Weekly servings

What is food not bombs in Melbourne?

Food not bombs is a collection of people throughout Melbourne that collect, cook and deliver vegan food to the streets, to protests, fundraisers and events. In Melbourne people started organising Food not bombs in around 1996 and since then it has grown to 4 servings every week as well as special events catering. Three of the regular weekly servings are held on the streets so that anyone who is hungry, homeless or in need of food can eat without restriction, and the other is held on the street out the front of the community centre Loophole. It is important to FNB that everyone who wants to eat it can, as well as trying to ensure there is no heirachy or division between the people who cook and the people who eat.

The food is all completely free to eat. Nearly all the food FNB cooks with is food that is donated or would otherwise be thrown away, or that sometimes has been thrown away already. FNBs pick up fruit and vegetables from the organic stalls at the Victoria Market and from other organic shops around Melbourne. Any money that is needed, for example to pay for the running of the van that drives the food down to serving, is donated from either those who eat the food or from food not bombs fundraisers.

All of the people involved in FNB are volunteers and often take on different roles such as collecting the food, cooking it, driving the food to serving, cleaning, Whoever is cooking on the day uses whatever food they have to cook the meals so there is no set menu or set recipes that are used. Anyone can use their creativity and flair to create their own vegan masterpieces. At Irene's Warehouse (where the Monday and Tuesday servings are cooked) and at Loophole (where sunday is cooked) FNB keeps its spices, staples as well as utensils for cooking and eating. These centres let FNB have the spaces for free as long as the areas are kept well maintained, and at Irene's FNB pays Irene's for the utilities.

How is this organised?

Food not bombs has no leader and is a very loose conglomeration of people who are involved for their own reasons for although Food not bombs does have an ideology each individual is also autonomous and has their own politics. FNBs organisational ideas based on those of collectives, inclusiveness and consensus decision making where all people involved are given an equal voice. So whatever decisions that FNB makes they are attempted to be made with everyones input. Melbourne FNB does not have regular meetings at the moment. Food not bombs is also politically motivated and supports actions that are aiming for a world free of exploitation. Food not bombs supports social justice, human and animal rights and will often cater for events that are in line with radical social change.