Is this virtue signalling or is it genuine consideration?

I'm perfectly OK with the homeless being given vegan food. Omnivores can eat anything and vegan/vegetarian recipients will be happy that somebody has thought of them.
What I can't stand are the (mainly) US celebrities who bring along camera crews on their charity missions and go on chat shows to talk about how kind and generous they are. Why not just stay anonymous while they're doing their charity stuff? Better still, why don't they use their celebrity status and contacts to work towards a proper welfare state, so that they wouldn't have to do charity work?

I think BTW that it is ok to eat non-kosher food in extremis. The point being that maintaining life is sacred.

Jaxie, Matthew 6:1-4 says it all really. Good for the girl if it was her idea, vegan or not. Not so impressed if it was mainly a publicity stunt which the presence of cameras seem to imply.

My daughter recently left her job to start another new one.
She was giving a leaving present of a box of chocolates, she had some food over from a leaving do Buffett which she arranged for her colleagues, there is a homeless guy outside our local station she gave him the chocolates and food and bought him a coffee he was very pleased. She can’t eat milk chocolate because she is lactose intolerant.

Sheilasue
Now that's virtue signalling.

Not a vegan, but if I was starving, I would prefer eating vegan than nothing. Vegan is not that bad actually.....there are a lot of tasty, nutritious and 'protein adequate' menus that are vegan.

Or would you prefer to be asked what you wanted?

I think I'd prefer that - it would make me feel that my choices mattered and that I was still a person with preferences.

I am a vegetarian, and if homeless and someone gave me a meat sandwich, I couldn't eat it and not be /feel sick afterwards. Its like me asking someone what foods they do not like and serve it up to them for lunch.

I am a vegetarian, so I too only buy vegetarian foods when I pop things into the food bank collections; this would normally be the same if I were buying food for a homeless person (but in fact I always ask what they would like to eat/drink and recently bought my Big Issue seller a ham salad at his request) I assume that street homeless folk are just as likely to have food allergies/intolerances as all of the rest of us, and have as much right to choice of food as I do so will try to honour this when I can.

We are omnivores, food is food so I think that the recipient if hungry and cold will be grateful for whatever anyone provides him/her with. Does it really make any difference whether the soup you are given or stew has meat in it or not.

I think these are fake ethical dilemmas, that only the virtue signalling worry about.

George Michael was hugely generous but the countless stories of his kindness & generosity didn't emerge until he died

Yes and I liked him all the more for it- to hear this after his death. I think he went up in the estimation of most, whether they were GM fans or not. He didn't need praise or recognition.

It strikes me that the Pinkett-Smiths were on a little mission to blow their own trumpets. Acts of kindness are always good but stars, who have the ear of media outlets, do have the option to just get on with it and do what they can without looking for praise. Does the average person take a selfie every time they pass a homeless person and throw a coin into a begging bowl/hat? Nope.

In a different vein, we remarked today that very few people knew how gravely ill Victoria Wood was before her death was announced suddenly. What a shock that was. The choice to keep their deeds and life private is one every 'star' has. It's a shame that some need a platform and the limelight.

And as for vegan food - it could have been left quietly, on a 'take it or leave it' basis. I imagine those who hadn't eaten for a while would gladly eat any fresh food. However, I get the point (made earlier) that even those on the street have food preferences. Can't say I had thought much about it before.

If famous people use their fame to bring issues to public attention - that's a good thing. If other famous people choose not to, that's fine too.
(Am a bit worried about the level of ignorance about vegan food though, and the stereotypes of vegans. I'm not vegan btw)
Willow Smith is 18, well-known and rich in her own right and, with both brothers, has an AIDS charity in Africa and is involved with one of the US young people's climate-change initiatives. To me, that sounds like she's a thoughtful young woman, privileged but wanting to give something back.

In my opinion, being on the street doesn't take away your sense of ethics.
The only difference is, you don't have a permanent home!

My Korean friends feed homeless people (of all cultures) 3 nights a week and there are several vegetarians clients (not sure about vegan). They just leave the meat dishes for everyone else.

As for this young lady taking food to the homeless, why on earth shouldn't she?
The bigger question is "Why should she when she is wealthy and privileged?"

And why shouldn't her mother be proud of her and say so?

I'm very proud indeed of my son and what he does (and if I had the chance to go on telly and say so, I would) because he doesn't need to do any of it - he does it because he sees others in need, cares about them and can help.

Why can't we allow this excellent young lady the same sentiments without griping about it?

Why did she feel the need to share that her daughter was taking vegan food to the homeless? Why not just say she was involved with a number of charities? By focusing on the vegan aspect it seemed that the charity side of things were less important than the bandwagon-y vegan element (IMO). I’d dearly love to know if the homeless people were offered choices - or if those choices were made on their behalf by an 18 year old who’s decided that they will only be fed ‘ethical’ food as suits her public profile?

Just a thought. Celebrities can raise the awareness of certain issues, never mind about their motivation. If it inspires others - great.

Would it perhaps be better to encourage people who want to help the homeless to volunteer with homeless charities? That way the resources can be properly managed and co-ordinated, rather than individuals giving out food which may not have been cooked and stored properly? Going onto the streets may also present risks to well meaning individuals, so perhaps better to let the charities who know the local homeless community direct help appropriately and safely?

Vegetarian American here. . From what I've read, son Jaden Smith is the one delivering vegan food to the homeless with his meals on wheels project. He also helps bring water to Flint residents through his JUST Goods Foundation. His mom is proud of him, which I can understand. I was proud of my son for his small gesture of giving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the homeless in Sacramento. I was privately happy to see him thinking of others. Celebrities have an opportunity to raise public awareness about issues of societal importance. It doesn't seem like they are "blowing their own horn" at all.

Re/ the type of food offered, I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years and, in any situation, am most likely to prepare food I'm used to making and eating. I did make my grandma a lot of meatloaf and bacon when I cared for her because I know she loved it , but usually people love the vegetarian food I bring to potlucks, parties and holidays. As many here have stated, being Omnivores, we are already used to it.

Finally, one note re/ the "ethical" debate. It all depends on perspective, doesn't it? My ex and I read the book Diet For A New America back in 1989 and stopped eating meat that day. The book was divided into sections covering animal, health, environmental, and planetary concerns over meat-based diets that, to ME, were compelling and ethical in nature. We all have beliefs based on personal ethics that are hard for us to share without sounding like we're judging or proselytizing.

Its just not necessary to share the fact that it was vegan food.
It's food, that's all, for people to eat or not as they see fit.

My husband and I gave a couple of quid to a lovely homeless guy who sometimes sits outside our local co-op a couple of days ago. He offered a sandwich to us that someone had bought him but he couldn't eat - its like my husband who could never eat cheese and pickle even if he was starving as it would make him sick. Please dignify people with the right to make a choice if you are going to buy them a sandwich or a hot drink!

MissAdventure, very true. I wouldn't have made the distinction but I guess they think it's like saying clean water, hormone-free beef, or lead free paint, etc. Again, personal perspective re/ what's important and not.

I'd further dignify people by not making a song and dance out of it, too.

Even if it was a publicity ‘stunt’ she fed some homeless people who would otherwise have gone hungry, I don’t they cared whether it was vegan or not, or whether it was to promote the person a book, or a film, it was food!

Saetana that works on an individual basis but, unfortunately, not if you're providing meals for large groups of people. Totally get what you're saying, though. I sometimes wonder what will happen to me if I end up in assisted living and get served meals with meat, etc. I once went to a buffet after a memorial service for a hospice patient and got physically ill after accidentally eating a dish containing chicken. I'd also gotten sick after eating some Kentucky Fried Chicken years before (NOT by accident). Those were the only two times I went off the veggie wagon, so to speak.

Again, MissAdventure, totally agree. If it was me, I'd hate for anyone to feel dehumanized. I'd also feel embarrassed to draw attention to myself. I think people who use their fame to try to do good things sometimes lose sight of the former.