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Atlanta — To help some of the 2 million Georgia residents who live in food deserts, New Birth Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant and restaurateur Pinky Cole of Slutty Vegan will join PETA on Saturday to give out 300 Chik’n Head and PLT sandwiches, 500 cartons of JD’s Vegan ice cream donated by music producer Jermaine Dupri, and 1,000 vegan starter kits—packed with fresh produce, tofu, and more. This action marks the reopening of The King’s Table— New Birth’s food pantry program—and is part of PETA’s nationalfood justice campaign.
When: Saturday, February 5, 10 a.m.
Where: New Birth, 6400 Woodrow Rd., Stonecrest
“The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the glaring reality of food insecurities facing our country and the undeniable facts related to unhealthy options being far more prevalent in our communities,” says Bryant, whose ministry has served more than 850,000 individuals through its weekly free food distribution. “Together with PETA, we can tackle some of the issues that disproportionately affect communities of color, including getting healthy plant-based foods directly into the hands of those who need them most.”
Adds Cole, “The lines snaking out of Slutty Vegan’s doors speak to the popularity of plant-based cooking. People want to eat more vegan foods. But food deserts prevent Black and brown families from accessing cholesterol-free options, and that’s something we and PETA are here to change.”
The U.S. government spends about $38 billion in tax money each year to subsidize the meat, egg, and dairy industries—the vast majority of which goes to big corporations, not American farmers—while only about $17 million is used to subsidize the fruit and vegetable industries. There are more than 35 food deserts in the metro Atlanta area, and prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, one in eight Georgia residents reported experiencing food insecurity, a statistic now exacerbated by the pandemic.
As part of the campaign, PETA will invite locals to text JUSTICE to 73822 to call on their representatives to redirect meat, egg, and dairy industry subsidies toward incentives for grocers in food deserts to stock fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy, humane vegan foods.
“Giving people the chance to experience traditional ice cream flavors made healthier and 100% dairy-free is major,” says Dupri, who went vegan nearly 20 years ago. “This ice cream giveaway with PETA will make everyone fall in love with vegan eating, and because the lineup is exclusively in Walmart stores, it’s also accessible.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.