We Take Care of Us: Food Resources and Mutual Aid
As we navigate the rise in fascism and, in the United States, government shutdowns and cuts to SNAP benefits, we at BADT find ourselves returning to this grounding framework: we take care of us.
We cannot afford inaction while government bodies toy with our access to food and healthcare. Our communities have always shown up for each other, and we honor the rich history of mutual aid in Black, Brown, Indigenous, trans and queer, and disabled communities by continuing our efforts now.
As such, we would like to share some (primarily U.S.-based) resources below for accessing food and other forms of mutual aid:
Mutual Aid Hub: Maintained by Ground Game Los Angeles, this resource curates and filters groups doing relevant, valuable work in their communities across the United States.
Hunger Free America’s Hunger Hotline and Resource Hub: Find free food near you by calling the National Hunger Hotline at 866-348-6479 or 877-842-6273, or by visiting their online database of food pantries and soup kitchens. The Hotline is open Monday - Friday, 8AM - 8PM EST.
211’s Food Resource Finder: Find food resources in your state by typing in your zip code.
Food Not Bombs: This organization arranges the collection of produce, bread, and other food that can't be sold from grocery stores, bakeries, and produce markets, and they share free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities in 65 countries in protest to war, poverty, and destruction of the environment. Click “Search for a Group” on the link to find a Food Not Bombs chapter near you.
Spark Reproductive Justice Now: This resource list offers information on reproductive-justice-specific mutual aid, including creating mutual aid funds in your community, freedom and bail funds, and more.
FindHelp.org: Findhelp can connect you with local food pantries and meal programs. You can also find resources for housing, financial assistance, health care, and more.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program [TEFAP]: TEFAP is a federal program that helps to supplement food for people of low-income communities by providing public/private nonprofit organizations prepared meals or other USDA food that can be purchased and distributed.
We hope that this information is helpful, and we will continue to take care of our people however we can. We will update this article as folks’ needs shift and as more resources come to our attention. (If you know of any resources we should include here, please let us know at info@birthingadvocacy.org.)
Thank you for being a part of this community.