Food Not Bombs

The first Food Not Bombs collective was launched by anti-nuclear activists in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After holding a series of bake sales to raise bail money for a friend arrested during a protest, the group began collecting discarded produce from grocery stores and delivering it to low-income neighborhoods. In 1981, FNB organized its first ad hoc soup kitchen, serving meals outside a shareholder meeting of the Public Service Company, the corporation overseeing construction of the nuclear plant in Seabrook, New Hampshire. The distribution of food in public spaces soon became central to the collective’s mission to increase awareness of homelessness and poverty.

In 1988, Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry left Boston to establish a second chapter in San Francisco. That August, city police arrested several volunteers for distributing food in Golden Gate Park without a permit. News of the arrests inspired the formation of Food Not Bombs chapters throughout the Pacific Northwest, while international groups arose in London, Melbourne and Prague the following year. Meanwhile, over the next decade San Francisco police would arrest over 1,000 FNB volunteers for their role in organizing nonviolent demonstrations in support of the city’s homeless population. 

During the 1990s, Food Not Bombs became increasingly visible among global activist movements, organizing marches and providing meals for protestors worldwide. The collective helped organize food distribution during the 1999 World Trade Organization (WTO) protests in Seattle, and supported multiple demonstrations against the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2004, FNB mobilized to distribute food to people impacted by the Asian tsunami; the following year, movement volunteers traveled to New Orleans to support residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In 2011, FNB played a key role in distributing meals to Occupy Wall Street encampments across the US and the world.

Since its founding, Food Not Bombs has expanded its activities to support anti-globalization, open borders and climate change initiatives. At the same time, the movement continues to encourage people from around the world to become involved in feeding people experiencing hunger, offering guidance and access to resources on its website with the aim of helping activists launch new chapters. Many organizations make a choice between providing for basic needs and advocating for fundamental social change. Food Not Bombs has developed a model, deeply rooted in the spirit of generosity, that strives to accomplish both.

Contributor: Stephen Meyer