Through thick and thin, rain and sunshine, Whitechapel Food Not Bombs has been serving free vegan meals in the streets of London every (almost) Saturday for over a year.
Food Not Bombs in Altab Ali park
Background
Part of the international Food Not Bombs movement, the group (originally called "London Food Not Bombs") has been serving since January 2007, in a small park called "Altab Ali Park" in Whitechapel. All the dishes are vegan, and most of the food skipped or donated.
The group initially cooked at the London Action Resource Centre, but quickly moved on to Rampart as the kitchen is bigger there.
The Year
Throughout the year, FNB activists have been skipping every week, at places such as New Covent Garden market, to rescue edible food that is thrown away by merchants who can not make a profit on it.
The food is then cooked on Saturdays, and until recently has been served in the park - to locals, activists, homeless people, tourists, passers-by... The number of servings vary, from 20 to 80, depending on the weather and the time of the year.
Food Not Bombs often comes along with a small sound system for entertainment, as well as a free shop offering free clothes to whoever wants them.
Beyond the weekly servings, the group has been cooking for various events - an action against Starbucks in Whitechapel, a No-Borders meeting, Reclaim Love 2008, a conference against immgration controls,...
The Future
The group has decided to change it's working structure, and to be more flexible about where the food is served. This allows the group to be more flexible, to reach out to more comunities and to get involved in more projects. Every month, the group plans what it will do for the next three weekends.
To know what the group will be up to for the coming month - simply check the website on
http://www.londonfnb.org/whitechapel/home.html (which gets updated shortly after the first Saturday of the month)
Part of the international Food Not Bombs movement, the group (originally called "London Food Not Bombs") has been serving since January 2007, in a small park called "Altab Ali Park" in Whitechapel. All the dishes are vegan, and most of the food skipped or donated.
The group initially cooked at the London Action Resource Centre, but quickly moved on to Rampart as the kitchen is bigger there.
The Year
Throughout the year, FNB activists have been skipping every week, at places such as New Covent Garden market, to rescue edible food that is thrown away by merchants who can not make a profit on it.
The food is then cooked on Saturdays, and until recently has been served in the park - to locals, activists, homeless people, tourists, passers-by... The number of servings vary, from 20 to 80, depending on the weather and the time of the year.
Food Not Bombs often comes along with a small sound system for entertainment, as well as a free shop offering free clothes to whoever wants them.
Beyond the weekly servings, the group has been cooking for various events - an action against Starbucks in Whitechapel, a No-Borders meeting, Reclaim Love 2008, a conference against immgration controls,...
The Future
The group has decided to change it's working structure, and to be more flexible about where the food is served. This allows the group to be more flexible, to reach out to more comunities and to get involved in more projects. Every month, the group plans what it will do for the next three weekends.
To know what the group will be up to for the coming month - simply check the website on
http://www.londonfnb.org/whitechapel/home.html (which gets updated shortly after the first Saturday of the month) 
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