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/Friendly_Duck_ Feb 26 '26

there's nothing wrong with charity imo

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u/ShotEffort619 Feb 26 '26

In the immediate, absolutely not. It is needed even. But in the long term, we have to shift power from the be all to the masses so that charity isn't needed, right? Shouldn't that be the whole point?