(USA:CA:SF) San Francisco Examiner Pro-FNB Editorial, Friday 8 September 2000

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Friday, September 8th, 2000

San Francisco EXAMINER Newspaper - Editorial Page A-19

 

MEALS FOR THE HOMELESS ARE A NUTRITIONAL NIGHTMARE

 

by Nancy Loewen & Peter A. Brandt

 

Walk into just about any soup kitchen or homeless shelter and you

will meet well-meaning staff and volunteers serving food that

would make a health professional wince.

 

The standard lunch - bologna and processed cheese on white bread -

is a nutritional nightmare. Bologna, usually loaded with fat and

nitrates, is far from healthy. Meat eating has been closely linked

to heart disease, several cancers, high blood pressure and obesity.

 

Nor does processed cheese bestow any favors. Dairy products are a

great source of unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol, and a

sub-par source of calcium. Nuts, calcium-fortified orange juice,

and leafy green vegetables are better calcium sources than milk.

 

Although America's meat- and dairy-centered diet is a poor one in

general, it poses extra hazards to the estimated 2 million American

homeless. The milk and meat of food animals contain antibiotic

traces known to compromise our immune systems. If you are homeless,

the last thing you need compounding the physical and emotional

stress and uncertainties is a weaken immune system.

 

Fortunately, at least one organization has exerted major efforts

to promote healthy food to the homeless. Food Not Bombs - a remarkably

persistent network of volunteers distributing wholesome vegetarian

food to the hungry in San Francisco and more than 70 other cities in

North America, Europe and beyond - this year marks its 20th anniversary.

 

In San Francisco, a free outdoor concert celebrated the milestone in

June. Unfortunately, distributing free vegetarian food even in such a

relatively progressive city can prove amazingly difficult. Since 1988,

San Francisco police have made more than 1,000 arrests of Food Not Bombs

volunteers. Co-founder Keith McHenry was arrested dozens of times, on

such absurd charges as " felony possession of a milk crate. " ( That

one was later dropped. )

 

Apparently, having the temerity to share beans, rice, bagels, veggie soup,

fresh fruit and green salads with the hungry in San Francisco's public

spaces constituted criminality. Nevertheless, undaunted volunteers

continued pursuing their " radical " food-sharing agendas, despite an

atmosphere at times so hostile it prompted Amnesty International to

consider adding imprisoned Food Not Bombs volunteers to its " Prisoners

of Conscience " list.

 

Why do Food Not Bombs members shun meat ? For starters, they recognize

the callousness necessary to slaughter animals as the same callousness

perpetuating homelessness. They understand that ending billions of animal

lives each year could only happen in a society with a moral bottom line

of " might makes right. "

 

Food Not Bombs members follow the principle that the quality of mercy is

not strained, nor should it arbitrarily contained within genders, races

or species. Additionally, Food Not Bombs members realize that vegetarian

food is much healthier, far less environmentally taxing to produce, more

universally acceptable within diverse ethnic, ethical, and religious

communities.

 

Meanwhile, soup kitchen operators serving high-fat, high-cholesterol

fare to their indigent clientele concede they fail to adequately meet

the needs of homeless vegetarians. Yet changes as simple as serving

pasta marinara and textured vegetable protein instead of pasta with

meat sauce, or offering red beans and rice without the added pork fat,

would afford soup kitchens universality in service. Veggie chili,

vegetarian stew and varied vegetables are healthy, economical and

filling fare, too.

 

Let's not kid ourselves that the moral bottom line doesn't cut across

species lines. You can see it lived out when an 11-year-old girl

spends the night on a sidewalk while a dot-com millionaire zips by

in a $ 90,000.00 Humvee. Continued homelessness in the shadow of a

thriving economy is symptomatic of a deep moral crisis. For their

wonderful and practical vision of sharing healthy vegetarian food

with the less fortunate, we should all wish Food Not Bombs increased

success, and hope more homeless-assistance programs follow its

example.

 

### 30 ###

 

Examiner contributor Nancy Loewen, RN, volunteers with

the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which

advocates a vegetarian diet.

 

Peter A. Brandt is a Seattle based writer.

 

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<SFFNB Signature File Of Thursday 20 January 2000

Communications from this e-mail address <SFFNB DO NOT necessarily

reflect views of the San Francisco Food Not Bombs organization, unless it

is otherwise indicated. The information content and opinions expressed in

this communication are from individual members, allies and affiliates of

San Francisco Food Not Bombs.

 

San Francisco Food Not Bombs

P.O. Box 40485

San Francisco, California 94140, USA

Phone: + 1-415-675-9928

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Web Page: < http://www.foodnotbombs.org >