I can remember being at a show when i was about fifteen and seeing a group of people sitting at a table with a few books and a little sign that said "FOOD NOT BOMBS" and thinking "Food not bombs...?  What a weird name for an organization."  After becoming involved with Food Not Bombs, however, i found out exactly what the name means.  The name is quite simple, when you think about it.  It's a reference to the fact that if we were to spend the amount of money we spend on weaponry on feeding the homeless instead, we could illiminate the homeless problem the world over.  Poverty is a form of violence.  We often assume that poverty is inevitable for some people, but with the surplus of food in this country alone, no one should have to go hungry.  Poverty is, instead, a way of maintaining the status quo in a society.  If everyone had equal access to the necessities of life, as well as equal opportunity to education, work, etc., some very powerful people would suddenly find themselves with a little bit less due to the fact that they no longer control such a large piece of the economic pie.  As an organization, Food Not Bombs simply tries to redistribute a tiny portion of the wealth (in this case, food) that so many seem to not want to give up.  The name "Food Not Bombs" means just that.  With so many people at home and abroad going hungry, and so much of our wealth controlled by so few, and going towards such terrible things as weaponry, it's insane to assume that we can't redistribute some of that wealth to those who need it.

---

 back home