All Eyes On: Keith McHenry

Keith McHenry is trying to save the world. He doesn't wear a cape or possess any superpowers other than a good heart and a strong will. Instead, this do-gooder is saving the world in his own way: feeding one person at time.

McHenry, cofounder of Food Not Bombs, recently spoke to the Truman community about the program. This small organization began in Boston in the early 1980s and has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with approximately 1,000 groups around the globe.

"When we started, the Soviet Union was existing, Ronald Reagan was coming to be and I was 23," McHenry said. "It never occurred to us that it would become a worldwide thing."

McHenry studied art at Boston University and held many odd jobs, such as a produce man and a mover. After one of his friends was arrested during a protest against a nuclear power station, he saw a sign that said, "Wouldn't it be a beautiful day if the schools had all the money they needed and the pentagon had to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber?"

This sign inspired McHenry and his friends to find a more creative way to protest. They protested the Bank of Boston's support of nuclear power and formed a soup kitchen at the event. McHenry used his connections at a local market to get food that otherwise would have been thrown away and invited a group of homeless men to attend. This first meal was the beginning of Food                   Not Bombs.

The program continued to grow in Boston until McHenry moved to San Francisco in 1988, bringing the movement with him. He was arrested for the first time for peaceful protesting on Aug. 15 1988.

"To me, it was quite a shock," he said. "I had been doing this pretty much all the time for eight years, then all of a sudden to have a problem with that."

McHenry said he was one of more than 100 volunteers who were arrested during the protest, sparking community interest and an influx of new volunteers in the Food Not Bombs program, growing past anything McHenry could have imagined.

The program's sudden growth inspired the program's leaders to clarify the core principles of Food Not Bombs. McHenry said there were three very simple principles: Food Not Bombs would promote and serve vegan and vegetarian food that would be free for anyone, without restriction. Each local group would be independent, with no leaders, and would use the consensus voting style. Also, the movement would be completely nonviolent. These values were readopted in 1995 at a rally with more than 600 people in attendance.

McHenry continues to head the movement. He stays busy with writing projects and events speaking at colleges across the country. He visited Truman's campus Nov. 3. Jerry Jones, a 2008 Truman graduate, and junior Kate Seaton, vice president of Students for Social Change, were key to bringing McHenry to campus.

Jones said he called Food Not Bombs to learn more about its governing style for emulation in his project, the Kirksville Permaculture Education Center, and that, to his surprise, McHenry answered the phone. Jones said McHenry mentioned he would like to talk to the Kirksville community. Jones contacted Seaton to set it up.

"I think our goal, and kind of a lot of what those organizations do, is just awareness," Seaton said. "We just want to bring events and movies and speakers and people and opportunities so that people can be more aware, because we live in a really small town where there are not a lot of issues, and it's easy to forget about the world existing as a whole around us."

Seaton spent the day with McHenry during his visit.

"He was definitely a character," Seaton said. "I think he's good at getting people emotionally involved in a movement and to care about it. What I was hearing from people is that they enjoyed listening to him speak, and they enjoyed the presentation. He was an exciting and engaging speaker."

Seaton said that after the presentation, 30 to 35 people showed interest in starting a Food Not Bombs group at Truman. Jones said he plans to implement the new group through the Permaculture Educational Center.

McHenry said he looks forward to seeing what Kirksville does with its own program. Despite all of his current health problems resulting from police brutality, McHenry said that updates from local chapters are what keeps him going.

"Every day I will have another amazing story about Food Not Bombs and what it's achieved in some place," McHenry said. "And I'll meet amazing volunteers. It's really, really inspiring."

For more information on Food Not Bombs, visit foodnotbombs.net or contact McHenry through the information on the site. He said that he loves talking and answering questions, and he hopes to speak at Truman again sometime soon.