PETA Wants to Be Top Donor for Kevin Spacey’s Fundraising Dinner—If It’s Vegan

For Immediate Release:
July 18, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

House of Cards star Kevin Spacey is raffling off the chance to eat barbecue ribs with him on the set of his hit Netflix series, with proceeds to benefit the Geffen Playhouse and The Old Vic Theatre Company—and PETA wants in on the action. In a letter sent to the actor this morning, PETA offers to best the current top-tier donation with a check for $6,000 if the grand-prize lunch features delicious “fib ribs” or Field Roast vegan offerings instead of animals’ ribs.

In the letter, which appears in full below, PETA points out that plant-based foods are kinder to animals and the environment than meaty ribs are and asks that Spacey ensure that the theater “will not benefit at the expense of other vital social interests.”

PETA’s letter to Spacey follows.

Dear Mr. Spacey,

Greetings from your many fans at PETA!

I’m writing with regard to the fundraising contest that offers donors a chance to eat a rib dinner with you on the set of House of Cards. We believe that you care about animal welfare and about the environment, so in light of all the information available today about cruelty in slaughterhouses and the detrimental effect of greenhouse gasses produced by animal-based agriculture, PETA is respectfully asking that the prize dinner feature delicious “fib ribs” or Field Roast vegan offerings instead of ribs so that the theater will not benefit at the expense of other vital social interests. In return, we’d have a PETA donor best the current top-tier donation with a check for $6,000.

As I’m sure you know, both in the entertainment world and beyond, an increasing number of people are leaving meat off their plates as they see that following a plant-based lifestyle not only improves their health but also is the kind choice, saving animals from extreme suffering on factory farms, in transit, and at slaughter while also making the world a greener place. It’s well established that going vegan is one of the most effective ways to fight climate change. A staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture, according to a report published by the Worldwatch Institute.

Many thanks for your consideration. Please use your influence to seize this golden opportunity to do good beyond the admirable goal of raising funds for the Geffen Playhouse and The Old Vic Theatre Company. I look forward to hearing from you.

With kind regards,

Andrew Bernstein
PETA