Chinese philanthropist Chen Guangbiao’s free luncheon for New York’s poor Wednesday turned sour when the approximately 200 homeless guests learned the flamboyant recycling magnate would not be doling out promised cash gifts to diners, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal write.
Mr. Chen pledged in a full-page Times advertisement last week that the meal at Central Park’s Loeb Boathouse would include $300 for each participant. That plan changed after he asked the New York City Rescue Mission to supply its clients as guests. The charity agreed, provided Mr. Chen did not hand out cash, which mission officials feared would be used to buy drugs and alcohol.
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