The Story Behind Asheville Food Not Bombs

asheville | food and water | feature

Thursday June 14, 2007 20:02

by The Warrior Princess - Asheville Food Not Bombs

jamim at riseup dot net

303-929-9713

Building Community, Sharing Food, Working for Nonviolent Social Change

Lindsay and Wayne enjoying each other's company in Pritchard Park.

FROM THE NEWSWIRE: For years, Asheville Food Not Bombs has been sharing free vegetarian food and hosting informal activist networking. Relying on volunteers who are committed to social change - or who just like to cook - Asheville Food Not Bombs is part of a worldwide movement that was started in 1980 by two anti-nuclear activists who saw the United States government - and society at large - as violent and focused on building and promoting that which causes death rather than life. Early Food Not Bombs activists were astounded at the amount of money, time, and resources the United States government and other governments were putting into developing life-threatening nuclear weapons while millions of Americans sat by hungry and without access to resources or help.

This connection between violence and poverty is not one that has been severed over time. Indeed, today many people are without food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities that they need to survive. Meanwhile, elected officials continue to make poor policy choices that do not support life and corporations continue to make mass weapons and throw away food that could otherwise be used to feed those who are hungry.

By sharing free vegetarian food that would otherwise be thrown away to anyone who is hungry or wants to eat, Food Not Bombs works to dismantle the culture of violence that continues to cycle through society while creating a space for building community, celebration, and life. Food Not Bombs has no formal leaders, strives to include everyone in its decision making process, and operates via autonomous groups that collect and share food throughout the world. The current incarnation of Asheville Food Not Bombs has been hosting picnics and informal activist networking every weekend since September. The core group was orginally comprised of several Warren Wilson College students who cooked out of a kitchen at the college but has since grown to include many people from a variety of backgrounds and now uses a kitchen at a house in the Montford area of downtown Asheville. Food is primarily collected using people power and bike carts and is taken to the park in the same manner. Cooking begins each Saturday around 12pm and the picnic starts at 3:30pm at Pritchard Park, which is located in downtown Asheville off of Patton Street.

In the past few months, Asheville Food Not Bombs has not only been serving food but also a healthly dose of dissent. In January 2007, the weekly servings began to be interrupted by Asheville City Police who informed activists that serving food in Pritchard Park was illegal and that there was an ordinance against doing so. Volunteers with Food Not Bombs began to read into the legality of serving food and came across no ordinances against doing so. As well, some activists were trained as Legal Observers and began to frequent the picnics with paper and pen to keep track of any interactions. Tackling the issue via politics, Asheville Food Not Bombs coordinated with the local Christian homeless advocacy group, the Zacchaeus House, to start up the Save The Picnic Campaign and successfully lobbied the City Council to include a homeless person as well as an advocate on the Pritchard Park Committee. Meanwhile, picnics have continued in the park and activists have returned each week armed with food and courage; the police have backed off but continue to keep a watchful but distant eye on the picnics.

If you are interested in helping collect food, cook, clean, or serve, Asheville Food Not Bombs is in need of help, especially in the next four weeks as our regulars are traveling or headed out of town. For more information, please contact Hattie at 303-929-9713 or jamim@riseup.net.

The revolution keeps churning and turning, and Asheville Food Not Bombs hopes to keep adding its momentum to the exponential cycle!

Andy, Nate, and Mike relax after cooking and chow down on yummy food!