“Food insecurity” is jargon for being hungry. And whether folks in the neighborhood know or care to admit it, we are surrounded by hungry people. There have been never-ending discussions about the incongruity and the travesty of hunger existing at all in the richest country on the planet, but this article focuses on a low-key, grassroots effort by one of our neighbors to allay at least a little of the need.
Those of you who prowl Facebook, and the Wallingford-Fremont Group there, occasionally see posts from Food Not Bombs, and neighbor Kathy Bowie. Food Not Bombs is a loosely structured network of people committed to the idea that food is a right, not a privilege. It has existed for over 50 years, in many different locations across the country! In our neighborhood, they make the rounds of grocery stores in the area (primarily PCC, Trader Joe’s, and Safeways), to gather food nearing the end of its shelf life or pull dates, and make it available (first) to the Cascade Playground food bank (located by REI). Anything left over after Sunday afternoons goes to Kathy’s porch at 311 NE 51st, where anyone—no qualification required or judgement involved—can claim it. Protein items usually go quickly from the food bank, so they rarely make it to the porch. Nevertheless—most of the items that Food Not Bombs makes available gets claimed.
I asked Kathy how neighbors can help, and she replied with two ideas. First, people who can pick up food from stores, either on a regular basis or as a fill-in, should call her (206-940-9973). Second…she would like to be able to list in the Wallingford Buy Nothing group on Facebook, but apparently lives just outside the designated boundary of NE 50th. C’mon…even rigidly-structured Wallyhood will occasionally discuss things happening across our borders into Fremont, Green Lake, or the U District! Hunger doesn’t care what neighborhood it’s in…
