Since I needed to return a library book that was coming due anyway, today I went to Boulder and attended Food Not Bombs. Happily, this time, the food was already out and being served when I arrived. A few thoughts on the experience.

Or maybe it should just be a list. Reasons why Food Not Bombs serves the homeless (and community in general) better than most charities. (Background: Though I'm far from a great humanitarian, many years ago, I did volunteer serving food in a homeless shelter with a church group. That was long ago. I also occasionally enjoy chatting with people off the streets, or even having a drink with them if I'm in a wacky mood.)

• In Food Not Bombs, there is no "us" or "them". Usually, everybody dishes up their own food. In my experience, the organizers will often take deliberate measures to obscure who is "behind" it (i.e. who prepared and brought the food on that particular day). Today was not the first time I would walk up and initially mistake another random "client" like myself for the arbiter of the event. More than any mission statement, this implicitly drives home the message that everybody is equal; it is not "us" professing our magnanimity to stoop down and help "them". Everyone is in it as one.
• As such, homeless people can and often do become involved in food preparation, thus contributing and gaining skills for themselves as well.
• There is no bureaucracy. No hoops to jump through. No humiliating rituals of mass dehumanization. All are welcome at the gatherings. As such, an informal atmosphere of fun and openness is promoted.
• Of course, the food is all vegan (or at the very least, vegetarian). Unprocessed, often organic, cooked from raw ingredients. More healthful than what I eat on most days.
• It's not just the homeless! Anybody and everybody can come. Random people passing by on the street are invited to eat. Again, this promotes solidarity and community, stemming the tide of alienation. When people from different walks of life eat together, they also begin talking together.
• To quote one of my favorite socially subversive publications, "Food Not Bombs is a gateway drug to activism." An effective way for people who want to get involved and help the world to do so, and in a very practical, tangible way.

Boulder Bandshell. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. 3:30pm. Other chapters operating nationwide. YMMV.