As the crisis grows our office is getting an increase in calls and emails asking Food Not Bombs for support as the economy starts to crash. We have been invited to speak at a number of major conferences to share our experience of organizing the food relief effort for the survivors of Katrina. We will be speaking at the Building a New World Conference, Radford University in Radford, Virgina, The REBOOT convergence in Portugal, and Raw Spirit Festival, Sedona, Arizona. Food Not Bombs is a cosponsor of this years Raw Spirit Festival. The cyclone in Burma reminds us of Americas failure to respond to hurricane Katrina. Food riots are growing in a number of countries and many community leaders have contacted Food Not Bombs requesting help in organizing kitchens, gardens and food distribution programs.
In an exciting sign of change many people see that the central principles of Food Not Bombs is key to responding to the crisis. Our use of the process of Formal Consensus, our dedicated to nonviolence and our focus on recovering food to make into vegan meals that are shared for free has been effective at responding to crisis.
We are also supporting the creation of local "Food Not Lawn " groups with the idea that the more food we grow the more we can feed our communities. The founders of Food Not Bombs made sure they did not become public personalities knowing that the movement would remain strong and more effective if it was organized locally. When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast the decentralized autonomous structure of Food Not Bombs made it possible for us to become the primary movement providing food to the survivors. Because of our reputation it is very possible that the public will turn to Food Not Bombs for solutions to the current "Really Really Great Depression".
The global economy is crashing displacing tens of thousands or even millions of people. Exxon Moble takes the largest profits in world history and the price of rice has jumped 30 percent. The U.S. government is organizing a new Federal Banking system to direct resources to an even more centralized corporate power structure. The Real ID Act will start this May and a number of states in the U.S. will require that you have a Radio Frequency Chip in your identification. The Director of the C.I.A. spoke on Meet The Press last Sunday claiming that blond blue eyed people are being trained to carry out another 9/11 attack on the U.S. CIA Director Michael V. Hayden also said it was "hard for me to explain " the conclusions reached in the 2003 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran 's nuclear weapons program. Admiral William Fallon, the US military commander in the Middle East resigned in protest to the planned U.S. bombing of Iran. This attack would send oil and food prices higher and plunge the world economy into what some say will be a "Really Really Great Depression". During the first week of May 2008 the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security staged a national drill that included the arrest of motorists and other mass detentions. Was this practice for the institution of martial law? The public has also been contacting our office to find out what they should do in the event that the U.S. Constitution is suspended and the Bush Administration increases its efforts to suppress resistance. War with Iran and the resulting chaos could give Bush the excuse he needs.
Food Not Bombs volunteers attending the National Gathering talked about a number of solutions including starting a program of community gardening with "Food Not Lawns" and working with local city councils to pass laws to make it illegal to destroy food in dumpsters or lock up discarded food. We have also proposed organizing meals every day in each community. Another idea is to have a Food Not Bombs collective house responsible for each day of the week in each town and city. Most groups see an increase in need and are finding discarded food sources growing tight. Another project proposed is to reach out to local farmers to help grow more food, glean their fields, help them harvest and deliver the food they could not sell. Please contact 575-776-3880 to find out how you can help your community in this time of crisis. Please consider making a contribution.
Donate A Dollar For Peace.If you can donate even more than a dollar please help. We have a great deal on our plate. THANKS!
There had been a complaint "respecting the negative impacts of free food distribution in the Civic Square on area businesses," the letter said. "You are hereby instructed to cease and desist free food distribution at Civic Square and not resume such services without appealing to and obtaining permission from City Council." The group will appear before council May 5 to challenge the decision.
The Victoria police also ordered our local group to stop sharing meals that they were sharing to help while the Victoria charity Our Place was closed.
Victoria Food Not Bombs faces arrest.
City orders Kitchener Food Not Bombs to stop sharing meals.
Food Not Bombs volunteers have participated in a number of successful tent city actions. In 1989 San Francisco Food Not Bombs provided meals 24 hours a day at a 27 day tent city protest for the rights of the homeless. The city government opened a shelter, a hotel and reduced the use of police to attempt to drive homeless people out of sight. Food Not Bombs volunteers provided meals to protesters at the tent city protest outside the Ukrainian Parliament during the Orange Revolution. The tent city caused the Prime Minister to step down. Food Not Bombs shared meals with activists at 300 day tent city action at a protest to support farmers at Bosnia and Herzegovina Square in Sarajevo. For thirty days Food Not Bombs volunteers organized the kitchen, collected food and cooked meals for the protesters a Cindy Sheehan's Camp Casey outside Bush's Ranch in Crawford, Texas. Many local Food Not Bombs chapters are talking with other activists to start planning this summer's tent city. We can start living in the world we know is possible by living together in peaceful, democratically organized tent city communities. To report on your plans please sign up for our global action list serv < at fnb-network@lists.riseup.net >
At no time have we faced such an urgent crisis. Bush is talking of a World War against Iran using nuclear weapons, the global economy is failing for most, climate change continues to grow and the U.S. empire is using every measure possible to protect its power. Please visit these site to learn more about why we need to participate in the tent city protest. Join us in participating in the creation of the cooperative future we know is possible.
In Indiana alone, I-69 will destroy thousands of acres of farmland, wetlands, and forest. It will displace 400 families, leave twice as many with an interstate in their yards, and divide many communities in half. According to economists at the University of Illinois, rural jobs created by the interstate will cost $1.56 million each, as opposed to best practices rural development plans, which cost an average of 1,000 to 5,000 dollars per job.
This road has been fought fiercely by the residents of Southwestern Indiana for almost two decades, and is now being pushed through with the StateˆÇ¬Å0ˆ¢¬Ä¬û3ˆÇ¬Å0ˆ¢¬Ä¬¶4s disdain of democratic processes and independent journalism. Now, theyˆÇ¬Å0ˆ¢¬Ä¬û3ˆÇ¬Å0ˆ¢¬Ä¬¶4ve bought the first two miles north of Interstate 64 and plan on constructing two miles of I-69 in the spring of 2008. But we will never let them build this road.
www.iraqmoratorium.org
Make a commitment that on the Third Friday of each and every month, you will break your daily routine and take some action, by yourself or with others, to end the War in Iraq. Many people are organizing vigils, rallies and marches every third Friday. Food Not Bombs groups are invited to bring meals to support these actions. Visit the Iraq Moratorium site to find the action near you. You can also organize your own protest if there is't one in your community.
www.iraqmoratorium.org
Bob Linden hosts Go Vegan Radio where you can learn about animal rights campaigns and the many facts and reasons why Food Not Bombs provides vegan meals. This is one of the most listened to programs about vegan eating and deserves our support. Please tune in and visit their site.
www.goveganradio.com
R-68 agrees with the proposition, POTESTAS IN POPULO, all power comes from the people. What stands between the people and power are the party machines. The parties were devised as a means to represent the people. Today they represent nobody, not even party members, but only party bureaucracy. The people have been left without appropriate institutions for their representation. We intend to create those institutes!
Join us in the streets of Denver as we resist a two-party system that allows imperialism and racism to continue unrestrained. The group Re-create 68 a reference to the troubled 1968 Democratic National Convention seeks to serve the same umbrella function as the RNC Welcoming Committee in Minnesota, by supporting other protesters.
www.recreate68.org
To join us in supporting this action please contact Denver Food Not Bombs at 1065 Lipan Street in Denver Colorado or call them at 303-573-3896 or 303.629.8557
To learn what the Democratic Party is planning visit their site at their
2008 Democratic National Convention Information Source
 THE FOOD NOT BOMBS STARTUP KITEverything you need to start a local Food Not Bombs group in your community. A full color banner, on copy of the 126 page Food Not Bombs handbook, a DVD, flyers you can reprint and buttons. Everything you need to start a group. |
THE FOOD NOT BOMBS HANDBOOK This 126 page book shows you how to cook for 100 people, has detailed information about starting a Food Not Bombs group. |
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FLYERS AND IMAGES TO MAKE FLYERS Flyers, graphics, logos, and photos you can use to help you start your Food Not Bombs group. Please use any of these images on posters, flyers or on your new website. |
POST THIS FLYER ALL OVER TOWN You can start a Food Not Bombs group in you community buy making copies of this flyer, add your phone number and post it all over town in cafes, bookstores, schools, and store windows. |
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FOOD NOT BOMBS MATERIALS It can be helpful to raise money and awareness to have Food Not Bombs buttons, stickers and other materials on your table at events and concerts. Our office provides these materials at half price to Food Not Bombs chapters. You will attract more volunteers and support in your community when people see the Food Not Bombs image all over town. |
CONTACT A FOOD NOT BOMBS GROUP NEAR YOUBefore you start a group see if one is already active in your community. If you do find a group in your town try work with them. Sometimes the contact information is old and the group has stopped so if you find this has happened then let us know and start a new chapter. You can also invite a Food Not Bombs group near your community to help you get started. When you get your group going please email us the correct contact information and the times, days and locatons of where you share food.
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FOOD NOT BOMBS PRESENTATION One great way to help start a Food Not Bombs group is to invite the co-founder Keith McHenry to speak to your community. Student activity centers at colleges and universities will provide funding for a presentation by Keith, helping with airfare and an honorarium. You can learn more about Keith and listen to his presentations here |
YOUR LITERATURE AND FOOD TABLEYour Food Not Bombs group can have real impact when you include literature and a banner at every meal. If you set up your table at a location that is busy with a diversity of people at a time when lots of pedestrians walk by you will be able to attract more volunteers and discover new food sourses. You can also meet people who would have never known about the issues we are working on. Many Food Not Bombs tables are considered the place to visit for iinfromation, community as well as great food. This page shows you how you can have a more effective Food Not Bombs table.
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