Thursday, April 8, 2010

'FOOD NOT BOMBS' RETURNS TO ITS DOWNTOWN MISSION

'FOOD NOT BOMBS' RETURNS TO ITS DOWNTOWN MISSION
(Cleveland Scene), Posted by Frank Lewis on Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 2:53 PM

After some recent infighting, the anti-hunger collective known as Cleveland Food Not Bombs wants to reestablish itself a positive force in downtown Cleveland.
The group — a loose coalition of activists that serves meals to the homeless — is part of a larger Food Not Bombs national network and has been in existence for more than 15 years. Local member Kevin Williams tells Scene that the group plans to distribute meals at Public Square this Sunday, despite a tense relationship between the activists and a Cleveland City Hall. Williams says city leaders have tried to push them and other food serving groups out of Public Square. “They would like to have Public Square be a gateway, a touristy, clean space,” Williams. But the square, Williams says, has historically been a meeting place for all sorts of groups and is the ideal location for handing out food to the city’s homeless and drawing attention to issues of peace and hunger.

This weekend’s Public Square meal coincides with the visit of Keith McHenry (right), the activist who established Food Not Bombs in 1980 in Cambridge, Mass. McHenry will join the local group from 1-4 p.m. at the Cleveland Food Coop, 11702 Euclid Ave, for a workshop and food preparation. The group will then serve a communal meal and pass out food on Public Square from 5-7 p.m. at West 3rd and Rockwell (also known as Daniel’s Way, for the late Cleveland poet Daniel Thompson).

The public is invited to these events and the organizers are seeking more volunteers. For more information about the event and Cleveland Food Not Bombs, email the group at clefnb@gmail.com. — Damian Guevara

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