ORLANDO FOOD NOT BOMBS PARTICIPANTS WERE SUCCESSFUL IN SHARING FOOD OUT OF A VAN PARKED ON A STREET ADJACENT TO LAKE EOLA PARK. The ordinance does not ban consumption of food in the park, only serving or distributing it within the park or "adjacent sidewalks and rights-of-way in the GDPD [Greater Downtown Park District]" and since we were sharing the food from behind a parking space, not on a sidewalk or a right-of-way, we do not consider ourselves to have been in violation of the ordinance.

A typical free meal from Orlando Food Not Bombs consists of vegetable soup with rice, various types of bread, fruit, bread pudding, salad, juice and water. All food served by OFNB is vegan--which means it contains no meat or diary--and is extremely healthy and nutricious. Many of the people with whom we share say that they find the quality of our food to be superior to that provided by the Coalition for the Homeless or the Orlando Union Rescue Mission. All food served by Orlando Food Not Bombs is donated by concerned citizens in the community.

Citizens enjoying food in the park (above and below). Interestingly, "City licensed or contracted concessionaires, lessees, or licensees" are exempt from the privisions of the "large groups feeding" ordinance. So apparently the City doesn't mind if people consume food in the park as long as it gets a cut of the profits.

PHOTOS--Page 2--Orlando police and downtown business owners.