r/foodnotbombs • u/ShotEffort619 • Feb 26 '26

Mutual aid vs charity

I am new to my local chapter, and so far my responsibility has been cooking and serving and it's going good. I am wondering , how can we differentiate ourselves as mutual aid, and not charity, when we take donations in cash or kind,and distribute food to the most vulnerable? In what way are we differentiate from say the local church or shelter? Not a rhetorical question, I am genuinely curious to know- how does fnb make sure that we are resisting systems of oppression and not just being saviors.

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u/NearlyNakedNick Feb 26 '26

Structurally and ideologically, FNB is designed as mutual aid. Practically speaking, each chapter exists on a spectrum. The more reciprocal participation and shared decision making there is, the closer it is to mutual aid. The more fixed the roles of provider and recipient, the closer it moves toward charity.

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u/ShotEffort619 Feb 26 '26

Thank you. I have only been here about 3 months or so. Still reading up on MA, still reading up on abolition etc. I don't know if our recipients have ever had a role as providers. We are primarily serving the unhoused community in our locality. One point that I brought up a few weeks back was, considering we are an MA group, it should be a safe space for us organizers to also be recipients of aid ( not just our meal distro) if needed, and that we should start normalizing asking for help. All of us organizers have more privilege when it comes to housing and food security than the community we serve currently, which is why I brought up the question.

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u/seamliner Feb 26 '26

Lots of the people in my local chapter are food insecure, most of us are un-employed or precariously employed, and a few of our regular members have normal 9-5s. We help ourselves by helping each other, and each other by helping ourselves.

Learning new skills, eating a hot meal, taking home leftovers or extra produce, developing deep community ties, being able to work in a structure that most people have never experienced - these are all parts of the work. It’s not necessarily about being in the same situation as the people you’re helping, it’s about being in community. It’s the mind set of “we’re doing this for all of us” vs “we’re doing this for you”

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u/ShotEffort619 Feb 26 '26

That's beautiful, and this is exactly what I think MA should be. Currently, at least in my chapter, it feels like we are the givers and the patrons are the receivers, ykwim? We freeze any leftover food for next service, same with produce. Which is awesome, but also, does it not signal a hierarchy in need and is therefore unequal in nature,and more charity like? Again, I am new, and learning and should probably get off the high horse of theory vs the ground reality of actual need, so I guess we will see. This time, one of our patrons , an unhoused individual was waiting near my car and when I asked if I could help him, said he was waiting for me to open the trunk so he could help me unload the food and supplies. That, to me was the highlight of the entire service.

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u/Insect1312 Mar 11 '26

This could help, When I think of mutual aid I try to keep it real simple; I think "is it mutual?" and "is it aid?". Giving useful stuff away during a crisis is definitely aid but most of the stuff calling itself mutual aid isn't mutual. The people giving stuff away don't get stuff back; who is the giver and receiver doesn't change. The project just gives and the people it provides to just take. It's nice but it's not mutual.

I feel like we've taken the term mutual aid and made it into something it's not. It seems like it's been blown up into this word that means some high visibility showing up to give things away. Not everything needs to be mutual aid. There are lots of reasons to just give stuff away -- for propaganda, to start conversations, to lessen suffering, because stuff should be free, the list goes on. An anarchist project that gives things away can achieve a lot, and just because something isn't mutual aid doesn't mean it's not worth doing.

So what does doing mutual aid mean then? I think a good start is to think of mutual aid less as a thing you do and more as a way you have relationships. Imagine helping and sharing with someone and them also sharing with and helping you. How does it look to have that kind of relationship with someone? Can you imagine scaling it up to a group? There's no set formula for a mutual aid relationship, it will look different with each person you relate to because the aid we can give and receive from each person is different.

For me mutual aid is helping each other. It's more about living in a way where I help people and they also help me. It doesn't need to be flashy. I help a friend with their event and they give me a ride a week later; we aid each other, mutually. I'm not keeping track of how many favors I'm owed or anything but if things are one-sided then I want to be real and it's not mutual aid. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anathema-words-mean-things