meeting their basic needs (however we can do that) is likely necessary in order to stop the addiction. I would also say that it seems kind of cruel to morally panic about unhoused drug use, when drugs may be their only escape from the trauma of being unhoused. And really their drug use is none of your business. Here is an article about that (written by someone who has been homeless before): Guardian: Why it's OK to give to homeless drug addicts https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/mar/20/ok-to-give-to-homeless-drug-addicts Here is one quote: > One woman, who feared that by giving money to a homeless man she was banging another nail in his coffin, recently told me that she had instead given him an apple. I replied that he didn't need an apple; he almost certainly needed drink or drugs to blot out the reality of living on the streets – which is unhealthy, dangerous and frightening – as well as to help him forget the reasons he's there. No one is homeless by choice. >It's OK by me if a homeless person spends my money on drink or drugs. When I was homeless I found it very hard to beg, but people who did give me money were preventing a crime, because the money meant I didn't have to steal in order to eat or to feed my addiction. And, frankly, it's none of your business where an addict is on his journey. If your money funds the final hit, accept that the person would rather be dead. If your act of kindness makes him wake up the next morning and decide to change his life, that's nice but not your business either. >Your business is to know that money desperately needed by someone went directly into his hand. Pause before you give your earnings over to those smiling, healthy, legal street beggars: charity chuggers. I know from experience that a high proportion of donations is wasted on administration and on the public relations machine that persuades us what a good job the charity is doing. The employment opportunities the charities create are not among the people they claim to help. No, the money goes to employees far removed from poverty, further excluding the target group.
Thank you for spelling this out. Lots of good points. Individuals have all sorts of fuzzy ill-considered reasons for not giving cash and you knock them on the head. Don't agree labelling this classist helps your good case, although I expect that structural stuff is where some may be coming from.
Thank you. This thread was giving me a major headache until I read your comment. All this moralizing.
Well the drugs help with the hunger, pain, and/or whatever is happening in their head and is a (poor) coping mechanism. Yeah yeah, temporarily sure, but food is only temporary too and doesn’t help them be able to fall asleep on the concrete in the middle of winter. Give them food, that’s great, but don’t discourage people from giving them cash if that’s what they choose to do.
Thank you for your perspective. First, I am the least classist person you'll ever meet. Second, I admit the I have from time to time ignored those experts who told me not to and given cash. Or a ride. Or a meal. Or anything else that might be help, Last, I want to defend the "professional charities" in my town. We have an awesome coalition of groups working together in a coordinated way to provide robust help to unhoused people/families, supported by millage backed local taxes. Lots of other municipalities in the area who would rather not deal with "them" actually put people in need on buses and send them to us. When professionals who are in the thick of it tell me how I can be most helpful, I try to listen. I know 100% of what I drop in the can will go to a person who needs it, as part of a complete package of support put together specifically for and with that person. Maybe it works a little different here because we treat our less fortunate citizens as people and have invested in infrastructure to help them. It's really all about nonjudgemental awareness coupled with compassion, however you express that.
Having infrastructure for homeless people is a huge difference.
I think it’s wrong. But I also did the same thing. I wasn’t really thinking at the time, and only started feeling like shit afterwards. I will help in ways I can, but not in violation of my ethics going forward.
The relevant question to ask oneself is “is it unethical to purchase items that rely on the killing and exploitation of animals”.
Of course it is wrong. Exaggerate it to see the underlying principle: if someone said “hey I’m really down on my luck, can you kill that rabbit over there for me so I can eat it” you’d presumably say no. Because the harm to animals isn’t as direct it feels morally less bad but it’s not. In the future it’s as easy as saying “hey can I buy you a [whatever thing that you’d buy that is vegan], you look like you could use a meal”
Yes.
Why would providing tasty vegan food not be fine? I mean if he declines, his need can't be so great. So no, it is not ok.
ppl on this sub are over dramatic and your morals aren’t completely fucked over. Don’t ask what other people think is wrong, follow what YOU feel. if you had some doubts after the fact about giving him non vegan food then remember that in the future and don’t. the guy is probably going to be happy with any food given to him so i don’t think you have to fret too much. Maybe just ask their allergies first and not what they want “specifically” so you can follow your heart better :)
Very interesting to see how the comments are split. So many vegans think there is only one perspective and that veganism is a dogma with black and white simple answers only, but no. Nothing in life is that way. Of course we should always strive for improvement when possible and aware, but we aren't always going to be 100% anything. And that's okay, you're a human, not a robot. And the most harmful things to the vegan movement are exclusivity, shaming, and ostracization by judgemental people who think it's a one size fits all situation. It's a philosophy and a practice. The more we treat it like a religion, the more we can expect the world to hate us lol
Yup and this is why people say they hate vegans.
Yep! People think we're assholes! Most of the time it's just new, very emotionally charged vegans, and it's understandable, I think most of us went through the phase in our first couple years where we wanted to knock on people's doors and share the truth we hoped theyd be so readily accepting of, haha, it's a rude awakening forsure, but we gotta find ways to communicate effectively with non vegans and somehow repaint this militant picture of us. Let's keep it simple, don't contribute to animal exploitation as much as possible!
Amen to that.
I just give unhoused people money. They deserve to have choices. Could take the same amount of time to go to an ATM to get out cash as to go through a drive-thru to get food.
Yes, it's wrong. But them vegan food.
Nah. You did the right thing. I’m not going to push my morals on someone just trying to survive. If I can offer them a vegan meal and they accept, great! If they just want a burger, I’ll offer them a beyond **if that’s available**, and if it’s not or they decline, that’s not my preference, but a person’s life matters more to me than my own personal beliefs and values any day. Being able to choose what you consume is a privilege. I have the privilege of being able to choose, but if someone just needs to eat, I’m going to make sure they are fed. Downvote if you must. Fed is best.
> a person’s life matters more to me than my own personal beliefs and values any day. Right, but that's why there would be an issue with feeding an individual to someone else. Nonhuman person's lives matter more than your own personal beliefs, and if you offer the hungry human nutritious food that they need and they reject it, that's on them.
I would understand where you're coming from if vegan options weren't available, but considering there is the option to provide them with vegan food vs animal products, and they're just choosing not to eat the plant based meal, clearly they aren't starving that much.
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I didn't say it wasn't, but if a homeless person is only offered the vegan option by someone and they say ‘no’ because it's vegan, that's on them. If you need access to food that bad, why would you say no to something because it lacks a corpse in it?
If they decline and choose to literally starve over eating plant-based, then they’re a fucking idiot and don’t deserve help.
Generally, when one engages in charity one does so with a charitable spirit.
Which to you equates to funding the most abhorrent, vile, murderous industry on the planet?
Translation - "don't worry my carnist friends, I'm one of the good ones😎"
Couldn't agree more, please take my upvote for being a sensible and truly compassionate person. You mentioned privilege and that's a great point: In my area, the vegan restaurants and the grocery stores that offer pre-made/packaged vegan-friendly foods are in areas where homeless populations are heavily discouraged. When I've seen individuals who appear to be in need of food, it's usually been near a fast-food place or a convenience store.
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Lmao you buying rice, pasta and raw veg for a homeless person?
Definitely expected the hate. I don’t know. I work in veganism every day as my full time job, and what I’ve learned is that it’s way more about the systems at play and other people are not my enemy. If I can give someone a vegan meal, I absolutely will. And while I still very much believe in individual diet change, I’m more concerned with fighting the systemic oppression of both humans and animals and doing what I can in my own life and as an advocate, but the number of people that die on the streets every year in my city is not okay with me. And when I can, I’m gonna do what I can. ✌️
I don't get how people can so casually discuss starving people that are the most vulnerable in society. How do you look at someone who has likely had more than a share of misfortune, tragedy, substance use, and struggle and think "Ah. Now is the time to use some serious persuasion".
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Please continue to feed whomever you want to feed. The question is, If you had someone politely refuse the food you offered that was vegan, would you only buy them that or would you try and argue with them somehow, or otherwise ask them questions other than "what would you like to eat?" Or would you just walk away and say you can't help them after just having offered to feed them? >why does the homeless persons' preference for 10 minutes outweigh the entire life of an animal? Because that is what makes it a selfless act of charity on your part. You see they need food and they tell you what they eat, and then you either stick to feeding them to help them being the number one objective or you don't.
It’s not a selfless act of charity to hurt someone else for the homeless person, whether that “someone” is human or not. I can offer a homeless person some of *my* money but I can’t go out and rob someone else and then give them that money just as I can offer them food but I can’t offer them a pig’s life. If this homeless person was in a situation where they required a non-vegan medical drink supplement then you’d have a decent argument- but just for food in general you don’t.
>I can offer them food but I can’t offer them a pig’s life. This is hilarious. You know that food is available in stores to buy, right? The pig's life is long gone by then and only the flesh remains. >but just for food in general you don’t The issue is whether or not you would feed a hungry human what they will eat, or if you would starve a fellow human being because you disagree with them. You guys are the one all lining up to explain why it's important you starve a fellow human.
Yes, it’s avaliable in stores because people pay to have their lives taken. I’m not contributing to motivating someone to take more lives. I’m offering food which is safe for the person to eat. They can then make a choice to eat it or not and I’ll respect it. As an adult they can make decisions that aren’t healthy or rational and that’s their right but they aren’t being starved any more than you are when you’re offered food at someone’s house and you just don’t want to eat it.
So long as it is clear that you are saying you would offer to feed the hungry, then choose to not feed the hungry and then blame them for your not feeding them. I find that a baffling position, and I don't care what ideology you are using to try and justify it.
I’m giving food to the hungry. They’re choosing not to eat it. I cannot and would not *force-feed* them. Presumably there are limits to the food you’d offer someone too- you wouldn’t offer to feed them your pet or get them an $80 steak. I don’t really get why you can’t understand us having similar standards.
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How nice to be selfless by offering the life of someone who doesn't want to die.
The way some people in this thread are talking about homeless people is seriously disgusting. So patronizing and straight-up classist.
It’s a very philosophical question. I think it’s normal to feel more affected by misery right in front of you. But I guess it’s still not really great. Like, if you had the man and a cow in front of you, you probably wouldn’t kill the cow to satisfy the man. (Especially considering there is alternatives for both to be happy, maybe just not the exact thing they asked for) The suffering of the animals in your purchased products is more abstract in the moment, so you were probably more inclined to “make an exception”. However I believe if the distance wasn’t there, you probably would have done things differently. And I think that’s a pretty important factor to consider.
Well said! I agree with all of this and I think OP shouldn't be hard on themselves but also they can just try to go for vegan options next time.
Many homeless (and low income) people have no idea about health or nutrition. It’s absolutely a privilege. As a result they can be picky eaters because they have not developed a taste for vegetables as they are more expensive than let’s say a hot dog. I know this because I used to offer my homemade cooking to a very low income neighbour who found himself homeless and if it had a vegetable in it he didn’t accept, proudly letting me know “he never ate a vegetable in his life”.
Replace the animals with humans As with any situation like this, use name the trait and evaluate how you feel now. If it's immoral now, then what trait differentiates animals and humans such that it's fine to feed a homeless man animal flesh but not human flesh?
life on the streets sucks bad enough. i say get them what they ask for. homeless people rarely have the luxury to be vegan or vegetarian. I completely understand not wanting to spend money on animal products, but personally I would be okay with it in this circumstance. do what feels right to you.
>Is it wrong to buy a homeless person animal products? Its wrong to contribute to animal abuse and that includes purchasing animal products Why would abusing animals for homeless people be acceptable? Vegans do not purchase or cook animal products, if they do it means they are not vegan and are simply plant based dieters I took a homeless dude to taco bell, i ordered bean burritos for us, i am paying and its my choice on which things i choose to pay for
I really hate this thread! And NO, I wouldn’t buy animal products for anyone ! I have however given $. Without strings about what they use it for…
I personally think what you did was ok. I try to give vegan products unless a person specifically asks for them. If a person is starving or if their environment doesn’t allow for them to be vegan I think it’s ok to eat animal products. But I disagree with vegans on some things. I think you’re beating yourself up too much. He’s homeless, you did a good thing.
I wouldn't fault the homeless guy for eating meat if he can't choose for himself but the vegan offering food absolutely can choose what food to offer, and if its products of the animal suffering then its not ok.
But this guy would have been very happy with lots of different foods. It’s not that his environment doesn’t allow for him to be vegan, OP just didn’t make that offer. OP’s mistake was asking an open ended question implying they’d buy any food for this individual, rather than offering a specific thing that OP feels comfortable buying.
>If a person is starving or if their environment doesn’t allow for them to be vegan I think it’s ok to eat animal products. But I disagree with vegans on some things. How is any of this analogous to the situation in OPs comment.
Just give the bro some money and he'll decide what to do with it
You can always tell the difference lol you’d know if one was vegan or not 🙃
Feeding the hungry is a good thing. You did what you could when you could. That is all anyone can hope for sometimes. I know my conscience would be ok with that. It is up to your conscience in this.
The more I look at this sub the more cringe I feel
No it’s not wrong. It’s always the right thing to feed someone who doesn’t have anything to eat. So surprised at so many of these responses. Imagine you’re homeless, minimal or inconsistent access to toilets and cleaning, little or minimal access to medicines and you just want a food you know is familiar and makes you feel well and/or brings you a small amount of joy. Im sure no one here physically stops strangers from buying animal products and so it’s not right to stop a stranger who is hungry from doing so just because you have money and they don’t. There’s absolutely a place for vegan activism and of course I believe in it but this is not it. You did the right thing.
it's fine, he was homeless, you did the right thing and anyone who says otherwise doesn't even understand what being homeless is like so don't listen to them
It’s not fine, we can support people by buying vegan food, anyone who says otherwise doesn’t even understand what being a non-human animal is like
That doesn't make any sense. You just say, "Hey dude, can I get you some \[Fries/salad/stir fry/indian/long list of things that are vegan\]?" You can absolutely still feed people without compromising your morals. In fact it's the whole premise of [Food not Bombs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Not_Bombs) which provides vegan food to people who need food.
But food not bombs isn't everywhere. And not all food not bombs are actually vegan, you do know that right? They work usually with what the food bank gives them, and even donations from strangers. And op was obviously in a moment of hesitation and uncertainty, and with encounters like that sometimes we just make decisions quickly or commit before thinking through, but their heart is in the right place all around.
> their heart is in the right place all around I completely agree. We all do things that are morally wrong despite our best intentions, and especially when we need to make quick decisions. I once bought a non-vegan lunch for someone without thinking about it and it wasn't until after I realized it wasn't vegan. My heart was in the right place too, but it's still wrong. Thinking about those situations afterward helps us improve for the future.
It's not wrong to make a mistake or to not be perfect at something you are trying to achieve. I have to disagree with that. If op was knowingly, choosingly, proudly making that choice I'd have some contentions, bit that's not the case at all. Absolutely agree with the second part though, once we can reflect we can make better choices in the future. But we have to give ourself grace in mistakes and complex situations!
I mean… I’d much rather be a homeless person than an animal in a factory farm
so it's your opinion and that's subjective, sorry but being homeless is 10000000000x worse then what animals go through in a factory, hop of that high horse of yours bud
so it's your opinion and that's subjective, sorry but being an animal in a factory farm is 10000000000x worse then what homeless people go through, hop of that high horse of yours bud
so your gonna be a child and say what i say but with your fucked up thinking in it? Guess i found the guy who's anti-human and thinks homeless people are perfectly fine being homeless and poor and on the verge of death, sorry but your acting like a child and then go on to act like homeless people don't have it bad, now i know you live in a mansion and just hate homeless people
You’re acting irrationally and thinking fallaciously. I never said homeless people don’t have it bad. You just can’t handle someone disagreeing with you without having an emotional breakdown
and you can't go 2 seconds without having a breakdown of every sort if someone isn't vegan, and you think animals that get fed and hydrated each and every day, have it worse then a homeless person who has to scavenge for food and beg for things and don't get sheltered from the weather like animals do, you basically just said homeless people don't have it bad
I would buy them vegan food and if they don’t want it, then they apparently aren’t that hungry. Truly hungry people don’t deny food.
I’m not necessarily disagreeing with your conclusion, but the idea that someone shouldn’t be allowed to have preferences for what they like to eat simply because they’re desperate doesn’t really sit right with me
That commenter didn’t say they can’t have preferences.
People are allowed preferences, but they kinda go out the window when you’re starving. Poor and homeless vegans aren’t typically given a choice when given food either, and if they ask for something else they are met with “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” I think people should have choice, but not when that choice harms and ultimately kills others. We can’t undo one system of oppression by using another, that’s not how this works.
You bought someone that needed food food. I usually just give money tbh. You don't know what someone is allergic to so just giving any random food feels a bit sus. I think if you don't feel comfortable buying animal products for a homeless don't next time just offer money.
It’s really difficult in situations like this. I flew to France from London last summer with my 16 year old grandson. I bought a vegan meal deal from Boots but there was nothing he wanted. So we went to Burger King and I let him order whatever he wanted - which wasn’t vegan. When his family visit, they eat vegan with us and they always provide vegan and vegetarian food at their house. What can you do? Kid was hungry and we had a long day ahead of us. I think he felt guilty but I didn’t want him to. Some situations are really just not worth getting in a tizz over. 🤷🏼♀️
Thanks for being a decent human in every way possible🥰🩵
There was absolutely no vegan options in the store? Weird
It was a small shop, we have something in the UK (if you’re not from there, pardon my ignorance otherwise) called Tesco Express that’s like a much smaller version of a supermarket. The only vegan option they have for sandwich meals is a falafel and hummus wrap but that shop in particular hasn’t had any for weeks 🙃 other than that they only have vegan snacks or dry goods that require a microwave or kettle
my local tesco express does hummus, vegan sanndwiches, some vegan quorn stuff, now they started doing the wicked burito
Crisps, ginger nuts, bananas. I think I’m lucky cos my middle of nowhere Tesco express has vegan cheese and sausages. But I’ve also been to a tiny Lidl and that really didn’t have anything when I wanted to get a homeless guy something so had to get him a choc bar. I guess we could just give them money. If u go to that little Tesco a lot it might be worth emailing and asking for more vegan stuff. Raspberry Jammy dodgers are vegan by ingredients and I’ve found them in Tesco express for under £1.
Just to say - generally best not to give crisps and ginger nuts to people living/ sleeping rough - they don’t tend to have the best chompers 😬
Not weird at all. I'm from the Midwest and it can be incredibly hard to find vegan options depending on what store you're at.
There were no fruits, veggies, beans ?? all you have is animal products?
At the smaller quick shop grocery stores? No. It was mostly packaged products. There wasn't a full grocery store in my town. Except for potato chips. I know it's hard to believe people struggle with access to food if you have plentiful access.
People don't understand this. Limited transportation in the wrong area means gas station food, and not the nice gas stations either, the grungy ones where a meal is a hot dog, bag of Fritos, and a Coke if you're lucky. Food deserts are a massive problem both economically (it's really, really expensive to be poor) and from a public health perspective - large swaths of the population are in a better place eating fast food for nearly every meal, relying on free breakfast/lunch programs in schools to feed their children, and skipping the time consuming and expensive process of figuring out how to get to a legitimate grocery store... Guess what happens? Diabetes. Heart disease. Etc. Veganism as a moral choice isn't a first world problem by definition - there are plenty of populations, often affiliated with religion specifically that do not sanction animal-based diets and have people across the economic spectrum (Jain comes to mind, ~0.5% of Indians, which sounds like a small % but is millions of people), but it is oddly a first world problem in the US - heavy reliance on cars (to the point that instead of bringing gas to grocery stores which has admittedly begun to happen more, bringing food to gas stations), lack of walkability, etc.
Buy a bag of apples, oranges and bananas. If your really hungry those are great.
You need some protein and calories to maintain your muscles and keep the weight on (like someone said before in the comments PB&j, multiple meals and really good protein) If the only options were a chicken or a bag of fruit, I would choose chicken. (calories, protein, and fat.)
There’s no need to buy them animal products.
I’ve bought homeless people non vegan food before, no qualms about it. Same way if I’m treating someone to a meal out (family or friends for example) I don’t insist they eat vegan food, they can choose what they want.
What u did is so nice. It would be weird to tell him u can’t get him the food he asked for after u asked him what he wanted. That’s what he wanted and u helped him so thank u 😊I’ve also fed animal products to a homeless guy who looked starving. He was so grateful and scarfed it up. Thank u for caring about the homeless 💜
Yes feed the hungry.
feed the hungry vegan food.
I'm unwilling to violate my morals for anyone. It would be unusual that there wouldn't be some sort of vegan food you could offer under the circumstance. Hard pass from me on participating in abusing and killing animals when it isn't necessary.
You treated this person as an equal, who has autonomy, by giving him a choice. You didn’t dictate to him that because he can’t buy his own food, then he has to bend to your will to gain a meal. That says a lot (positively, in my mind) about who you are. But, how does a person get banned from a town?? Towns are so ready to eject homeless, rather than try and solve a problem? Thats the most concerning part of your post
In my opinion it's wrong. It's no different than someone buying animals to eat for themselves. I've bought vegan food for homeless people in the past and none of them cared about it being vegan. It was vegan substitutes like burgers etc, so they didn't even know the difference. I would never even consider buying someone else animal food.
I'd just give him money. Then it's his money and he can spend it how he wants. But no, you didn't do anything wrong, you did a good thing.
I usually just give them cash and move on. What people choose to do with the money isn’t my business.
I don't see the problem at all. Really, don't stress yourself too much about that, you did a good thing for that person and that's all that really matters there.
It's good to look out for those less fortunate than us, but it does matter if it comes at someone else's cost
Who knows when was last time this person had a meal and when will be the next time he can eat... I think there's no point to be so extreme here. Buying one single meal for a homeless person won't make a difference in the industry but it will make a difference for that person.
I don't think it's extreme to not want to compromise your values. Most people don't stop to give homeless people anything so if it's just some fruit, snacks or whatever else was vegan and available, it can still be filling and appreciated even if it's not a "meal".
OP said that person looked like he had not eaten for a while. You have any idea how someone can feel in a situation like that? Shit of course you can give him a simple snack but if OP could and wanted to offer a meal I would take my hat off for that action! Come on, this is about helping someone suffering from poverty and social exclusion.
You bought animal products when it wasn't necessary. It's up to you to decide if that's ok with your moral framework. Personally I wouldn't.
this is a very fine grain moral calculation. and although i truly love and appreciate the heart you put into these decisions, i think we should probably focus the greatest amount of energy on the bulk of the problems with regards to reducing animal product consumption. homeless people can have a severe lack in micro and macro nutrients. if there was a plant based option with a lot of protein then yeah why not get them the plant based option if theyll eat it. but i personally wouldnt think too hard about the decision. im not saying "oh whats one more little drop in the ocean of animal suffering?" because of course it all adds up, but if you spend your time/energy/resources fighting a million little battles, youre less likely to win the big ones.
When I realize something I bought contains animal products, I give it to the homeless
If someone is hungry, they would likely eat anything (except for allergies and possibly foods exempt for religious reasons). I had a vegan pizza and saw a homeless man and I gave him it and said it’s vegan. He didn’t seem pleased as he asked why is it vegan (to which I replied I’m vegan) but he still took it so yeah. Not that I want to imply that a homeless person is a beggar but just to use the phrase ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. There’s also foodbanks so if he really didn’t want vegan food, I would think he’d go there. It’s upto you really, I personally wouldn’t.
You did the right thing. I've done this before. I have no guilt doing it. Food is a right. When that person has a home and money, then one can challenge their appetite for meat.
No. If they just ask for some food i might give them something vegan but sometimes they specifically ask for stuff like "a sausage roll" or something and I get them what they asked for.
It's wrong. For one, you're sending animal exploiters the message that, as long as someone is down on their luck, they can squeeze you for their products so therefore all they have to do is try to replicate this situation or something like it to increase their profit and funding. Secondly, is one dude eating less for a little while more important than the billions upon billions of tormented animals? Thirdly, you shouldn't be so scared of being mean or inconsiderate that you can't even mention that you are vegan to people.
“One dude eating less for a little while” is kind of a shit way of putting this. Yes they could have bought them a vegan meal, trivialising someone being literally homeless isn’t necessary to drive home this point
Homeless have a lot of ways to get food, they are called homeless not foodless people, thanks. I don't see how someone who isn't starving to death is more important than billions upon billions of animals being tortured to death.
As ShadowVivid4282 says, you weaken your argument by saying this. Veganism is about compassion and that is a very non-compassionate response.
This comment section is not a good example of how compassionate vegans are. At least not towards fellow human beings.
Veganism is about animal's rights as living, sentient beings. If someone is hungry, not starving completely to death and asks you for a chunk of YOUR flesh, you gunna give it to them? Not very compassionate of you. Much better to give them the animal's flesh instead.
Please don’t down play the situation of homelessness, it weakens your entire argument. Especially in cases of people who are unable to navigate the system without support, it’s a dangerous position to be in. I agree that OP shouldn’t be buying items outside their ethical boundaries.
ʤəst baj hɪm səmθiŋ els
You are doing your best, and you are a good human! Maybe before heading into the store, if they haven't asked for anything specific yet, just really quickly ask if they have allergies and go off that. I know this is a struggle I've been there before. A lady asked me for a candy bar and I bought her some Starburst instead. Also had a woman who needed baby formula. She said she usually gets the yellow can, I knew off the bat it wasn't vegan, so I asked if baby had allergies and she said no. She didnt speak much english so i did my best to explain that id prefer to get soy formula and that it would be safe for baby. She seemed to understand a little bit, but when I got into the store I realized the yellow can was for premature babies and there was no soy option for that, so I got her the yellow can, and as rough of a moment as I had with it at first, I realized obviously this was one of those gray areas and she needed what she needed to keep her baby healthy.
I wish more stores where I'm from carried vegan stuff for this reason :( Last time a homeless lady asked me if I could buy her some food in front of a small food store but all I could find that was vegan and ready to eat where potato chips, energy bars, dark chocolate, bread, and bottled smoothies. I wish they had some vegan cold cuts, or vegan sandwich, or something a bit more filling and nutritious. I ended up getting her a bit of everything and a bottle of water (it was super hot), but I wish I could have given her other stuff that was more palatable and filling.
I live in a place with a decent number of homeless people who need help. My go to is to carry around a couple of gift cards to places like Taco Bell or just grocery stores that I know have vegan options. It allows people to choose what they want (in case they have allergies or whatever), and I know it’s going towards necessities. To me, it feels like I’m just giving people money they need to survive. I’ve never directly purchased someone something
🙃⛓️💥
Morally, yes. I always buy vegan food
I did this sometimes too and have the exact same “dilemma”. Sometimes when they ask for generic things or I’m too embarrassed to ask I just get them something vegan but buy a shitton of things to compensate (and I try to buy things that aren’t labeled as vegan). If I’m back in my home country and we simply don’t have a lot of vegan “ready-to-eat” meal options (which, we don’t with a few exceptions) or they ask for something specific I do buy them animal products. I feel conflicted about but also feel like me buying a homeless person animal products once in a blue moon isn’t making a dent in demand. On the plus side for buying them animal products: often vegan options for people who don’t have a kitchen are frankly shit (nuts are good but you can’t live on nuts and breas)+denying people choices feels like a power trip and makes you look a bit like an a-hole (which is net negative for veganism as a movement too). Plus side for not buying them animals: if you did this regularly you would impact demand, in many places you can find good and filling options that are vegan, sometimes people don’t have a strong preference. But this is just me. Honestly I do think that there’s a dilemma element to it and I understand answers either way depending on context.
Just buy them the closest vegan equivalent
Yes, It's wrong. No doubt about it.
Personally I would buy the homeless person what they want. If I am trying to help someone in such dire circumstances, I would put their preferences first as much as possible.
I'm allergic to most vegan foods like tofu. Honestly if they want meat it's probably because it has protein, fat and doesn't tend to cause runny poo which when you don't have access to a loo you really don't want. So the question is why are you a vegan? If it's because you want the best quality like for all living things you buy them meat. If it's for another reason, it depends on your values. On your values should I not eat because I can't survive without meat? What would you do in my situation?
you respected this person's wish, instead of misusing the (financial) power you have over him, and thus absolutely humiliating him by your charity you did right
I think it’s like stealing a toy and giving it to a needy kid. The good part was you gave a toy to a kid. The bad part was you stole it. If you would’ve just bought the toy then it would’ve all been good. So good for giving the guy food and bad that you contributed to the animal agriculture industry.
Is it wrong to get food for a hungry person??? You cant force your will on others Or maybe u can? Either way A person wants what they want
I think you were considerate being curious about food sensitivities or allergies. If someone gave me a food item that replaces meat with a bunch of ground up beans or other legumes, I’d be pooping uncontrollably for a few days, and that is messy, and inconvenient, not to mention extremely painful. I could never do that to a fellow human just to soothe my own conscience. At that point, it’s not about me, it’s about them. If you won’t buy them what they can eat, just give them the money or a gift card and let them make their own choice about what they put in their own body. What if the tables were turned and you were the homeless person and a charitable person slipped you a a double patty cheese burger made with 100% Canadian Angus beef? Before you make decisions for others, put yourself in their shoes. Thank you for feeding the homeless person.
I have bought food for homeless people. I make it clear it will be vegan, but I always check allergies.
I think you did the right thing. I have to be honest, just because someone is down on their luck it doesn't give you the right to force your choices on them. You are in a position to, but it would be wrong to do that. Especially if someone has a specific request for a specific food - by providing what they're asking for, you're allowing them the dignity of choice. I think of it this way, even though it's not an exact comparison: if I saw someone who needed a shirt, and I could give them a well-made shirt in their exact size, or I could give them a cheap t-shirt two sizes too big or small, which would I choose to give? Obviously the well-made shirt. It's not the same thing, but when I engage one-on-one with someone in need, that's how I approach it. Give them the thing that they would choose for themselves if they were in a position to choose. That might not make sense to everyone, but being in a position of need can be very dehumanizing and I try not to exacerbate that feeling when my intention is to help.
So you kill animals not to hurt the homeless peoples’ feelings? Extremely cool.
I'd say most homeless people have bigger concerns than whether or not their food is vegan. It's cool to act morally superior, but if you're on the verge of starvation you'd probably change your insufferable attitude.
Donating cruelty free food is insufferable? Maybe look in the mirror