Not exactly the loudest or the most eye-catching of subversive activities.
And yes, it'll be rather wordy just the same.

I used to give away free food to poor people. See, one big problem in America (and probably a few other developed nations) is that far too often the people with the least spare cash tend to have less access to affordable fresh fruit and veg. It isn't just a problem of city living, it's also down to things like lack of actual grocery stores within travel range, the time and expense of public transportation and many other factors. While there are government programs to help, there's still the problem of lack of accessibility - so what if the government will pay for it if the closest corner shop has none and the nearest proper grocery is two hours by bus - and sometimes people don't qualify but still have need. So where's my part in all this?

I, having both free time and personal transportation to spare, decided to volunteer with our local Food Not Bombs group despite not being of the anarcho-hippie persuasion myself. Each week, I'd drive around to the different farmer's markets in the area and the farmers would donate fruits and vegetables that were maybe a little imperfect for sale but still perfectly good, or perhaps they had too much of a certain thing one week, or perhaps they didn't want to haul the unsold perishables back home. If what we had needed to be cooked right away we'd make something out of it, set up on a street corner and give it away; if it would keep, we'd load it into a wagon and walk through neighbourhoods giving it out to whoever wanted it.

Then a few of the members decided we needed to be more 'radical'. It seemed that reducing food waste and providing people with fresh, nourishing foods at no cost to them in time or money (in a country where so many people have this mindset that if you don't have something, it's because you didn't work hard enough for it and therefore don't deserve it) just wasn't good enough for them. I'll spare you the tales of dissent and infighting and cut to the part where operations dwindled down to me and one other girl doing everything from the collecting to the distribution on our own while the rest of them argued about the most effective way to make what they considered a worthwhile stand.

Here's my stand: One of the places where we took food was a day labour facility. In addition to borderline-exploitative work conditions, the place also overcharged its 'hires' for paltry meals at the jobsites. We'd take cooked food down there in the morning when the men lined up outside waiting for the place to open, or just take fruit if we didn't have anything to cook. One evening, I was walking home from work when a man on the street stopped me. I was wary at first, but he was smiling. 'I know you!' he said. 'You're one of the girls who brings us food.' He went on to say that when we came around, it was one of the only times in a day where someone made him feel like a person and not like a piece of garbage. He thanked me, asked me to thank my friend as well, and said that all the men at the facility were grateful that someone cared. I can't think of a moment when I felt more powerful against a system that made the man feel so low and gave a need for our work to fill in the first place.
(louveciennes , Volvospotter, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 15:55, 10 replies)

This
Is lovely :) That is all.
(Fredz A graveyard of hopes, a dump of ambition, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 17:02, closed)

what she said

(mersault, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 17:07, closed)

Well done.
You should be proud of yourself.
( Dr Preference AjcuiVd289, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 17:41, closed)

this is what we really need
not stupid committees, wasting everyone's time holding meetings to decide the best ways to help people, but people who actually go out there and just do what obviously needs to be done.
well done to you and your friend.
*click*
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 17:53, closed)

I was thinking of giving it up until I ran into that man
After that, I held out as long as I could by remembering his words and the look on his face. It was so easy to help on that small scale yet people were still determined to screw it up, and that hurt.
(louveciennes , Volvospotter, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 22:02, closed)

bureaucratic mentality is a bugger

( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 23:42, closed)

Clicked to hell 'n' back

( Duke Of Belmsford has got 99 records, but Jay-Z ain't one, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 18:09, closed)

Good for you.
My experience of non-profit organizations has been mixed, too. Some genuinely want to do good and are happy with any help they get. Others are full of egotists, with money, who want to see their name up in lights as Board Members. You did a good thing and it was recognized by those that really count, the recipients.
(Woofie, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 19:38, closed)

Thank you.
I actually cried when the infighting and claims of not-radical-enough broke it into complete non-functionality. It still makes me sick that people would now go without because some trustafarians needed more anarchist points to look cool and they were more than glad to bring operations to a screeching halt until they got their way. I suppose that's how you do things when you're used to having whatever you want handed to you.
(louveciennes , Volvospotter, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 22:00, closed)

Well done you.
And shame on the others.

Priorities are a strange thing. It's often very difficult to see how others reach theirs.
( Ugi , it's a game of give and cake, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 17:37, closed)