by ann black

Created on: February 21, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

Food Not Bombs

Food Not Bombs is a loose knit group of independent collectives. They
serve vegan and vegetarian food to anyone that attends and is hungry. Each
chapter collects surplus food that would otherwise go to waste if not
used. Much of their food is collected from dumpsters, as a form of
recycling. Their ideology is that governments and corporations are the

ones who are to blame due to their priorities. Most of the food gotten
from dumpsters is non-perishable and is thrown out due to dents, blemishes
and overstock. The food is then prepared for the next community
meal. Some of their principles as follows: If governments and
corporations around the world spent as much time and energy on feeding
people as they do on war, no one would go hungry. There is enough food in
the world to feed everyone, but so much of it goes to waste needlessly as a
direct result of capitalism and militarism. Vegetarian food is both
healthy and non-violent. They are also trying to bring attention to
homelessness and poverty by sharing food in public places and facilitating
gatherings of the poor, homeless and other disenfranchised people. The
four tenets of their philosophy are (1) Recycling of food (2) Decision
making by consensus (3) Nonviolence and (4) Vegetarianism. Anyone who
wants to cook may also help cook the food. Anyone who wants to eat the
food may eat the food. They strive to include everyone. Food Not Bombs
started in the early 1980's in Cambridge, Massachusetts when a group of
anti-nuclear activists were protesting at the nearby Seabrook power plant
and began spray painting Money For Food, Not For Bombs around the city. It
was later shortened to Food Not Bombs when they decided to put their ideals
into practice. By showing up at a meeting of wealthy bank executives who
where financing nuclear projects, then giving out free food to a crowd of
300 homeless people. It was so successful that they started collection
surplus food on a regular basis and preparing it into meals for the next
upcoming community meal. Then in the late 1980's another chapter was
started in San Francisco which soon encountered problems from the local
police. They fought two wars with the city that began with city mayors who
had the police use riot gear to shut down a Food Not Bombs
serving. However the group did not give up. Despite being arrested
hundreds of times, with the media coverage they receive gained community
support. The police continued to harass them with local members of the
group being beaten and jailed - the police even broke one mans neck. But
the members started video taping the police beatings and used the court
systems to stop the police brutality. In Boston they where also facing
police problems which created so much negative media that they were not
able to continue serving food during that time. The next mayor promised to
put an end to the abusive police treatment upon election. Chapters started
springing up all over the country from all the media attention that had
been created. They have held three international gatherings and were also
heavily involved in anti-war movements in 2002-2003 to oppose the executive
action invasion of Iraq. Due to the anti-war protesting, an FBI
counter-terrorism official at a University in Austin, Texas, labeled Food
Not Bombs and Indymedia as having possible terrorist connections in
2006. Still they now have over 200 chapters around the world and in North
America.

Learn more about this author, ann black.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.