The crossbeam of the roofed food serving area declares this to be “Soup for the Revolution” in sloppy, giant, cursive handwriting. A line of about 50 of Bakersfield’s hungriest downtown residents line up to be served a heaping vegetarian feast. This is the weekly meeting of Food Not Bombs, a local chapter of a nationwide humanitarian effort that defies stereotype.
The typical effort for the homeless involves some elderly organizers, a religious backer, some form of central organization, and a heady sponsorship effort. However, these predominantly young philanthropists have no religious affiliation, no mainframe of leadership, and very little outside sponsorship.
They meet every Sunday at Central Park downtownon 19th Street with the right amount of food to make sure every mouth is filled.
Louie and Belinda, two Bakersfield College students, alternately explained that it was local Food Not Bombs benefit shows, food donations, and personal commitments that help them meet their goals.
This style of philanthropy is rare in a world of organizations rife with internal strife, missed deadlines, and bureaucratic nightmares.
Bobby, a wheelchair confined, self-proclaimed “street-person,” has been attending for several years.
“I usually just hang back for a while and wait for the line to die down. I come mostly to visit with people. We’re all friends.” Many of Bobby’s friends come over to visit, or just to pet his dog Baby-Boy.
Their motive is that having food is a right, not a privilege. They serve vegetarian food because of a belief in the sanctity of all life as well as the environmental concerns with growing animals for food. Although vegetarian fare is preferred, all donations are accepted.
The group, along with other autonomous factions, also serve free food at anti-war rallies across the globe. Local groups in areas struck by tragedy have often been the first on the scene, serving up their vegetarian food lines. They’ve had ongoing efforts during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, with the local New Orleans chapter devoted to serving food daily in the ravaged area.
The group helps many of the needy women and girls who come to their functions, with “airbags.” These are bags full of essentials such as shampoo, soap, clothing, and feminine products collected by members. They also have been known to distribute condoms.
The complexity of these operations belie what is at the heart of it; they have gotten together to make a difference. For one day a week, their Revolution of Soup is staging a coup on hunger.