The Black Panthers' Survival Program

In 1967, the US government spent only $600,000 a year on breakfast for students. The black Panthers saw this hole in the social safety net and realized it was harming black children more than any other group in the country. People like minister bridges of the St Augustine church in Oakland were initially suspicious when the group asked to start meeting and distributing breakfast there. Much of the food was donated by local businesses from a mix of altruism and fear of social reprisals by the black Panthers.