Food Not Bombs!

Ok, so I've taken a WAY too long hiatus from blogging. Yes, I do feel guilty... and yes, I have thought about coming up with some good excuses, but camera failure and dog-ate-my-keyboard just sounds lame (and untrue).

To be honest, I think I just needed some time to get a little lost, and then to find myself again (if that makes sense). So what have I been up to?

I've cooked- some things good, some not so good. Eaten from my own garden for the first time- magical! Checked up on Dad every day (both of us battling insomnia at night, but getting better). Worked some gigs- some fun, some not so fun. And devoted a few hours on Sundays to Food Not Bombs.

I first learned about this organization from reading a little bit from Vegan With A Vengeance. I was curious, so I did a little research and found out that I had a chapter right here in my city! For those who've never heard of it, it's a bunch of people who take food donations from local establishments (usually food that has ripened or left-over, but still good to eat and would otherwise be thrown out) and cook it up for the homeless. And, it's totally vegan.

I've also been contributing some home made baked goods, which has added a little "zing" to the weekly menu. Last time, I made banana chocolate chip blondies (recipe from Bitter Sweet's Lunchbox Bites ebook- thanks, Hannah!), which were a very big hit.

I realized, after hanging out around some of the homeless people that a lot of them just want to feel a bit normal. To them, standing in line at a soup kitchen or to receive free shelter, may not require money, but often require a price in pride. Casually hanging out in the park with friends, sharing food and helping themselves is much more relaxed- a feeling that most of us take for granted. The motto for Food Not Bombs is "Food is a right, not a privilege." And it is a shame that the money our government spends on weapons could be used to feed all of the nation's hungry... but that is the world we live in.

This is Roger, who has been organizing FNB every Sunday for the past 13 years!