Punks With Lunch provides meals and more for those in need

Punks With Lunch Lansing has more to offer than just a free meal. At a typical food distribution event you can find harm reduction supplies, hula-hooping lessons, free clothing and even live music. The vibe is lively and welcoming. The organization tries to help out the community in every way it can.

Julia Anne Miller started up the Lansing chapter of Punks With Lunch after discovering the organization, which first came to life in Oakland, California. Inspired by their efforts, Miller found a group of willing volunteers and founded Punks With Lunch Lansing.

“I had already been volunteering and working at different food pantries and food banks,” said Miller. “I just needed a group of people to do it with on a regularly scheduled basis. And I wanted to add harm reduction into the mix.”

She collaborated with members of a local chapter of Food Not Bombs back in 2017 and created Punks With Lunch. 

Mixing harm reduction with food distribution was important to her. The organization initially just gave out food, but within a month of its founding, Punks With Lunch began offering support for addicts. 

“The harm reduction aspect was a big reason for starting the organization,” said Miller. “I got in touch with organizations like Harm Reduction Michigan and the Red Project to help get that going. We’ve got narcan and safe use supplies for them.”

Beyond narcan and safe-use supplies, Punks With Lunch also provides resources for addicts looking to detox or get into a rehabilitation facility.

Since the weather started warming up and panic around the pandemic has been dying down, the group has been able to expand its services and better connect with the community.

“We’ve been able to offer entertainment and more interesting things recently, more activities for our participants,” said Miller. “We’re going beyond the basic, ‘Here’s some food and stuff.’ It brings an added connection to the people in the neighborhood.”

Punks With Lunch operated throughout the pandemic. With a few adjustments to its typical operating procedures, the group managed to stay afloat and continue lending a helping hand to the community. 

“We had to stop setting up at the park for a while. We were still going out, mainly directly to shelters and different camps we came across. We were driving around and actively seeking out people,” said Miller. “That way, there wasn’t as much of a crowd drawn. We weren’t trying to start a super spreader event.”

By adjusting its methods and asking participants to socially distance, Punks With Lunch survived through the pandemic. The group handed out free face masks and provided hand sanitizer, anything to prevent the spread of COVID.

Getting involved with Punks With Lunch is as easy as sending an email or a Facebook message. The organization is always looking for more volunteers. As long as you’re willing and open-minded, you are welcome to volunteer. 

“Just get in contact with us! We have Facebook, Instagram, a G-Mail account,” said Miller. “People are more than welcome to come hang out, volunteer, man a table. We’re always happy to have more people involved!”

You can connect with Punks With Lunch Lansing on Instagram @punkswithlunchlansing or through Facebook by visiting Facebook.com/PunksWithLunchLansing.