Getting meals to people in need: any ideas?

[Stanley Edwards]

...

Also where and how to publicise to people who'd need it?

...

Local media and FB. Best way to get the local media interested is to organise a small 'event' to make things a bit more newsworthy.

Simple ideas that needn't take much organising, or money. Personally (because I am an artist) I get involved in, or organise community art events specifically for kids. You then invite all local media and hopefully end up with some good exposure in local papers and radio to get the grapevine moving. FB is actually invaluable and the most effective for spreading this sort of news today.

One example; I am in the process of planning an outdoor art workshop where children will be helped (if needed) to create life size portraits of each other in a small plaza. All finished work will be displayed at the end with parents encouraged to donate to cover costs to take the childrens' work home. I will invite various local charity/non-profit groups to come along, get involved and promote themselves also. All will be actively encouraged to use media contacts and promote using FB. The entire day will cost no more than €200 - fully expect local businesses to cover that. The day should raise enough money to make it worthwhile for participants/volunteers from community groups. But, above all else, it will raise awareness and everybody will have fun. Small stuff that gets BIG results. Nice thing about children is that they don't recognise the same stigmas us adults have been conditioned to recognise - they help break the ice and get the grown-ups talking to each other.

It is easy and effective.

 

[Anton]

i'm not against people doing charity. its ok, so i have no problem with religious organisations doing it. they are at least consistent.

But I don't quite get the phenomena of atheist leftist anarcho-green-socialist types all wanting to help the needy around Xmas.

being jewish or christian or muslim or atheist background doesn't seem to change anything. nobody wants to be seen as a scrooge.
isn't there quite a bit of 'virtue signalling' in this type of activity? " oh, look at me, I'm helping the needy' followed by pictures of facebook shared to all their friends.

Do we need more guilt tripping to 'do something', which in many ways is simply the old victorian charity dressed up?

aren't there in fact plenty of state/charity type organisations already doing this type of work?

 

[Wilf]

i'm not against people doing charity. its ok, so i have no problem with religious organisations doing it. they are at least consistent.

But I don't quite get the phenomena of atheist leftist anarcho-green-socialist types all wanting to help the needy around Xmas.

being jewish or christian or muslim or atheist background doesn't seem to change anything. nobody wants to be seen as a scrooge.
isn't there quite a bit of 'virtue signalling' in this type of activity? " oh, look at me, I'm helping the needy' followed by pictures of facebook shared to all their friends.

Do we need more guilt tripping to 'do something', which in many ways is simply the old victorian charity dressed up?

aren't there in fact plenty of state/charity type organisations already doing this type of work?

Well, as an atheist leftist anarcho-green-socialist type, I did make the point about trying to make it a form of mutual aid rather than charity (something that is actually quite complicated on the ground, but that's by the by). Also, have a look at the thread start date, if you think this is all about Xmas.

 

[Anton]

it may not be 'all about xmas', but nonetheless, the xmas charity do gooder Bob Geldof/Bono type thing is there.
you can call it 'mutual aid' rather than 'charity', but thats just changing words to disguise what it is.
i mean this with a group i know of, Food Not Bombs, again its not 'just for xmas', but it strikes me as a left wing version of charity.

what is the difference between 'mutual aid' and 'charity'?

 

[Stanley Edwards]

...

what is the difference between 'mutual aid' and 'charity'?

I guess the difference is empathy.

I'm pretty angry tonight. Tempted to raise a point with the local papers, but that is pointless - last time I did that I got more grief myself.

This morning I read the local papers whilst taking breakfast in my favourite bar. My newspaper of choice is supposedly left wing, or just a touch left of somewhere. There was a story about Cruz Roja (Red Cross) serving 165 meals to those in need this evening. I recalled that my mate who has been living on the streets for almost 15 years was looking forwards to the event.

Come 7pm, I walk with him to show him where it was happening. When we arrive there are about 30 street guys (all of whom had listed their names to be eligible) waiting outside because security won't let them take their bags inside in case they have booze hidden. No provision for safe storage of bags. Just how distanced are the organisers from the reality of living on the streets? They have taken their goodwill publicity and now don't deliver. Sickening quite frankly.

I invited the guy to join me for chips and eggs, but everywhere bar KFC/Pizzahut was closed. Nothing open within our price range. So, we are now waiting outside a place of one of my clients who has promised something when they close.

----------------

I appreciate your point, but feel it is an unfounded criticism. Myself, and many, many others who hold Socialist values close to our hearts do so because we want to. Their is no ulterior motive. We do it always, and always will.

I think it comes down to empathy and life experience. There is no other way as far as I am concerned.

 

[Wilf]

it may not be 'all about xmas', but nonetheless, the xmas charity do gooder Bob Geldof/Bono type thing is there.
you can call it 'mutual aid' rather than 'charity', but thats just changing words to disguise what it is.
i mean this with a group i know of, Food Not Bombs, again its not 'just for xmas', but it strikes me as a left wing version of charity.

what is the difference between 'mutual aid' and 'charity'?

County Durham Socialist Clothing Bank | Facebook

 

[bi0boy]

it may not be 'all about xmas', but nonetheless, the xmas charity do gooder Bob Geldof/Bono type thing is there.
you can call it 'mutual aid' rather than 'charity', but thats just changing words to disguise what it is.
i mean this with a group i know of, Food Not Bombs, again its not 'just for xmas', but it strikes me as a left wing version of charity.

what is the difference between 'mutual aid' and 'charity'?

mutual aid, charity...whatever you call it they are both equally as bad, right? I suppose people in need ought to wait for a communist government to come along and help them out.

 

[Anton]

mutual aid, charity...whatever you call it they are both equally as bad, right? I suppose people in need ought to wait for a communist government to come along and help them out.

not really
i didn't say charity was 'bad'.
i think you'll end up waiting forever for a communist government.
just curious that when it comes down to it, all this radicalism is not much more than charity.

 

[Wilf]

not really
i didn't say charity was 'bad'.
i think you'll end up waiting forever for a communist government.
just curious that when it comes down to it, all this radicalism is not much more than charity.

Do you want to tell us how you've solved all these contradictions Anton? Give us some detail of your politics, your solidarity?

 

[Anton]

its not solving any contradiction. this is your term, as you are unable to give a coherent account of what you're doing, and need to attack the other person to shift the ground.

its just noticing that old style victorian charity now markets itself in leftist radical clothing.
thats why the Salvation Army are simply doing the same thing, but with a different ideology and possibly more honesty.

same demented 'do gooder' grins, like these twats that go for a gap year abroad and want to save all the street children and orphans in Brazil or India or wherever.

 

[Wilf]

its not solving any contradiction. this is your term, as you are unable to give a coherent account of what you're doing, and need to attack the other person to shift the ground.

its just noticing that old style victorian charity now markets itself in leftist radical clothing.
thats why the Salvation Army are simply doing the same thing, but with a different ideology and possibly more honesty.

same demented 'do gooder' grins, like these twats that go for a gap year abroad and want to save all the street children and orphans in Brazil or India or wherever.

Please could you point out where I've attacked you?

Realise you are trolling/returner and all that, but I'll play along. So, to repeat, would you like to give some details of your politics and how you conduct that politics without the taint of charity. What is it you actually do?

 

[Anton]

Please could you point out where I've attacked you?

Realise you are trolling/returner and all that, but I'll play along. So, to repeat, would you like to give some details of your politics and how you conduct that politics without the taint of charity. What is it you actually do?

What do you do?
What difference does that make to this subject?
But I'm basically a Bookchinist.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

What do you do?
What difference does that make to this subject?
But I'm basically a Bookchinist.

Why are doing this today? Why can't you be arsed to do it for the rest of the year? You are a part-timer?

 

[Anton]

part timer? eh?
perhaps the most radical thing to do is to do nothing.let the buggers starve! perhaps when things get really bad, they may rebel... or maybe not.
perhaps we ought to wait for the long promised 'collapse'.
you should read this, if you haven't already "militancy, the highest stage of alienation"
Militancy: highest stage of alienation - Organisation des Jeunes Travailleurs Révolutionnaires

a 'saviour complex' toward the homeless is not going to help much, which is what charity is.

 

[Thimble Queen]

part timer? eh?
perhaps the most radical thing to do is to do nothing.let the buggers starve! perhaps when things get really bad, they may rebel... or maybe not.
perhaps we ought to wait for the long promised 'collapse'.
you should read this, if you haven't already "militancy, the highest stage of alienation"
Militancy: highest stage of alienation - Organisation des Jeunes Travailleurs Révolutionnaires

a 'saviour complex' toward the homeless is not going to help much, which is what charity is.

People who have the resources to help others should. I don't know why you're trying to pick holes in Cloo 's attempt to help ppl in her community. Especially today, haven't you got anything better to do.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

part timer? eh?
perhaps the most radical thing to do is to do nothing.let the buggers starve! perhaps when things get really bad, they may rebel... or maybe not.
perhaps we ought to wait for the long promised 'collapse'.
you should read this, if you haven't already "militancy, the highest stage of alienation"
Militancy: highest stage of alienation - Organisation des Jeunes Travailleurs Révolutionnaires

a 'saviour complex' toward the homeless is not going to help much, which is what charity is.

Charity can be many things. You are assuming 'homeless' here. Possibly my fault for taking the thread in the homeless direction, but Cloo's original post didn't mention homelessness.

If you think the people most in need now are fighters, you need to think again. Really don't want that to read as being patronising.

I hate to see people becoming reliant on free kitchens and handouts. It sort of becomes their daily routine - their new job. This is not good. I'll agree with you that much. However, the help offered by people with good intent is appreciated greatly. Your cowardly comments are just that.

 

[bi0boy]

part timer? eh?
perhaps the most radical thing to do is to do nothing.let the buggers starve! perhaps when things get really bad, they may rebel... or maybe not.
perhaps we ought to wait for the long promised 'collapse'.
you should read this, if you haven't already "militancy, the highest stage of alienation"
Militancy: highest stage of alienation - Organisation des Jeunes Travailleurs Révolutionnaires

a 'saviour complex' toward the homeless is not going to help much, which is what charity is.

oh you crack me up, more of this please

 

[Anton]

Charity can be many things. You are assuming 'homeless' here. Possibly my fault for taking the thread in the homeless direction, but Cloo's original post didn't mention homelessness.

If you think the people most in need now are fighters, you need to think again. Really don't want that to read as being patronising.

I hate to see people becoming reliant on free kitchens and handouts. It sort of becomes their daily routine - their new job. This is not good. I'll agree with you that much. However, the help offered by people with good intent is appreciated greatly. Your cowardly comments are just that.

Cowardly? eh?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with people with good intent helping the most in need over Christmas or at some other time.

there are a lot of needy people however. and people seem to become needier and needier everyday.
and there are a lot of charities as well that do this type of thing.

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

a 'saviour complex' toward the homeless is not going to help much, which is what charity is.

Can you point to one single place where the OP has displayed anything like this? You seem to be projecting a lot of things onto this thread that simply aren't there.

 

[Anton]

Can you point to one single place where the OP has displayed anything like this? You seem to be projecting a lot of things onto this thread that simply aren't there.

possibly.
but it is a common mindset so deep that people fail to recognise it, and it is everywhere in the world of charity.
OP may not have this mindset. not everyone does.

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

possibly.
but it is a common mindset so deep that people fail to recognise it, and it is everywhere in the world of charity.
OP may not have this mindset. not everyone does.

I don't disagree that there are part timers who get involved without understanding the complexities around homelessness and poverty - who get involved believing they can solve everything by swooping in from above. But those people do not stick around anyway.

Most of the people who run the shelters and foodbanks on the ground are proper though. Many have direct experience with these issues themselves, either through having gone through similar situations or seen friends/family that have. Beginning with the assumption that everyone involved is some detached saviour type does nothing but harm.

Also, sometimes the people that volunteer around Christmas become full-timers. They learn the nuances of the issues and end up being a vital part of the day-to-day slog. You can't just dismiss everyone because of the cliched bono/geldof/saviour types.

 

[B.I.G]

possibly.
but it is a common mindset so deep that people fail to recognise it, and it is everywhere in the world of charity.
OP may not have this mindset. not everyone does.

You seem to be a bit of an arrogant cunt.

 

[Anton]

You seem to be a bit of an arrogant cunt.

fact remains, people when asked about their charity, they put up a lot of defences, perhaps because they know at some level its a posture?

 

[B.I.G]

fact remains, people when asked about their charity, they put up a lot of defences, perhaps because they know at some level its a posture?

Errrr no.

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

May I ask what you do to help others yourself, Anton?

 

[Pickman's model]

What do you do?
What difference does that make to this subject?
But I'm basically a Bookchinist.

Bookchin would have disowned you

 

[Anton]

Bookchin would have disowned you

I've disowned him.

 

[Pickman's model]

I've disowned him.

So much so that basically you're a Bookchinist

 

[Anton]

May I ask what you do to help others yourself, Anton?

this is the question. this is the christian charity basis for all this. guilt tripping people to 'help others', the 'most in need' etc.
"how much have you done? how much money have you given to charity or saving the third world?"

it is this whole moralistic posturing that i resent. ie "have you done more than Bono or Bob Geldof? how dare you criticise them unless you've donated as much as they have? "
of course we should question peoples motives! not everyone is as innocent as Michael?

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

this is the question. this is the christian charity basis for all this. guilt tripping people to 'help others', the 'most in need' etc.
"how much have you done? how much money have you given to charity or saving the third world?"

it is this whole moralistic posturing that i resent. ie "have you done more than Bono or Bob Geldof? how dare you criticise them unless you've donated as much as they have? "
of course we should question peoples motives! not everyone is as innocent as Michael?

Noone is trying to 'guilt trip' you. You're the one who came here to lecture others, remember?

Are you surprised people might want to get a grasp of what your motivations are? So what are they? Why are you here?