TULSA, Okla.–Tulsa Food Not Bombs, an independent group of volunteers offering mutual aid to Tulsans regardless of income, background or housing status will celebrate five years this month bringing food and essential supplies to neighbors in need.
Tulsa Food Not Bombs (TFNB) believes in addressing the root causes of hunger and homelessness by bringing services directly to people where they are, without relying on nonprofit structures tied to capitalism.
While the new mayoral administration of Monroe Nichols has pledged to offer a more humane approach to unhoused peoples than the previous one, Tulsa Food Not Bombs remains the only organization in the city reaching residents without red tape. The anti-war mutual aid organization serves over 300 meals a week, with over 30,000 meals served over five years.
The Black Wall Street Times reached out to volunteers with TFNB to highlight mutual aid as weather disasters, such as recent floods in Texas, continue to test the limits of government and charity responses.
Tulsa Food Not Bombs delivers mutual aid rain or shine
The 2021 February Arctic Outbreak severely impacted residents of Tulsa and the city’s power grid when record-breaking freezing temperatures and snowfall pounded the community.
The storm brought together an autonomous collective of TFNB volunteers less than a year old, who opened a space downtown to service the mostly unhoused residents unable to find resources. They called the area near the Salvation Army on Denver Avenue and Archer Street the Maybelle Emergency Zone, collecting donations for food, blankets and other essential items.
While city officials under Mayor G.T. Bynum devoted funding to nonprofit entities such as Housing Solutions, Tulsa Food Not Bombs volunteers said they were met with hostility from city workers seeking to erase unhoused dwellings from public view.
Watching Tulsa Food Not Bombs directly serve residents while the city tried to bulldoze the unhoused encampments radicalized volunteers like Olivia, who works the group’s drink crew, serving roughly 20 gallons of cold beverages such as aqua fresca, iced tea, lemonade, and fruit punch each week.
“I have also helped out in our hot meal crew with preparing meals, and a free store, where we share toiletries, first aid supplies, clothing, period products, tents, batteries, pet food and much more,” Olivia told the Black Wall Street Times.
She said mutual aid is important because it allows neighbors to share resourses directly without the power dynamic of nonprofit restrictions.
“We stand in solidarity with each other and recognize that we are all neighbors being harmed by capitalism. There are no strings attached in mutual aid. We don’t ask how much you make annually or what religion you associate with,” Olivia said.
From food to clothing–no strings attached
Penny was a volunteer who also became radicalized by the city’s harsh treatment of unhoused residents. She started volunteering in 2021 by serving hot meals. Now she works the free store.
“Every week we have bins of clothes separated by size that folks can look through and choose what they want,” Penny told the Black Wall Street Times. The Tulsa community is really generous and makes this happen by either bringing donations to one of our drop off locations or by providing funds so we can purchase in bulk.
Penny said a major misconception is that Tulsa Food Not Bombs is encouraging homelessness by feeding unhoused people. She believes the reason TGNB has received pushback from other entities in the past is because it operates outside of the capitalist structure.
“If you donate, there are no salaries to be paid, there are no fundraising events to put on, it will go directly to Tulsans who need it the most,” Penny said.
Five years serving mutual aid
On Wednesday, June 23 Tulsa Food Not Bombs will celebrate five years of operations and over 30,000 meals served. It all started with just four volunteers who brought their experience in the restaurant industry to direct mutual aid.
“When grants are up in the air due to the new administration, we are unaffected because we have created something that exists and is fully sustained outside of that structure,” said Lori, one of the original members.
“This city and most American cities see people who have been evicted, who live on the streets outside of empty housing, who go hungry outside of stores that throw away food, but they are unable to address the root issues of hunger and homelessness, which is capitalism.”
You can donate to Tulsa Food Not Bombs on Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App. To follow their updates, visit their Instagram, Facebook or X.