Ayesha Washington

Upon arriving to Boston, I was so anxious to explore our topic of Urban Agriculture and Hunger. I had that opportunity today when I learned about and organization named Food Not Bombs and attend its festival. This organization was founded 30 years ago with the vision of fighting hunger because they (members) believe that instead of the government spending billions of dollars funding wars and bombing other countries, they should focus on the issues that we are facing here in America (such as hunger). This organization is interesting because they are focused around civil disobedience since technically they are not permitted to hand out meals (but they do so any way). However they believe that food is a right and not a privilege and no person should go without. Many organizations came out to be a part of the festival and I appreciated that because it explicated how urban hunger is related to other issues in society such as homelessness or capitalism. An interesting fact that I learned today was that 40% of all food that goes on to shelves in super markets gets thrown out and not consumed. It angers me to know that this is true yet I hear a homeless person speak about how at times they did not know where their next meal was going to come from. Every thing that I learned today allows me to have a greater appreciation for the food I consume on the daily basis and even the lifestyle I am allotted.