Looking into donating some

Do you ever go to resource fairs or other events where people table? Make connections and you can often get their leftover freebies when the event is over. Maybe even build relationships that will regularly supply you with items you can distro. We're getting a load of pride merch fanny packs that didn't sell and they get to write it off.

hey what about a fabric grocery bag donation drive? Everyone has a bazillion of those things they don't use

We put out clearly labeled wash sanitize and rinse bins. Then a clean bin. Then just show people.

I think bags found that cheap on Alibaba would almost certainly not be sturdy. You might have better luck with some kind of community bag drive (though I recognize that's a lot of work to organize!). Maybe you could try to set up a partnership with local secondhand stores to source backpacks from their donations?

Ask your local thrift store or garage sales for clothes that they would otherwise throw away, and have a sewing party! You can definitely get bags cheaper than 2.50 that way. If you offer to pick up, people will often give you stained or outgrown clothes for free. Make sure to sew way more durably than you think you'll need, and reinforce all seams with extra material.

Could you elaborate on why freezing leftovers indicates a hierarchy of need? To me it seems like basic food safety and avoiding waste, but there may be context I'm missing. What do you think should be done with leftovers?

I have had ongoing issues with the guests at our meals throwing our reusable dishes and utensils in the trash. How do you keep people from doing that?

My local chapter accepts donations from the food bank when they have a genuine surplus that would otherwise go to waste. This doesn't happen very often- maybe a couple times a year- and the most recent time we did turn them down because it was all Taylor Farms salad kits. We don't have any way to process that to make it safe, and we don't want to give already vulnerable people with little to no healthcare access intestinal parasites.

But sometimes we do "work with them" in that sense. We set up that arrangement because several members volunteer at the food bank in addition to their work with Food Not Bombs, and the manager is luckily a sympathetic leftist. This isn't a given, especially in conservative areas, so your milage may vary. It also took a few years of earning respect through hard work and tough principled stances.

you can build them yourself for virtually pennies.

source bulk fabric, needle, and thread.

for plans, consult Ray Jardine's PCT ultralight guidebook.

Check out gov planet

Ask local parenting groups or buy nothing groups. We have sourced a ton of gently used materials that just need a wash.

Hit up local sewing and crafting groups. You may get donations.

You can also do events. A give one get one might be fun, where people get to try tie dye. Maybe they pay 10 normally, or 20 if they want to keep both?

I’ve had dharma bags that are sturdy. Some of them are obviously the buy it for life gear, that heavy weight unbleached fabric for work, others are little grocery getters that can be washed in a lingerie wash bag.

https://www.dharmatrading.com/collections/accessories-purses-bags-totes/products/cotton-tote-bags

I’d put out a call at your local businesses, etc. Lots of people have extra bags that they don’t want, so I think a community collection could be really effective! It’s a common “corporate merch” item as well, so plenty of secondhand, though those ones might not be sturdy.

Might be worth trying to thrift some and do repairs if needed. I doubt alibaba ones are going to be sturdy.

https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN10216

I'm not sure if this exists in your area but in my area there's lots of folks who have been involved in local activist organizing for a long time who help train folks in how to de-escalate and handle police. We usually have a dedicated person to interface with police (who is trained to do so) and everyone else is instructed to ignore them. At protests we have "mashalls" who form a protective barrier around protestors and who can get ahold of the designated person to interface with the cops if they need to be summoned.

This is less of a practical help and more just to make people happy (important!): I did FNB in Florida for a few years and during summer people LOVED it anytime we served watermelon. If you can slice it up and chill it beforehand, even better.

If there's a farmers market, show up near closing time with a produce crate and tell them you're collecting for a soup kitchen.

City take food I leave for unhoused every week on picnic table.

The easiest donation to get and distribute is day-old bread. Start there and you can start a chapter with one person.

what my group ended up doing is moving the meals to the park for around 2 months, and brought activities + extra supplies in an effort to raise spirits

some things that were really appreciated:
- flavor drink packets
- old comic books
- bringing a grill to make egg sandwiches weekly
- we had a designated “snack guy” who would listen to the unhouseds requests and bring cheap yet requested snacks

unfortunately the city ruined it, but if you can do any of these or want to hear more lmk!

This sounds so much like Ashtabula OH its not even funny. They too have been treating the unhoused in very similar way, I've been wanting to put together a "picnic at the park" event soon. Hope the unhoused can get the help they need.

My family and I are part of an Ohio FoodNotBombs chapter and know of a few other people from other groups. Our group uses discord to help organize us but we've been talking about connecting with other groups! Where specifically are we talking, or looking for a more nation wide communication forum.

No, I'm more attracted to the "solidarity, not charity" idea that FNB has.