Love at First Bite! PETA’s Nationwide Vegan Cheese Giveaway Tour Has a Date with Rochester

For Immediate Release:
August 26, 2025

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

What’s better than dishing out cheesy pickup lines? Dishing up some delicious vegan cheese! This Thursday in Rochester, the “Best City for U.S. Dating” will be visited by Cupid himself, along with a group of PETA supporters who will be handing out thousands of delicious dairy-free cheese snacks. The love fest will kick off at Rochester Public Market and will continue on to Parcel 5, Genesee Gateway Park, and other locations around the city. The spectacle is part of PETA’s nationwide vegan cheese giveaway that will deliver 50,000 wedges of dairy-free deliciousness to states across the country this summer.

“It’s easy to fall in love with mouthwatering vegan cheese that has all the flavor and none of the cruelty or cholesterol of its dairy-based counterpart,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “Vegan cheese is a match made in heaven for humans, animals, and the planet—and PETA is inviting everyone to give it a try.”

Where: Outside Rochester Public Market, 280 North Union Street

When: Thursday, August 28, 12PM

Why: Cows have friends and mourn when a loved one dies or when they’re separated from each other, yet in the dairy industry, female cows are forcibly impregnated and have their beloved calves stolen from them so the milk meant to nourish their babies can be sold to humans. Newborn males are slaughtered for veal, while female calves endure the same fate as their mothers until their bodies wear out and they’re sent to slaughter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.