Reflecting on a History of Confronting Hunger
By Lucas Anderson, Staff member
Sometimes when I look over at the Free Fruit for Kids basket the Co-op offers, or walk by
the Free Store when it’s busy, I can’t help but be reminded of the stories I’ve heard about
the Black Panthers’ “Free Breakfast Program” for children in Seattle and other cities. The true
origin of the Free Breakfast Program starts back in January 1969 when the Panthers, out of the
St. Augustine Church in Oakland, California, went from feeding a few kids here and there, to
eventually feeding over 10,000 kids a day, a meal before school.
The Free Breakfast Program was a part of the Panthers’ Nationwide Community Survival Programs and it was the first of its kind in the United States.