Hey guys my girlfriend (23F) and I(23F) are starting a chapter of Food Not Bombs in Lorain Ohio and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on what to expect? I live in a suburban slightly conservative area. For reference I am , black, and Muslim so I’m concerned people won’t want to take food from bc of their beliefs, is this a problem other people have faced? I’m also concerned about starting this chapter while being visibly Muslim given the current bombardment in Palestine that I will get a lot of anti-Palestine people coming up to me wanting to argue. How do I avoid this? And if I can’t what should I do? Should I argue with them bc Food not Bombs is explicitly political and taking stands on political/ human rights issues is important? Or is that like antagonizing the community and bad for the movement?

I also wanted to know what I should put out in regards to readings/political material. should I full send it and leave out like anti capitalist literature ( anarchist/communist stuff)? Maybe something in between, just general anti war stuff? Environmentalism? I have been wanting to start a local paper where I just report on local issues with my own political lens ( so like local tenants rights issues, public park funding, right to grow initiatives etc.), is this good to put out?

I just don’t really know where to start or what the standard is for you guys? I found out about food not bombs online so I’ve never actually seen a stand in person and I don’t rlly know what I should be replicating.

Another thing is the vegetarian/vegan meals. I agree with the principle and plan to cook vegan/vegetarian meals to serve people at the stand but I also have started multiple food exchanges where in people in my apartment complex have like a mutual pantry in each building and those are not vegan/vegetarian, is it bad to distribute food not bombs stuff there? What about food donations from other groups like churches/restaurants that aren’t vegan/vegetarian? Should I politely turn them down? Or I could also distribute the cans of stuff as like “food packages to families”, is it okay to put food not bombs on those?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I joined about 2 months ago and i’ve noticed that we don’t seem to get many people that come to our table, like less than 10. Our chapter has been going on since mid last year. any tips to get more people to approach us?

hi, im a young anarchist thinking about starting a fnb chapter. i want to do more for my community, especially since all the organizations around here are aggressively christian. my city isn't exactly rich, but according to poverty rates less than 10% of the population are in "poverty". of course, this doesnt mean much to me (especially since i grew up "above the poverty line" yet still poor), but theres still a small part of me that's like. its not worth it. i know this is just the capitalist brainwashing speaking and that any person who is hungry deserves food. i want to help the community im in, but it just kinda feels shitty knowing theres more people i could help in other places. im not even sure if there's a good central place to serve-- there's no public transportation so people rely on their vehicles while a minority walk everywhere. does anyone else feel like this? advice would be appreciated :)

I've noticed that every FnB chapter in my state (that I know of at least) serves some meat. Is this a growing trend? The last time I did FnB was over a decade ago (I'm involved in a non-vegetarian mutual aid group these days) and this would be unheard of back then. We would always thank people who brought non-veggie dishes, serve it, and ask them to bring a veggie dish next time and explain that FnB is a vegetarian project.

I understand the reasons people serve meat (we mainly serve homeless folks, and many of them like meat, don't wanna turn away food, etc), but to me it feels disrespectful to the legacy of FnB to call your group FnB and break one the few core principles. Why organizer under the banner of FnB if you don't agree with the principles? To me it's like starting an Anarchist Black Cross chapter and doing prisoner support for incarcerated cops, it's a fundamental contradiction. I've met some homeless vegetarians/vegans who sought out FnB here and were disappointed it wasn't "really FnB." I would have felt the same way when I homeless.

I'm curious what other people's thoughts are and how it looks in your region.

Hey everyone, we have started a group here in Homer, Alaska. I am looking for advise on how to build structure in our meetings and how to stray away from a leadership role. I think it would be great to have a rotating schedule for leading meetings but I'm wondering if any of yall have tried that. Thanks!

I saw the FNB in Houston on my TikTok fyp and I realized my city had one, but it’s inactive. I decided to see if I could get it running again! Any encouragement would be welcome!

I’m trying to restart our chapter by serving Sunday meals at Brother Bryan Park. If you are interested in helping, please send me a direct message.

I just started a group in my city and I’ve reached out to various homeless camps and shelters. We’ve had good turn outs but we’ve been blessed with more donations than people who’ve reached out to claim them. Does anyone have any recommendations on reaching out so more people are aware of your events. I’ve done the usual online postings, made fliers and posted them. Any recommendations or ideas are appreciated.

So far, the answers still don't seem official across the board. Okay, they need to make sure you are actually in need. Alright...? So, a utility bill or ID proves that how?

Okay, so they just need to make sure you are an American citizen? To get food from a church? Oh, but it's because the church is affiliated with a food bank that is getting government funding? So, reasons. Ehh...

I know two people that are in need of food. One is a US born resident, 73, never lived anywhere else. The other is an undocumented guy with absolutely no ID of any form. He went over to get food at the pantry next door and was denied because he had no ID. She probably would go but does not want to have to flash her ID to get food.

None of this really makes sense to me. I'm not even getting into the political aspect of it. Just logistically, I don't understand any of the reasoning. Is it because they want to make sure people with money aren't scamming to get free shit, or is it more because they want to make sure you are a US citizen? I'm sure someone out there with money is going to try to get free food at some point, so whatever. But canned green beans and pasta isn't that enticing for most people. I can get higher quality stuff dumpster diving or from FNB. That's the irony of it all. The best stuff I get, personally, is from dumpster diving, to the point that I don't even need FNB. I just donate good quality clothes and non-food items.

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My org has experienced something unfortunate with a group member because the individual was not properly vetted. We are not accepting new members at the moment until the vetting process is revised.

I am curious to know what other orgs are doing to vet their members? Outside of this particular member, we also want to make sure going forward the group doesn't accidentally accept cops, narcs, fascists, moles, etc.

My Food not Bombs folks have been struggling to figure out how to branch out and reach people who may need our free mealshares more than others. We keep updates on social media and have them at the same times every month but it's usually a hit or miss if we get more than a few people sometimes. Any advice?

What it says on the tin ^ if you’ve got any trusted large batch recipes send em my way!

Part of a small new fnb-esque hot meal distro in Milwaukee, been baking our desserts the past few weeks but now that I’m helping with the actual hot meals I need your help -_- I do not have a chef’s intuition so detailed recipes r best lol

While I’m here, if u got any tips on dumpster diving / where to find free food, or wanna share any general advice as someone with experience I’m all ears!

Hi, I've been trying to reach out to the Austin FNB folks for a while to no avail. I have joined the patreon but haven't heard anything back. If anyone has a contact with someone in the chapter, I would appreciate it if you could reach out! Thanks

Does anybody have any good Free Palestine zine they can direct me too? My chapter wants to do a solidarity fundraiser and i’m struggling to find good lit for it.

West Palm Beach PD has issued 7 citations to FNB members for violating a new city ordinance criminalizing food shares. Police have now fenced off their food share location (that has been ongoing for 16 years).

https://x.com/PalmBeachDSA/status/1702680677760512047?s=20

The phone number and email are dead :-(

Howdy, I've been a driver for FNB over the years, but not in Georgia. That's where Atlanta area district attorney Fani Willis is about to indict Trump and allies this coming workweek. And her indictment will elicit loud ecstasy from Dem-flavored statists. So I was wondering, just to be annoying, or rather, just to ensure some people's lives and unpaid work aren't erased in the rush to verbally fellate a prosecutor for doing the bare minimum, ... can anybody think of examples of the Fulton County DA's office going after Food Not Bombs in Georgia, especially if Fani Willis herself was involved? Cursory searches I conducted of news, etc didn't turn up much. Thanks!

Hello everyone! Internet-troll team “Love Trolls” is looking for members! ^^ We will send love to people on the internet for their kind actions (such as adopting a pet from a shelter, participating in charity, standing for LGBTQA+ rights, becoming vegan, standing up against discrimination and war, helping refugees etc.).

Everyone who shares our values is welcome here as a family member. We stand for human and animal rights, freedom for gender identification, LGBTQA+ rights, peace and the right to not suffer. We stand against discrimination, war, xenophobia, racism, ageism, sexism, narcophobia and fascism.

I am originally from Russia and have personally seen how public opinion can influence people and their actions (or an absence of them). I believe that by creating a society where kind choices are appreciated, we can improve the world and reduce suffering in it. I want to build a team which will send love to people around the world and encourage us all to be better living beings every day.

If you also want to make the world a better place by sending love online - please text me in Discord: Love Troll#7823

Much love and let it be peace! <3

My city doesn't have a food not bombs chapter, so I want to start one ìf I can. Obviously I can't do it alone, so I need to find others who are interested.

If any of you have been involved in the formation of a new chapter, how many people did it take before you were really able to get going?

Hi. In an attempt to have a real sub campaigning against war and not spreading Russian propaganda, we've started a sub r/ActAgainstWar. The mod team will be trying to remove things like combat footage and keep it on a positive direction even when things might feel hopeless. We'd really appreciate any food not bombs information you'd like to post there since the idea is so positive. Please come and join us and please do introduce your local chapter and any action they do. See sub rules and description for more information.

Where you at?