How To Start a Food Not Bombs!

Any one person can start a Food Not Bombs, but to effectively be a FNB group you'll need interested comrades, bikes and a kitchen. Obviously, the more people involved the more food can be collected, cooked and served. However, it's often difficult to find enough volunteers to execute a large-scale FNB.
The following is a step by step process to effectively carry out the most basic FNB operation, easily applicable to a small group of motivated friends.

Step 1 Find a Food Source

Once you have your group, you'll each need a bike and a bag, preferably the biggest bag you can carry. If you have a bike basket, this works especially well, and a bike cart works best! Again, the more people involved, the more food can be carried back to the kitchen. The best place to start looking is at food-coops and health food stores, which tend to be more supportive of the FNB cause. Ask the manager if they ever throw away excess produce, and explain that you are willing to collect any edible food that won't be sold. Also, bakeries are excellent places to pick up day old bread and baked goods. There will likely be more than enough for you to carry!

Comments

[caliche]

REAL SEVEN STEPS TO STARTING A FOOD NOT BOMBS
By Food Not Bombs

You can find the real Seven Steps to Starting a Food Not Bombs at http:www.foodnotbombs.net/seven.html
I believe you will find it more helpful and I am not sure why this edition is being posted. 
We are dedicated to changing society and working for peace, justice and the earth by sharing free vegan food in protest to war, poverty and corporate domination. 

Visit Food Not Bombs at www.foodnotbombs.net

[A good name]

Nice instructable... I'm just wondering, I live in a suburb with few homeless... There's a large city about a forty five minute drive away, but is it better to donate to a food bank, or to serve the food?

[xvegxheadx22]

I realize that this is a fairly old comment, but I decided to answer your question anyway. Food Not Bombs is not specifically designed to feed the homeless, though it is best to go this route when possible. The food can, and should, be offered to anyone, regardless of social class or economic standing, since the point is to utilize food that would be discarded otherwise. If their are places around your home that are willing to donate food then I would highly suggest and encourage you to start a FNB.

[julesghouls]

well... I don't believe that food banks accept perishable/unsealed food, but if so then I don't think there's a better or worse way to distribute food "waste", as long as it's free!

[A good name]

When you say "white punks serving white punks" do you mean in the sense that the chapter is divided by race, or that people exchange their finds?

[julesghouls]

I'm sort of confused by your question, but what I mean is that I don't believe this particular chapter of food not bombs (neither server nor served) is accessible to the wider community, outside of the subculture associated with it, which I've generalized as 'white punks'. i definitely didn't intend to suggest the chapter is divided by race, though I think the hegemony of white, middle-class dropouts in the fnb movement is definitely worth examining

[lemonie]

There's a few sites dedicated to FNB - would help to drop some links in? L

[PyrateDIY]

Most FnB crews can be found on Myspace. I know it's lame and giving into the 'man' and the 'system,' but it's the easiest to get ahold of. Usually you can type in 'X City FnB' and it will come up. Thank you for this. FnB has been a big part of my life for a while now and I love my FnB families.