Photo Courtesy of Food Not Bombs Milwaukee
Food Not Bombs Milwaukee distributions
Poverty, rising costs and housing displacement are rampant social issues across the country, and mutual aid organizations that get free, nutritious food out to their neighbors are vital to keeping communities well-fed and safe. One such group is Food Not Bombs (FNB) Milwaukee, who do food kit distribution at Jackson Park usually on the third Saturday of every month. FNB Milwaukee is part of a global volunteer-led movement that has been active since the 1980’s, championing collective struggle against war profiteering and corporate greed.
The current iteration of Milwaukee’s FNB chapter formed in 2021 when a group of friends involved in local community organizing wanted to do something directly impactful, as a member named Mike explains.
“We looked into a chapter that was a couple years defunct and contacted the person who was previously in charge, and we got their blessing to start it back up.”
Mike and his partner Tanya started bringing food straight from their pantry to FNB distributions. Eventually they and other folks began buying food from nearby grocery stores and markets as well as taking donations from supportive businesses. FNB Milwaukee typically has anywhere from 5 to 20 volunteers each month. They chose Jackson Park to distribute at for its centralized location on Milwaukee’s south side.
“It’s a free store format where people roll up, park and come talk to us,” Mike continues.
Each FNB chapter is run autonomously, but they all operate under the notion that food is a right and not a privilege in the richest country in the world. FNB Milwaukee has the motto “solidarity not charity” in their Instagram bio, which member Janelle elaborates as meaning that we are in this class struggle together.
“We all need help,” she affirms. “Charity seems to be something that’s vertical, but Food Not Bombs does not have that kind of hierarchy. You come and take if you need it, I’ll come and take if I need it, and we all look out for each other.”
“That’s our definition of mutual aid,” Tanya adds. “We have a lot of familiar faces that we see return, and we also have a lot of new faces that we’ve never seen before. The word is getting out.”
A typical FNB Milwaukee pantry spread is stocked with fruits, vegetables, grains, canned goods, hygiene products and anything else that volunteers can find. They serve hot meals and coffee with each distribution as well. Folks interested in getting involved with FNB Milwaukee can either show up to one of their events or message them directly on Instagram @fnbmke.
|
|
Tanya says about volunteers, “Folks will shop, stick around, eat some of our food and help us out.”
“A lot of people right now in the climate that we’re living in are feeling paralyzed and don’t know what to do,” Janelle notes. “Feeding people is something that’s needed and that anyone can take part in.”
In addition to monthly distributions, FNB Milwaukee does an annual back-to-school cookout event in August where they offer school supplies such as pencils, pens, backpacks, folders and notebooks in addition to their usual food kits.
Tanya concludes, “We need a lot of help, and if people want to start separate groups on other sides of town then we would love to help out, mentor or share experiences. We want this to grow and flourish.”
The next FNB Milwaukee distribution is this Saturday, February 22 at noon. To donate to them monetarily, their Cashapp is $foodnotbombsmke414.
