Green Options » homeless

Food Not Bombs Continues to Ignite Controversy

John Chappell — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:57:29 +0000

Food Not Bombs, a group dedicated to non-violent social change through feeding the needy, continues to find itself at the center of controversy as they enter their 30th year in existence.

Groups in New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, and Connecticut have run afoul of local laws that seek to stop them from handing out free meals in public places to those in need. Though all Food Not Bombs groups are independent, they share the common goals of feeding vegetarian meals to the hungry while also protesting war and poverty.

Food Not Bombs finds food that would otherwise be discarded - from restaurants, grocery stores, and other sources and prepares meals to anyone and everyone.

PETA to Give Away Fur Coats to the Homeless

Melissa Elliott — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:33:34 +0000

Many people including Mariah Carey, Kim Catrall, and Sharon Osbourne have been sickened by exposés of animals on fur farms, resulting in the donation of thousands of fur coats to PETA. On November 28th, under a sign stating “Free Fur Coats,” PETA and A Better Place will hand out dozens of fur coats to some of New York’s neediest people.

Homeless Recycling Collectors Screwed by California Law

Alex Felsinger — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:48:40 +0000

A misguided new California law prevents people from selling recycling if they do not have a valid state ID card.

On the rare sunny San Francisco day, people don’t flock to the beach as much as you’d expect-they head to the inland parks since often the beach is still cold. Dolores Park, one of the most popular sunny day hang-outs, will be jam packed on these days, leading to overflowing trashcans and recycling bins.

Luckily, there seem to always be a loyal handful of people wandering through the park collecting beer cans and water bottles from the partiers and picnickers. What’s their motivation for their almost surreal helpfulness? Well, a trade-in value of about 5-cents for each bottle or can.

But now the state is preventing many of these people from making their meager living.