Source: ABC13 Houston/YouTube

Imagine spending hours preparing delicious, wholesome meals for people who are unhoused and hungry, only for the local government not to praise you, but to punish you. That’s exactly what happened to members of Food Not Bombs in Houston, Texas. Over several weeks, police have cited the group at least 29 times – and the citations list the violation as “feed(ing) homeless.”

Each ticket costs the volunteer-run group $2,000, adding up to a total of $58,000 that they owe the city. Imagine if all that money could instead be used to feed more hungry folks. The Houston area ban on feeding unhoused people is over a decade old and does nothing to meaningfully address the number of people without shelter in Houston. It simply makes the problem worse: not only do these folks not have a place to live now, but they are also forced to be hungry, too.

Please take a moment to sign this petition to demand Houston legislators strike down this inhumane ban!

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Petition: Help Protect the Endangered Species Act
• Petition: Demand China End the Dog and Cat Meat Trade
• Petition: Call for an Investigation into Sherrif’s Office That Didn’t Respond to Animal Cruelty Complaints
• Petition: Help Protect the Amazon Rainforest
• Petition: Help Poorer Countries Defend Themselves Against Climate Change
• Petition: Pledge to Vote for Leaders Who Support Human Rights and the Environment
• Petition: Stop Animal ‘Ecocide’ on the US-Mexico Border
• Petition: Help Curb Climate Change Before It’s Too Late
• Petition: Tell the UK to Prioritize Animal Welfare
• Petition: Tell Legislators to Support Bill That Will Help Prevent Pandemics

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
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• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and essential stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in typical household and personal care products!