Noble or Offensive: PETA Is Donating Fur Coats to Homeless People This Season

PETA has taken an interesting strategy for combating animal cruelty this season: They’ve teamed up with Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries to donate a ton of vintage minks to the homeless community in Detroit. Normally, the organization collects old furs from people who have converted from fur lovers to fur avoiders, and this year they decided to do something with that stash.

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If you think this seems incredibly counter-intuitive, you’re not alone. Ingrid E. Newkirk, the co-founder and president of PETA, responded to nobel by saying, “PETA can’t bring the animals who were slaughtered to make these coats back to life, but we can send a message that only people truly struggling to survive have any excuse for wearing fur.” So far, they’ve donated 100 furs to the residents of Detroit homeless shelter Bethlehem House.

Is it just us, or does this whole thing seem a little bit off? Props to PETA for donating warm coats to people in need (and if you care to donate yours to PETA’s cause, you can do it here!), but there seems to be something off-putting about using folks who are down on their luck to send a larger message.

What do you think? Is PETA’s initiative interesting, or offensive? Weigh in below!

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What do you think about PETA re-purposing fur coats for homeless people? Sound off in the comments below!