Community Building in the Washington, DC area!!

SFP Editor: What is Food For Life and how did it start? Paul Turner: Food for Life is the world largest vegetarian/vegan food relief. In fact it is probably the largest distributor of freshly cooked meals to the needy anywhere in the world. Our affiliates are now serving up to one million meals daily! Food for Life Global is the official headquarters of the Food for Life affiliates in over 50 countries.

SFP Editor: How did you become involved with Food for Life?

Paul Turner: I became a volunteer at the Sydney Food for Life project in 1984. Soon after I learned how to cook and in 1988 I started my own project. In the early 90s I used my public relations and design skills to help brand and expand the program throughout Australia. In 1993, I was invited by the then international director to join him in establishing the headquarters in Washington DC. In 1995 we established Food for Life Global.

SFP Editor: What types of services do you provide for Food for life?

Paul Turner:I personally volunteer my time as the international director and president of the FFL Global office. My main function is to be the visionary and voice of Food for Life, and with my team, to help raise awareness, establish standards and policies, raise funds on behalf of the affiliate projects, oversee the development of new projects, give grants, produce promotional materials, and coordinate emergency relief. I personally write and design training and marketing materials for the organization and give public presentations around the world.

SFP Editor: How can an individual participate in Food for Life?

Paul Turner: Anyone can participate in Food for Life by volunteering time at one of our projects around the world, helping to serve or prepare meals. Volunteers can also help with administrative work, advocacy, fundraising, public relations, and in design and web development. Food for Life Global is an equal opportunity volunteer organization - we do not discriminate anyone from participating in our projects on the basis of race, religion, gender or age. Food for Life Global is non-sectarian. Our only stipulation for all our onsite volunteers is that they read and agree to our high standards of food preparation and cooking found in the FFL Volunteer Handbook. Apply to volunteer

SFP Editor: What is the most challenging issues facing hunger globally?

Paul Turner: Greed. There is enough food in the world and the planet has the capacity to feed more people, but due to greed there is inequitable distribution of resources.

SFP Editor: Is Food for Life planning any activities for Thanksgiving this year?

Paul Turner: Our US affiliates do observe Thanksgiving, usually by partnering with local shelters by providing a vegetarian meal.

SFP Editor: What is your vegetarian philosophy and how does it impact your work?

Paul Turner: Food for Life only serves PURE vegetarian meals. Pure vegetarianism combines the physical nourishment of a healthy vegetarian diet with the spiritual nourishment that comes from acknowledging our dependency on God and the blessings of Mother Earth.

Rooted in Hindu tradition, the spiritual dimension of pure vegetarianism has meaning for people of all faiths. Simply put, before we eat our food, we offer it to God in thanksgiving. The food is then pure, karma-free, and spiritually nourishing. Hindus call this food prasada, or the mercy of God.

Pure vegetarianism springs from the belief that the kind of food we eat affects our spiritual consciousness and subsequent behaviors. According to the Bhagavad-Gita, the scripture of Indian spirituality, foods in the mode of goodness-vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, legumes, sugar, and pure milk products-can be sanctified, or offered in sacrifice. Conversely, meat, fish, and eggs, as well as a few vegetarian items[1], classified in the modes of passion and ignorance, should not be offered to God. If the food we eat is prepared by people devoid of spiritual consciousness (e.g., unhappy employees working in a dirty food factory), we are sure to absorb unwelcome mental energies. For this reason, pure vegetarians avoid such foods in favor of foods prepared with fresh, natural ingredients.

SFP Editor: What brought you to the DC area and what about the city do you find to be the most interesting?

Paul Turner: xplained in earlier question. I like the fact that there are influential people here and that all the major non-profits and those that are complimentary to Food for Life Global, like HSUS, PETA, VRG, PCRM are all headquarted here.

SFP Editor: What are your goals for Food For Life for next year?

Paul Turner: Keep expanding our food distribution and establish an emergency relief infrastructure so that we can respond to disasters even more effectively. Our idea is to establish a FFL Catering and fleet of Disaster Relief Vehicles. Food for Life Global proposes to establish a mobile catering service that will not only serve to promote the many benefits of a plant-based diet, but will also provide a modern facility for large scale and efficient distribution of food to victims of disaster in the US, whenever the need arises.