HSUS Buys Multimillionaire Rapper a Free Lunch. Seriously?

Rap artist Jay Z and his wife Beyoncé made some headlines this week. The pair announced that they are going vegan for a month. Which is fine if that’s what they would like to do.

But the reply from the Humane Society of the United States has been a bit, well, eye-rolling. HSUS latched onto the news by buying the rapper a free meal at Candle 79 in New York City, which serves organic vegan food.

How hip. But does Jay Z really need a free meal? His net worth is estimated at $475 million.

This is such an opportunistic media stunt that you’d think PETA would have thought it up. In fact, the new VP at HSUS’s Hollywood office came from PETA. Go figure.

Judging from the restaurant’s website, the meal will likely total $75 or less for two people. Whatever the value of the lunch is, it’s symbolic of the larger financial waste that occurs at HSUS. This is an unnecessary media stunt that just solidifies HSUS’s obsession with veganism. This is money that could easily be spent on pet shelters, but is instead being spent on a stunt.

HSUS is heavily engaged in holiday fundraising, this year focusing on the story of a dog with a wheelchair. A more honest marketing campaign would include the disclaimer that your gift won’t help animals at all—it’ll buy vegan food for a rich guy.