Address: 149 Chapin Street, Binghamton NY
Contact: Nico Meyering
Email: nmeyeri1@binghamton.edu
What kinds of services does your organization provide to the community?
Binghamton Food Not Bombs provides a weekly community meal to anyone who would like to come
share it with us. The meal brings together a diverse crowd of people who
volunteer to cook, clean, and enjoy the lunch. We provide fresh and healthy
vegan and vegetarian food with gluten-free and dairy-free options also
available. We rely solely on volunteers and food donations because we believe
that nationwide hunger would be wiped out if the federal government spent more
money on domestic programs and less on defense and the military. The Binghamton
chapter of Food Not Bombs has been serving the community for over a decade.
How
does your organization currently partner with Binghamton University?
Over
the years many of our short and long term volunteers have been Binghamton
University students. Through our listing with the CCE we have received
dozens of inquiries from individuals and groups who would like to volunteer. We
have also held General Interest Meetings on BU’s campus thanks to the
Experimental Media Organization.
What
are some regularly available volunteer/civic engagement opportunities for
Binghamton University students at your organization?
We
meet every Sunday to cook at 10:00 am; lunch is shared at 1pm, and then cleanup
continues until about 3pm. Volunteers are welcome to join for any of
those activities, or could help on other days by organizing and picking up food
donations.
What
are some ways you would like to partner further with Binghamton University
students, faculty, or staff in the future?
Many
of our long-term and essential volunteers have been students - their enthusiasm
has been key in keeping our program running, and we hope to see further
collaboration in the future. As we look to expand our organization, new and
recurring volunteers from Binghamton University will be crucial.
What
might students gain from volunteering at your organization? How would this work
benefit your organization and/or the community?
Students who come to volunteer with
us will leave with an appreciation for creative cooking, and will likely learn
new recipes and techniques from the other cooks in the kitchen. Because
Food Not Bombs does not have a formal or hierarchical leadership structure,
students also learn about alternative methods of collaboration and leadership.
We stress the importance of everyone participating, learning, and growing,
which is a useful skill for volunteers who lead other organizations or groups.
Why do you think it is important for students to become civically engaged?
At Binghamton
Food Not Bombs, the importance of civic engagement is extremely visible. Volunteers
come together to cook a wholesome vegetarian meal each week that
is created out of food that would have otherwise gone to waste. Instead,
the food feeds those who are hungry and without our volunteers the weekly meal
would not happen.
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