The Observer, January 27, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 14
Local chapter of Food Not Bombs feeds Cleveland's hungry and advocates peace
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The statement sounds intuitive enough: sustenance over destruction. The phrase, though, is more than common sense. Food Not Bombs (FNB) is a little-known and little understood movement which protests poverty and war by serving free vegetarian meals to any and all who would like something to eat.
Autonomous, spontaneously-formed groups of volunteers serve around the world, networked only by a common desire to cause non-violent social change through concrete direct action.
Food Not Bombs was formed in 1980 by a group of anti-nuclear activists in Cambridge, Mass. Angered by the enormous difference between funds spent on nuclear testing and funds spent to feed people in the United States and abroad, these activists launched a campaign to rectify this discrepancy.
The food which is used to prepare the meals is itself a subtle form of protest against conditions which cause and perpetuate poverty. FNB foodstuffs come from socially-conscious merchants who donate edible food that would otherwise be thrown away.
Ripe or bruised fruit, produce that is a day or two old, and bread that is nearing its expiration date are usually tossed in a dumpster, not because they are rotten or contaminated, but because no one will pay for them in those conditions. This large amount of food is the fuel that allows FNB to continue serving the community and, at the same time, is the reason that the organization persists in drawing attention to the fact that many people cannot afford to throw away edible food.
Because of its independent and decentralized structure, each group is operating and organizing primarily within itself, and with its now global presence, FNB is able to provide some of the first and tastiest relief to disaster areas.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the New York Food Not Bombs groups served meals to rescue workers around Ground Zero, and FNB activists were some of the first to provide hot meals in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, providing assistance when the Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA) was unable to. Internationally, Food Not Bombs was involved in providing meals, where possible, following the tsunami last December.
Food Not Bombs is active in Cleveland, continuing this strong pattern of direct action protest against hunger and war. Cooks and servers come from all over the Cleveland community, including both past and present Case students.
Cleveland FNB meets and cooks at the Cleveland Food CO-OP on Euclid and E. 117th St. every Sunday at 1 p.m. and serves the food downtown at Public Square in front of Tower City at 4:30 p.m. More information can be found at www.FoodNotBombs.net and www.ClevelandFoodNotBombs.org.
