Food Not Bombs Seeks Donations for Holiday Serve and Gift Bags

Food Not Bombs Bayshore/Eureka is preparing for its annual holiday feast – complete with roast beast – and putting together over 50 gift bags for homeless community members as winter settles in. “To give someone a present gives them such a warm feeling,” said Rory Chaos, a core organizer with the group. “Maybe they remember back having Christmas with mom and dad, or it just really lightened someone’s day up and makes them feel that they’re loved.”

A screenshot of the fundraiser shows some progress, with a goal of $2000 set for the donation drive. 

The gift bags will include essentials like socks, underwear, wound care supplies, beanies, hand warmers, emergency blankets, and personalized letters signed by volunteers. Food Not Bombs Bayshore/Eureka is hoping donations will allow them to also include sleeping bags and tents – critical items as winter weather intensifies.

While the group primarily serves the unhoused population on the west side of Eureka near the Bayshore Mall, FNB invites anyone who is hungry to come by. Noticing that elderly couples have stopped by to pick up plates, and housed residents sometimes grab meals between work shifts, Chaos said, “[W]e serve the unhoused primarily, but we’re always open to anybody that’s hungry.” Adding that it “doesn’t matter where you’re from, what your beliefs are,” he said, “if you’re hungry, come get a meal, but no judgment. Everyone deserves food.” 

Volunteers at the weekly “free meal serve” on Bayshore Way, Monday December 15th, [Image provided by FNB Bayshore/Eureka]

In addition to cooking and serving weekly hot meals on the streetside, volunteers regularly distribute clothing, provide pet food, supply hygiene products to anyone who shows up as long as supplies are available, and even help with wound care needs from time to time.

Unlike larger nonprofit food programs, Food Not Bombs (FNB) operates entirely through volunteer funding and donations, with no nonprofit status or government grants. Most volunteers are what Chaos described as “dirt poor themselves”, cooking meals at home with their own money or donated ingredients. “We do so much more than your standard Food Not Bombs would do,” Chaos explained. He said  that beyond a hot plate of food, “they can also get the medical stuff they need, food for their dogs… a multitude of different ways we’re able to help people out.”

Chaos told us, “[U]nlike Food for People” which fills a separate food void in the community, serves a population of low-income and food-insecure households and is supported by larger coordinated fundraising events, for FNB, he explained, getting funds to operate with is a serious challenge. “We do not have a 501(c),” Chaos explained, saying that because they are a grassroots organization, “financial donations really help carry us through, especially coming into the winter.” 

Breaking from traditional Food Not Bombs’ strictly vegan menu, the Bayshore group also serves meat protein, recognizing the nutritional needs of people surviving harsh outdoor conditions. “We at Bayshore have decided that there is a need for heavier proteins for these people. We serve non-vegetarian food, but always have a vegan option available,” Chaos told us.

The weekly food serves take place every Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. on Bayshore Road behind the Applebee’s. The menu varies based on available local ingredients and donations – everything from burritos, rice and pasta dishes, to full Thanksgiving spreads with turkey, ham and all the fixings. This is possible due to ongoing donations the group relies on, and also because they often float the cost themselves with mutual aid assistance keeping the program going.

A flier from Food Not Bombs Bayshore/Eureka advertises the “FREE MEAL” noting the location of Bayshore Way. [Image provided by FNB Bayshore/Eureka]

A press release from the group reads in part, “We really need to take care of those most in need as resources get more stressed everyday. Food banks are struggling, food prices are going up with no end in sight. Your donation of any amount will be a hand out to help pull someone up.”  

“We’re the ones that will get down in the gutters, we’re the ones that will get our hands dirty,” said Chaos, noting that their program does “grassroots hard work that people always say they want to do something about – we jump in head first and go for it every week.” 

Donations of all kinds are accepted on-site during Monday outreach.  FNB coordinators can be reached via email at [email protected] or through the group’s GoFundMe campaign.