JUNE 2023
Haga clic aquí para ver El Despacho de junio en español.
Click here to view The June Dispatch in Spanish.
NEW MALAN PROJECT: OPEN ART SUPPLY
Are you an artist, crafter, and/or parent with an overflowing closet of art supplies? We’re so excited to tell you about Open Art Supply, a new Mutual Aid LA Network (MALAN) project that distributes free art supplies across LA. We’re collecting new or gently used arts and crafts supplies and distributing them to Angelenos who may not have access otherwise. If you’ve been meaning to purge your kids’ boxes of colored pencils and crayons, barely used paint sets, or stacks of drawing paper, now’s the time!
The Sacramento-based org Broad Room hosted an Art Supply Mutual Aid Training Program, and mentored 10 groups, including MALAN. We were inspired to see how each group in the cohort addressed and engaged with the concept of free art supplies—from LA Zine Fest’s “Make your own Zine” station, to the San Jose Makers’ Free Art Supply Closet. Since MALAN already functions as a network, we took the opportunity to ask the community on Instagram to recommend their favorite local businesses and creative spaces to host donation boxes. This resulted in over a dozen generous collaborators becoming drop-off hubs for art supply donations.
Click the map below to find all of the locations with boxes for you to drop off your supplies. And if you’re in need of art supplies, you’ll find several community spaces we've partnered with that have free stores or shelves inside. (This list of locations is consistently growing!)
While art can provide a therapeutic outlet, and a means of income, it also should be considered a right rather than a privilege. With this project, we hope to get the tools for art-making into the hands of everyone who wants them, for whatever reason they want them, no questions asked.
We welcome and would be so grateful for your help and support!
How YOU can contribute…
- COLLECT art supplies from your friends, neighbors and colleagues and DROP them off at one of the independent creative spaces.
- SHARE the Open Art Supply posts with your friends, family, and neighbors.
- DONATE to help us purchase harder-to-get items with a Venmo to @fortheunderdog (make the crayon 🖍️ emoji your message), or use the Wishlist as inspiration to purchase from your favorite art supply store.
- SIGN UP to stay in the loop about Open Art Supply kit-making events and workshops.
Written by members of Mutual Aid LA Network
DO YOU HAVE TIME, ITEMS*, OR MONEY TO CONTRIBUTE?
DO YOU NEED ITEMS, SERVICES, OR FOOD?
*PLEASE clean, sort & fold all items you are donating. Items should be new or gently used. Socks, underwear and hygiene items should always be unused. Download our printer-friendly Donation Guide
WHO: Nomad Medix
YOU HAVE: TIME MONEY
YOU NEED: SERVICES
Formed in 2020 as a response to state violence in Northern California. Nomad Medix has since spent time between Portland, OR, and LA, supporting protesters, distributing supplies to houseless encampments, and is currently focusing on teaching bleeding control classes. Visit @NomadMedix on IG for the current schedule, to set up a skillshare or for first-aid related educational material.
WHEN: Mostly on weekends!
WHERE: Nomadic, currently across LA and Orange County
$$$: Donations go towards necessary equipment and furthering education for safer communities. Cash App $NomadMedix | Venmo @NomadMedix | GoFundMe
WHO: Fairfax Mutual Aid
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES FOOD
Fairfax Mutual Aid (FxMA) is a 100% volunteer-led network of care formed to address our unhoused communities’ immediate needs across the Beverly Grove and Fairfax neighborhoods of LA. Our goal is to provide as much community support as we can through material aid, providing transportation to resources, encampment sweep support and policy advocacy. ITEMS WE ACCEPT: tents, sleeping bags, tarps, hygiene and medical supplies, socks, water, snacks, phones, dog food and more. Drop-offs only due to our limited capacity. Contact fairfaxmutualaid@gmail.com to coordinate a drop-off, to get plugged in or for more info.
WHEN: Outreach is on Sundays from 1-3pm. We also have sporadic emergency transportation and material aid requests.
WHERE: Fairfax and Beverly Grove
$$$: Make a tax-deductible donation to our Open Collective.
WHO: LA Street Care
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES FOOD
We're an abolitionist mutual aid collective building community through direct outreach to unhoused neighbors. We're looking for new members to join us for outreach every Sunday at 1pm and/or sweep monitoring some weekday mornings. We’ve got additional roles for folks unavailable at those times. Email lastreetcare@gmail.com or DM us (@lastreetcare) if you're interested in joining! ACCEPTING DONATIONS of: tents, tarps, sleeping bags, blankets, men's clothing. All bedding/clothes must be freshly washed. Email or DM to coordinate.
WHEN: Sundays at 1pm
WHERE: Los Feliz, Echo Park, Atwater, Historic Filipinotown, Silverlake, and Rampart
$$$: Donate at opencollective.com/lastreetcare to help buy tents, sleeping bags, and other survival items.
WHO: Vida Mobile Clinic
YOU HAVE: ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: SERVICES
Vida Mobile Clinic is a nonprofit org providing free access to a primary healthcare physician and low-cost lab testings to uninsured adults (18+) several times each month. Undocumented folks welcome. We are actively in need of healthcare providers (MD/DO/PA/NP) to volunteer with us ~once/month. Our foot wound & care clinic is in need of supplies like socks, shoes, hydrocortisone, skin protective ointment, gauze, hygiene items and any of the items on the Amazon wishlist for our unhoused patients. Visit linktr.ee/vidamobileclinic.
WHEN: No set hours of operation. All dependent on volunteer availability
WHERE: San Fernando and Granada Hills
$$$: Vida Mobile Clinic is funded solely by private donations and grants. Contribute by visiting linktr.ee/vidamobileclinic. Also accepting Amazon gift cards to purchase orthopedic shoes for patients.
WHO: Solidarity Union and Urban Commune
YOU HAVE: TIME
An urban commune in the midst of forming. Feel free to connect (bennyfrohna@gmail.com), ask questions, join up & help build and define this into something great, stable, and yet transient in nature. Goals are to eventually provide COVID+ safe, communal & community-caring housing, or, at the least, support ourselves & others in affording rent/mortgage and other costs of living. Once we’ve organized a small group of interested individuals, we can work to create a meeting schedule that works with everyone!
WHEN: TBD
WHERE: Zoom or in person
WHO: Trans Defense Fund LA
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES
We are a mutual aid group that supplies trans folks w/ free self-defense kits and classes. Volunteers needed for our upcoming events (see below): tabling at our Pride Party and supervising the next self defense workshop or future ones! Also inviting folks to attend the party and class! All important links can be found within our linktree.
WHEN: Self-Defense Workshop on Thursday, June 22 @ 7:30 PM - bit.ly/prs-class
WHERE: Philosophical Research Society, Los Feliz (Workshop)
$$$: @transdefensefundla on Cash App and Venmo; also looking for gift/product donations from businesses for attendees. Contact transdefensefundla@gmail.com
WHO: LA Community Fridges
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: ITEMS FOOD
Los Angeles Community Fridges is a network of decentralized, independent refrigerators and pantries that provide food, vital supplies, tools and resources to various communities around the city in order to improve food security and support access to fresh and nourishing foods for everyone. In addition to stocking your local fridge with produce, grains, beverages, and other foods, you can also volunteer to help clean and maintain fridges, transport fridges or even help find people/places to host a fridge. If you own or work at a business that is interested in hosting a fridge, contact lacommunityfoodshare@gmail.com. Visit the LACF IG for more info on how to get involved, and check out MALAN’s Dispatch 14 for musings on getting plugged in w/ the fridge network.
WHEN: Any time!
WHERE: Across LA, check the linktree to find one in your area
WHO: Pasadena Black Equity Project
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES FOOD
The Pasadena Black Equity Project is a grassroots, youth-led, community org run that provides a network of resources to Black residents of Pasadena via mutual aid and builds community through storytelling and the arts. The Pasadena Black Equity Mutual Aid Fund helps Black residents pay for essentials related to edu, health, and simply living. We need help fundraising, both in-person at our benefit concert and online. In-person event assistance needed in August. Remote support needed w/ fundraising operations and outreach. Visit our linktree to sign up.
WHERE: Pasadena
$$$: Donate to the Black Equity Mutual Aid Fund or via Cash App: $pasadenabep
WHO: Grass Roots Neighbors
YOU HAVE: TIME
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES FOOD
Grass Roots Neighbors is a volunteer org that aims to fill the gaps in existing services for our neighbors experiencing food and housing insecurity by providing assistance w/ love and respect. We deliver groceries regularly (Mon-Fri @noon) to 50-60 low-income households and cook warm meals to distribute to unhoused neighbors on Sunday afternoons. Volunteers needed to drive, bag groceries, cook, do outreach during the week @ lunch or on Sunday afternoon in Playa del Rey or Westchester. Sign-up to volunteer at grassrootsneighbors.org/sign-up or text (424) 209-2777.
WHEN: 12pm Mon-Fr (Lunch delivery) | Sunday afternoons (Outreach)
WHERE: Operates out of Westchester and Playa del Rey and serves Westchester, Playa del Rey, Marina del Rey, Del Rey, and Venice areas.
$$$: Make a financial contribution by visiting grassrootsneighbors.org/donate
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