We wanted to show solidarity with the Occupy Birmingham protest camp in Victoria Square so chose that location for our first distribution. We arrived and were welcomed by the camp at 1:00pm and spent the next few hours giving away free vegan food to members of the camp, homeless people and anyone else who happened to be passing by. On the menu this week was spicy vegetable soup, spinach and mushroom soup, salad, fruit salad, a variety of different cakes, tea, coffee and an assortment of fruit. We were also giving away a selection of warm cloths from the Birmingham Social Centre Free Shop.  https://birminghamsocialcentre.wordpress.com/free-shop/

Food Not Bombs shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry
in over 1,000 cities around the world to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment.

With millions of people going hungry each day how can we spend another penny on war? And with the government’s program of cuts and austerity measures actively punishing the 99%, many people will go without homes and food this winter. We are therefore supporting the aims and actions of the occupy movement. There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but as a direct result of capitalism and militarism too much of it is needlessly wasted. If governments and corporations (i.e. the ruling 1%) around the world spent as much time and energy on feeding people as they do on war, no one would go hungry.

We are therefore taking direct action against this culture of waste, by using this waste food and cooking it up into tasty warm meals. We will be back out on the streets every fortnight.