Food Not Bombs needs volunteers to help serve food to the hungry masses

Food Not Bombs needs volunteers to help serve food to the hungry masses

By Lynda Carson - August 5, 2020

Oakland - The East Bay Food Not Bombs needs volunteers and donations to help serve food to the hungry masses in Oakland, and People's Park in Berkeley, during the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. Presently, there are many other organizations that normally provide food to the unhoused that are not operating now because of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. This makes it harder for hungry people who are down on their luck to survive and make sure they get enough nourishment to make it through another day.

Just try to imagine to being broke, hungry, unhoused and in need of a shower to clean your tender little body, while many people are hiding and sheltering-in-place from the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic that has killed over 155,000 people across the nation during the past 6 months.

Some people may be surviving from selling the Street Spirit newspaper and panhandling for some spare change in front of Lucky grocers. Hey buddy, can you spare a dime?

Others may be feeling old, sick, tired and unable to survive during the pandemic, and need some help as Congress and the inhumane Trump regime struggle to come up with a package of assistance to help the hungry masses in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that has left over 50 million people unemployed, and on the verge of becoming homeless, and unhoused.

According to Lydia Gans, a co-founder of East Bay Food Not Bombs (FNB), she said, “For 50 years FNB has been serving nourishing vegetarian meals 5 days a week at People's Park. In the past, 70 to 100 people were coming to the servings every day at People's Park, but now FNB is doing more and more distributions at homeless encampments in Berkeley, and Oakland.

It's a complicated process getting the meals ready every day, and many people are involved,” Gans said.

“First certain people have to go out and get the food – from community farms and from the Food Bank, and from some markets and take it to the kitchens to be cooked properly.

They have to use different kitchens for the meal preparations, and there are several different kitchens used on different days.

Then they bring the nourishing cooked food to People's Park every day at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It has become a tradition to serve the hungry masses at People's Park for many years.   
After serving the hungry masses of people struggling to survive, the pots, and pans, etc., have to be cleaned, and taken back to our storage place till the following day, when we do this all over again.

Because of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, extra steps have to be taken to ensure the safety of everyone. The food has be wrapped properly, and the servers have to be properly prepared to protect themselves, and others.

However, what is happening is that while some some of the old timers with FNB who are finding it difficult to keep up with feeding the hungry masses everyday, many students and unemployed people are joining in the effort with FNB to bring some nourishing food to the local homeless encampments, Peoples Park, and peoples homes,” Lydia Gans said.

Lydia Gans will turn 90 years old next month, and is getting around using a walker lately, but she is still hanging in there and has been a great asset to our community through the years. Thank you Lydia Gans for all that you have done!

During an interview with 77 year old Joe Leisner, originally from Queens, New York, who has been a volunteer with FNB since 1990, Joe said, “A lot of younger people have volunteered with FNB since the Covid-10 pandemic began. They help out 5 days a week at Peoples Park to serve food to the hungry, and twice a week in Oakland.

They also deliver food to people in need at different locations in Berkeley, and Oakland, in addition to people at some of the homeless encampments for the unhoused.

Food Not Bombs gets a lot of it’s nourishing food that it serves freely to the hungry masses from the Farmers Market, and from Natural Choice Distribution, in Berkeley.

Additionally, a grassroots group called the Town Fridge, has joined the cause to serve the hungry. They have distributed numerous refrigerators throughout seven locations or more along the streets of Oakland, to store food and other perishable items in them for people to find, and get some free nourishing food to eat in various neighborhoods,” said Joe Leisner of FNB.

A link to East Bay Food Not Bombs may be found by clicking here.

Another informative article of mine about Food Not Bombs from last March, with photos near the bottom of the story, may be found by clicking here.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

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