Food Not Bombs highlights hunger issue

By Lily Jamali

As most of us are aware, a lot of things don’t make sense
about the world we live in. For example, the amount of money the
world spends on weapons in one week would be sufficient to feed all
the people on this planet for an entire year. To protest such a
distribution of money and resources, the organization Food Not
Bombs feeds thousands of people who can’t afford to feed
themselves in support of the idea that food is a right, not a
privilege.

Almost 20 years ago, Food Not Bombs was founded by eight people
to protest the construction of a nuclear power plant near Boston.
The main objective of Food Not Bombs has always been to distribute
food to the poor in protest of poverty and war. It recycles food
that would otherwise be thrown away and engages in protest in a
non-violent manner. Today, this organization has grown worldwide,
with 175 different chapters in countries from Europe to
Australia.

Although it may seem that the issue of hunger affects only the
homeless, it is a problem that extends to a much larger group than
many people realize. Thirty million people go hungry on a regular
basis. Fifteen percent of these 30 million people are homeless; the
remaining 85 percent consist of children, the elderly, women
heading single-parent families and the working poor. Of the 30
million people that go hungry on a regular basis, 12.8 million of
them are children.

In light of these statistics, the amount of money spent on
weapons is astonishing. In addition, there is the issue of edible
food being thrown away in staggering amounts. There is actually an
abundance of food in this country. Why, then, are so many people
going hungry?

On May 24, Food Not Bombs will celebrate its 20th year of
protesting the illogical priorities of our society.

Since the organization’s founding, thousands have been
arrested for giving food to the homeless in public squares. Just a
few months ago, here in Los Angeles, several people were arrested
for sharing free food with the hungry in Pershing Square. The Los
Angeles chapter of Food Not Bombs took its case to court and won
the right to continue distributing food in the square as it does
every Sunday at 5 p.m.

Food Not Bombs is about more than giving food to the homeless
““ it is about advocating a peaceful solution to one of our
most pressing global issues: hunger. To offer your support for this
cause, please join us to protest hunger Friday at the corner of
Kinross Avenue and Westwood Boulevard.