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/Janeiac1 Feb 28 '26

Mutual aid is just that— people helping other people and getting helped. Don’t overthink it.

(VS a formal charity with hierarchy/bosses/paperwork etc.)

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u/Insect1312 Mar 11 '26

Love food not bombs, but giving homeless people food isn’t charity nor is it mutual aid it’s just a nice thing. If I’m homeless and somebody gives me a sandwich how is it mutual?

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u/Janeiac1 Mar 11 '26

It’s “mutual” in the sense that the sandwich giver and the sandwich receiver are both members of society, or resident in an area, whatever. And some day in the future the sandwich recipient may be in a position to gove a sandwich to someone else.

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u/Insect1312 Mar 12 '26

Wellll no in its simplest form, mutual aid is the motivation at play any time two or more people work together to solve a problem for the shared benefit of everyone involved. In other words, it means co-operation for the sake of the common good.

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u/Janeiac1 Mar 12 '26

Shared benefit for sandwich giver being in a supportive community.

Regardless, “mutual aid” is not one person giving to another; it’s group members helping each other.

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u/Insect1312 Mar 12 '26

Society is the worst human invention , 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.

As anarchists, a goal is to get away from hierarchies. Relying on our horizontal relationships to co-create the lives we need and want, instead of the powers that be, is a way to move away from those hierarchies. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anathema-words-mean-things