Seven Steps to Organizing a Local Food Not Bombs/Comida No Bombas
At the outset, starting a Food Not Bombs/Comida No Bombas might seem like
more than you can handle. Work on the basics, taking one step at a time.
There is no need to feel pressured into accomplishing everything all at
once. It might take a couple weeks to get things rolling or it may take
months. One person cannot be a Food Not Bombs group, but one person can
start one. Once you have made the decision to start a local Food Not
Bombs group, talk to some other people you know who might be interested
in working with you. It might be a group of friends, or members of an
existing group, or you can put up fliers announcing your intentions and
see who responds (this might be best for an infoshop, coffeehouse or
other gathering place where people who are likely to be interested in FNB
hang out). Pick a meeting date, time, and place and gather everyone who
is interested together to talk about what you would like to do. The
following is a step-by-step process to get your food operation up and
running. Once you have done this, try to find ways to help the homeless
get off the streets and rebuild their lives. You may find more effective
ways to get things done in your local area so, whatever works for your
group is the best path to follow:
Step 1: Start by getting a phone number and mailing address. By using
either a voice mail box or an answering machine, you can have an
out-going message with information about the next meeting time and place
and you can receive messages so you never miss a call. Besides, who
wants to sit by the phone waiting for it to ring; we'd rather be out in
the streets feeding people. Likewise, use a commercial mail box or post
office box for your permanent address. As your membership changes, your
mailing address can remain the same and you won't have to redo your
literature. Responsibility for collecting and responding to the mail can
be easily rotated. And, most importantly, you won't have uninvited
guests showing up at your home or apartment wanting to know "where is the
free food."
Step 2: Next, make fliers announcing the existence of a local Food Not
Bombs. By handing them out at events, posting them around town, and/or
mailing them out to your friends, you will start getting phone calls,
mail, and additional volunteers. It is helpful to have regularly
scheduled weekly meetings or always know when the next meeting is so you
can ask people to attend. This helps newcomers feel welcome and tells
them how to become involved in your activities.
Step 3: The next step is to arrange for the use of a vehicle. This can
be a major challenge or it might not. Between the members of your group,
there might be enough vehicles of the right size for your needs. If not,
you might be able to arrange borrowing a van or truck from a sympathetic
group or organization. If you are very lucky, you might be able to
convince someone to donate one to you. And, if none of the above leads
to you obtaining a vehicle, you can always hold fund-raising events to
raise money specifically for the purchase of a van.
Step 4: Identify a place where you plan to serve. It should be a
location near where there is a visibly obvious local homeless population
(they may be less visible in communities with aggressive police
harassment practices). Homeless people may camp near public assistance
offices, local homeless services or cheap single-room-occupancy hotels
where they can stay until their welfare check runs out. Public parks are
usually a good choice (they are often camping or gathering places for the
homeless), but be sure to get a copy of the ordinances in the local
Municipal Code governing permissible activities in the park. It is a
good idea to have this with you when you go to serve in case the cops
show up and try to tell you it is illegal to feed the homeless. In this
way, you know what their rules REALLY are. If they insist you are
breaking the law, make them write down which ordinance you are violating
so you can read the letter of the law. Some cities or local governments
have had laws banning public gatherings or public speaking as a pretext
for harassing people whose political beliefs were unpopular with the
government, but most of those laws were repealed after the 1960s. Know
the letter of the law so it isn't used as a weapon against you. Highly
visible locations are desirable, if they are close to the local homeless
population because one of our objectives is to help make the "invisible
homeless" more visible to those better off economically.
Step 5: Find a place where you can cook. Usually, a persons home can be
used, but it should be close enough to where you plan to serve so that
the food will still be hot when you serve it. Many cities are now
passing anti-homeless laws and they may prohibit cooking over an open
flame in a park (or wherever you plan to serve) or require a permit. The
best way to get around this and not have them send a health inspector to
tell you that your food is too cold is to cook close to where you serve
and figure out ways to keep the food hot in transit. Remember that it is
a good idea to have a place to store the food between the time it is
picked up and when it is cooked. Also be sure that you are cooking in a
location where the residents or owners are comfortable with having a lot
of people over to cook on a regular basis. You may even be able to get a
local restaurant or co-op to let you cook in their kitchen. You may wish
to distribute only cold food until you find a reliable place to cook.
Get a decent Vegetarian Cookbook so you can cook simple but tasty meals
that people actually want to eat. All our food is vegetarian, that is,
no meat, dairy or eggs. The chief reason for this is that non-vegetarian
foods are more prone to spoilage and we don't want people getting sick
from our food. Another reason is that non-vegetarian foods require the
human body to use more energy to digest them which is especially
important for people who don't eat regularly or in the winter time when a
person needs their energy to keep warm. We also want to dramatize the
fact that international Agribusiness is buying up the land (or stealing
it through government collusion and legal trickery) and destroying the
environment in other countries to raise livestock and agricultural
"export" crops at the expense of indigenous and poor subsistence farmers
who are then forced into wage slave jobs in the cities to feed their
families. At times, we will serve meat and dairy products which have
been donated to us because we believe that eating is more important than
being "politically correct"; however, we do not cook with animal
products.
Step 6: With flyers in hand, begin looking or sources of food. You will
need a BRIEF one page flier explaining that FNB is an international
organization which feeds the homeless and hungry, but without any details
of our politics. One of the first places to look are local wholesale
produce markets and bakeries. Produce markets must often throw away
perfectly good produce because some of it has started to be discolored,
even though most of it is perfectly good. Bakeries (like those who
manufacture bagels) usually have a store for "day old bread and baked
goods", but they may also donate to local food charities. If so, they
may be persuaded to support FNB. Ask to speak to the Manager. Explain
that you are willing to collect any food which is still edible, but which
cannot be sold. Tell them you give the food to shelters and soup
kitchens to feed hungry people. Remember, less is more: Don't volunteer
any information the manager doesn't need to know to understand what you
are doing, but be prepared to briefly answer questions. If they are
interested and willing, arrange for a regular time to pick-up the food
each week (or more often, based on how many times a week you can serve
meals. This will depend on how many people are participating in your
group). Have members of your group take responsibility for picking up
the food. Another place to approach are the local co-ops and health food
stores. These types of stores may be more supportive than commercial
grocery store chains. Talk to the produce manager and explain what you
are doing as detailed above. As your group grows, you can expand your
search to include local food wholesalers, distributors, warehouses and
producers. Don't commit to picking up more food than you have the
ability to cook or distribute.
Step 7: Begin by serving meals one day per week which is convenient to
everyone who wants to help. Sunday is often a good day because few
people have to work. Set a fixed time to meet and cook and a fixed time
to serve so the people who you share food with will know when and where
to expect you if they want to eat. As more people get involved, consider
serving more days per week if peoples schedules permit it. It is
advisable that you serve the food on paper plates with disposable
utensils and cups. It may not be "politically correct", but it helps to
stem the spread of diseases like Hepatitis and it will help prevent your
being harassed by local health inspectors. From time to time you may
score a bonanza of some kind of food so, identify local shelters and soup
kitchen to donate any surplus food you collect so it doesn't go bad.
Serve food at local political events so you can get the word out about
Food Not Bombs and encourage more people to participate or start their
own group. Find out about local non-profit groups who help the homeless
get housing, shelter, medical care, jobs, etc. and give away literature
to the homeless that tells them ways to get off the street without
government assistance.
[TEXT FOLLOWS, SIDE #1]
Food Not Bombs/Comida No Bombas
Los Angeles
What is Food Not Bombs?
We are one of the fastest growing grassroots political groups in the
World. Food Not Bombs was formed in Boston in 1980 as an outgrowth of
the anti-nuclear movement in New England. We are committed to
non-violent Direct Action to change society. There are over 148
autonomous chapters in 11 countries in North America, Latin America and
Europe serving free vegetarian food to people in need.
What do we do?
Food Not Bombs believes that society should value human life above
material wealth, property or social privilege. Many of the problems in
the World today stem from misplaced values. By giving away free food in
public places we directly dramatize the scope of hunger and need and the
surplus of food being wasted in the name of profit. Food Not Bombs
distributes free produce, clothing and blankets to the poor, involves the
poor and homeless in sustaining themselves and helps those abandoned by
the system to work their way back to self-sufficiency.
Food Not Bombs works with Homes Not Jails to demonstrate the volume of
housing which lies unoccupied and wasted due to real estate speculation.
We protest the continued spending by government on institutions of
violence like the military, police and prisons while tens of thousands of
people go hungry, homeless and without adequate health care. We also
support other political organizing and Direct Action against corporate
greed and government violence by serving free food at political events.
Food Not Bombs is composed entirely of volunteers who cooperate with each
other and make decisions by consensus. By working together to build
sustainable organizations which reflect the way people ought to live and
work together, we help to build a long-term movement toward constructive
social and economic change.
Food Recycling
Poverty is a form of violence which is not necessary or natural.
Capitalism makes food a source of profit rather than a source of
nutrition. Much of the food produced spoils or is eaten by insects or
rodents because of the inefficient system of distribution in the current
economy. Food producers often destroy food to force up its price on the
market. 46 Billion pounds of food are thrown away in the United States
each year. Estimates indicate that only 4 Billion pounds of food would
be required to end hunger in the United States.
Food Not Bombs recycles food which would otherwise be thrown away through
donations from local bakeries, stores and produce distributors. Food Not
Bombs collects surplus food before it reaches the dumpsters and
distributes it directly to the hungry, outdoors in a public,
non-institutional setting.
Healthy Meals
Food Not Bombs serves healthy vegetarian meals that would pass any health
inspection. We serve on paper plates with plastic utensils to help
prevent transmission of hepatitis and other maladies which afflict people
who don't have daily access to a shower and a clean bed.
Why Vegetarian?
The reason for serving vegetarian food is that meat takes more energy to
digest and is harder on the stomach of a person who doesn't eat
regularly. Meat is also harder to store and more prone to spoilage.
Vegetables, fruits, breads and cereals digest more efficiently and
provide the body with a quick source of energy.
We Are Committed To Non-Violence
We live in a society predicated on violence. Poverty is a form of
violence because we are forced to work for low wages and in poor
conditions to avoid starving and being homeless. To preserve this system
laws are passed which penalize those who do not cooperate with the
profiteering of an affluent minority. Police, courts and prisons
penalize people who violate the laws. Food Not Bombs is non-violent
because violence only attracts a more violent reaction from the
government. Through our non-violence, we can better demonstrate the
cruelty and unreasonableness of the government when they use violent
methods against people whose only "crime" is to want to eat and have a
roof over their head.
Why is Food Not Bombs harassed by the police?
Food Not Bombs is harassed because rich people and suburban Yuppies are
trying to force the homeless out of sight so they can pretend there is no
homeless problem. They would rather allow people to die of hunger and
exposure than take responsibility for fellow community members who are
victims of high rents, layoffs, domestic violence, mental illness and
addiction.
The dismantling of the Welfare State, cruel laws against panhandling,
camping and even sitting on the sidewalk, and other unenforceable laws
intended to give the Police the power to steal the belongings of people
forced onto the street, put them in jail or otherwise harass them are
just the beginning of the war on the poor. Every year National Guard
Armories open later and later to provide homeless people from dying on
the street from exposure, but the U.S. Congress is now proposing to close
all National Guard Armories permanently. At the same time they have
enacted "three strikes laws" to make it easier to imprison people they
consider "undesirable" and are building prisons operated by corporations
who will be allowed to use prisoners as free slave labor.
Food Not Bombs activists have successfully defied government attempts to
criminalize poverty and they are committed to continuing to fight for a
society which respects the dignity and freedom of all people.
What are the Principles of Food Not Bombs?
Food Not Bombs is based on the Anarchist ideas of "Direct Action",
"Mutual Aid", and "Propaganda By The Deed".
"Direct Action" - Rather than begging the government and
capitalists who are responsible for poverty, hunger and homelessness to
change their behavior, we believe that people who care about these
problems must organize and help to remedy them themselves. Food Not
Bombs is a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) organization. Nothing gets done unless
we do it. Each local Food Not Bombs group takes responsibility for
raising money to buy cooking utensils and other things they need and to
collect and cook the food they serve. Food Not Bombs helps people in
need directly rather than wondering why "someone" else doesn't do
something.
"Mutual Aid" - Anarchist Morality is based on two ideas called
"Solidarity" and "Equality". We believe that people have natural
feelings of empathy towards victims of injustice and a natural desire to
help them. We believe in the idea that people should treat others as
they wish to be treated themselves. These values do not come from laws
or institutions but are a natural part of us that we only ignore out of
selfishness. Mutual Aid is the idea that the highest quality of life in
society is achieved not by competition, exploitation or the "survival of
the fittest", but by people working together to overcome problems that
might seem insurmountable for one person alone.
"Propaganda By The Deed" - By organizing ourselves, doing what is
right and making the World a better place through political collective
action by our own hands, we learn to work together, we gain a sense of
our own personal capabilities and we demonstrate the kind of World we
want to live in to other people. We believe that the methods we use to
achieve change will be reflected in the results that we produce.
(
geocities.com/capitolhill)