NOVEMBER 2023
Haga clic aquí para ver El Despacho de noviembre en español.
Click here to view The November Dispatch in Spanish.
Mutual Aid LA Network stands with the people of Palestine in their fight for liberation from the ongoing genocide and settler-colonial occupation carried out by the Israeli government and upheld by the United States. Let's gather our voices in a collective demand for a ceasefire and exercise the power of joint pressure as we commit to daily participation in the campaigns of Palestinian movement BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions).
A FEW WORDS ON: FEELINGS OF DUALITY IN MUTUAL AID
“What would our world look like if we all had equal access to food?”
I always find myself asking this question as I engage in food-related mutual aid work. There are so many amazing care networks that our local community has created to help ensure each other’s survival as we all continue to see the violent impacts of capitalism and how food insecurity, as a byproduct of capitalism, has decimated communities. But for all the joy and hope I feel every time I see a community fridge and see people volunteering to provide food for each other, I can’t help but be reminded of why we must engage in this work. It is because our basic needs are not only not being met, but the resources needed to meet them are being gatekept from us for profit. There are financial barriers to simply having access to water; big box stores are putting every essential item behind lock and key; healthy organic foods are more expensive; the list goes on and on.
On one hand, it can feel disheartening and hopeless to live this reality and to see that the only ways we’re able to truly meet our community’s needs are to ditch the systems we’ve been told to rely on and instead find care amongst each other. But the more I witness the beauty of community care, the more I believe that this is truly the only way we will collectively survive whatever is to come. It is liberating to build something outside of the government, the city, and the nonprofit industrial complex in which collective wellbeing is the first priority. We are building a world/city/network where we are thinking about what we can give to each other, rather than what we can take or what will be taken from us. Seeing this in action somehow turns my hopelessness into hope.
Written by Kira Morrison who organizes with Farm2Power and LACF
FEATURED EFFORT: HOME-Y MADE MEALS
In the summer of 2020, my partner Sarah came across an IG post calling for 1) cooks, people who might be interested in making meals from the comfort of their homes and 2) drivers, the out-and-about, errand-types who would pick up meals from said homes and shuttle them to people who need them. These asks were clear, feasible and felt considerate of people’s various COVID safety needs. A handful of people from the group were pictured together in the first slide of the post, big smiles obvious behind their masks, emanating a palpable joy we hadn’t seen in awhile. Shortly after signing up, we found ourselves loading 20 meals into the car of a new Home-y, and stepping into a life-changing community.
Three and half years in, Home-y Made Meals has served over 125,000 free meals to people in Los Angeles and Orange County. It’s a 100% people-powered, pass-the-baton-style initiative in which volunteers from all around Southern California prepare, deliver, and serve homemade meals every day. These meals go to coalitions and mutual aid groups, several of which have been featured right here in The Dispatch, responding to an ever-growing unhoused population and food insecurity crisis that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic and neglected by city officials.
What makes Home-y Made Meals unique are the people who started it. The project is a collaboration between Eayikes, an organization which centers around community, empowerment and connecting with one another, and Polo’s Pantry, which focuses on food justice and food sovereignty. The product is a combination of each group’s core purpose: to feed people and to cultivate joy and connection in this often devastating work. After meeting any of the Home-y organizers or attending any event they host, you quickly understand how much love and fun truly guides this operation. Furthermore, they see this work as highly political, and they’ve never strayed away from naming the systemic conditions that have led to food insecurity.
When I talk to people about Home-y, I always reiterate how easy it is to take part. If you go the chef route, you’ll receive an email two weeks ahead of time asking if you can make x-amount of meals (anywhere from 10-30) to be picked up on a specific date and time. You have plenty of time to meal plan, buy supplies and prepare the bags. You get a text from a real person confirming pick-up time and without fail, that real person appears at your home, loads the meals in their car and your leg of the race is complete.
If you’re concerned about the cost of supplies, you can schedule a time to shop at Home-y’s free pantry beforehand, making the operation more accessible and sustainable for everyone. Your meals can be as complex (see My Nanay’s Kitchen) or as simple (I stick to PB&J’s) as you want. Between shopping and cooking, my process is usually less than two hours. If you are a driver, a Home-y coordinator sends you all the details you need to successfully complete 2-4 pickups from chefs (living within reasonable distance from you and one another) and the final drop-off of the meals. They do all the coordinating for you, and that’s a dream as a volunteer.
For me, Home-y was a gateway to understanding and getting involved in the practice of mutual aid as a whole. The ease of their process was one thing, but then I met Alex Yoon, one of the originators, in person. After an engaging and honest conversation (most are with Alex), he invited me to a distribution they helped make happen at LACAN in Skid Row. This led to meeting Melissa Acedera of Polo’s Pantry (be sure to read the August Dispatch Feature), and the rest of the core Home-y team: Jenny, Sonia, Angela, Jackie, and Lance. Their energy kept me coming back and wanting to do more and more. The world was on fire in so many ways, and it still is. But these people were and are fighting for a world they want to see with actual, radical joy. That’s the only way mutual aid work can be sustainable.
How YOU can contribute…
- Be a Home-y and sign-up to MAKE MEALS or PICK-UP & DELIVER MEALS. Get some meal inspo by clicking through the ‘Meal Prep’ IG story highlights.
- FOLLOW Home-y Made Meals (@homeymademeals) and the two mastermind groups Eayikes (@eayikes) and Polo’s Pantry (@polospantryla) on IG and SPREAD THE WORD to your own circles to keep this project sustained and thriving.
- GET TO KNOW the project better by reading this impressive 2022 impact report.
- GIVE MONEY via GiveButter to help power meals. $6 = 1 meal.
Written by Will Lennon who organizes with MALAN
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.
WHO: Farm2Power
YOU HAVE: TIME MONEY
YOU NEED: FOOD
Farm2Power is a mutual aid org that utilizes funds to support community farms, uplift BIPOC farmers, + provide fresh produce to community members in LA in need of food support. We pay BIPOC farmers directly by purchasing produce boxes for distribution (1 box = $25). Currently seeking new volunteer drivers (1 Sunday/month, delivering produce boxes) as well as core team members (1-4 hours/week, planning for pantries and events).
WHEN: Pantries are once a month, usually on the last Sunday during the morning/early afternoon. Meetings for team members are every Monday night.
WHERE: Koreatown and Compton ←volunteer driver produce pick-up spots
$: Venmo @farm2power or Givebutter (givebutter.com/f2p)
WHO: MARS Collective
YOU HAVE: TIME MONEY
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES
We are a collective of revolutionary minded queer folks working towards overdose prevention and harm reduction. We provide Narcan, fentanyl test strips, safe use supplies, + overdose trainings at various events. We provide edu on the concept of harm reduction through a radical lens + are dedicated to taking an abolitionist, anti-racist, + anti-carceral approach to the overdose crisis. We believe that drug users need care + compassion, not cops or court systems.
WHEN: We will be working events on Nov 5 and mid-November that we could use transportation to and from since most of our organizers use public transit.
WHERE: LA and parts of SGV
$: We’re always seeking funds for transportation; and currently, to print out more harm reduction lit. We operate out of pocket so anything helps! Venmo @hotsauceandhoney w/ “mars collective” as the text or donate on GoFundMe to contribute to one of our organizers’ legal fees.
WHO: Aetna Street Solidarity
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES
Aetna Street Solidarity is building a network of care with people living unhoused on Aetna Street. We host weekly community nights where we distribute mutual aid. We also publish a newspaper called Street Views, which features stories and original reporting on housing and homelessness from unhoused contributors living in Los Angeles.
COLLECTING: Tents, tarps, blankets, sleeping bags, baby wipes, clothing (shirts, pants, sweaters, jackets), new socks and underwear, headlamps, flashlights, AA/AAA batteries + power bank chargers. DM us on IG to coordinate a drop-off or pick-up in the SFV.
WHEN: Tuesdays after 5pm on Aetna Street
WHERE: Van Nuys, SF Valley
$: Donated funds help purchase supplies. Venmo @paisthebills (note “Aetna Solidarity”).
WHO: Flores Pantry
YOU HAVE: MONEY
YOU NEED: ITEMS FOOD
Free groceries distributed monthly, helping families who are experiencing food insecurity.
WHEN: First Saturday of the month
WHERE: Zamora Park, El Monte
$: ZELLE: theflorespantry@gmail.com
WHO: Power Blossoms
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: SERVICES
Power Blossoms works with LGBTQ+ people incarcerated or detained across CA. Help us process and respond to mail at our work sessions! Or help remotely w/ online data entry or by writing a birthday card on our site.
COLLECTING: unused stamps, white 8.5”x11” paper, and standard business envelopes. Mail them to our PO Box at 1525 N. Alvarado St. #26961, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Or contact us (IG DM @powerblossoms or email connect@powerblossoms.org) to coordinate a drop-off.
WHEN: Work sessions every other Wednesday from 7–9 PM.
WHERE: ProjectQ in East Hollywood
$: Your contributions (Venmo: @Powerblossoms | CashApp: $powerblossoms) help fund supplies, operations and may also be distributed as direct financial support for our inside participants.
WHO: For the People LA
YOU HAVE: TIME
YOU NEED: ITEMS
We are a mutual aid group dedicated to the people to provide food, clothing, and hygiene items to those in need.
COLLECTING: Hygiene kits, soap
WHEN: Every Friday night from 5:30-7pm
WHERE: 7th and Gladys
WHO: Resilient Agency
YOU HAVE: TIME
YOU NEED: SERVICES
We are dedicated to providing youth development and community intervention services to residents most impacted by violence, aiming to strengthen personal resilience, foster leadership, and promote community. We need volunteers for our bimonthly food distributions. DM @resilient_agency or email info@resilientagency.org
WHEN: Every other Friday from 10am-1pm
WHERE: South Park - 4920 S. Avalon Blvd. LA 90011
WHO: KTown for All
YOU HAVE: ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: SERVICES
Outreach of supplies in the Koreatown neighborhood of LA. We serve 200ish-300ish people every week.
COLLECTING: New or clean, gently used blankets
WHEN: Every Saturday except the first Saturday of the month at 1:30pm
WHERE: Immanuel Presbyterian in Koreatown 3300 Wilshire Blvd, 90010
$: Venmo @Ktownforall
WHO: USC Peace Garden
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS
YOU NEED: SERVICES FOOD
The Peace Garden project transformed a little-used plot of land owned by USC into a flourishing and invigorating garden space to serve the surrounding community, with programming that promotes and demonstrates environmental sustainability, social and environmental justice, health promotion and wellness. We host open gardening hours throughout the week where visitors can stop by and enjoy the green space, learn to garden, and take home produce.
COLLECTING: To-go containers and plastic containers for fruits and veggies so that we can use them to distribute produce from our “free box” at our gate, and to community fridges across LA with the help of Mutual Aid LA’s Produce in the Park. More information here.
WHEN: Drop off at your convenience.
WHERE: 3017 Shrine Place
WHO: Lincoln Heights Unhoused Outreach
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: ITEMS FOOD
We distribute food, water, clothing and supplies (baby, pet, hygiene, warm/cool weather, harm reduction) to our unhoused neighbors in Lincoln Heights as a tight, mobile crew of 3-6 people. Text 323-539-7580 if you’d like to join in on outreach, if you’d like to make lunches for outreach OR to coordinate an item donation handoff.
COLLECTING: Blankets, tents, tarps, pet food (opened is fine), formula (powder + liquid), new socks, bras + underwear, new or gently used sweatpants, hats and jackets/coats.
WHEN: Outreach is on Sundays 12:30-3PM
WHERE: Lincoln Heights (meet @ Smart and Final on 2511 Daly St)
$: Funds needed for food and supplies every week (Venmo @Will_Lennon | CashApp $WillLennon)
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