Background
19th Ward Mutual Aid was born in early May 2020 from the pandemic. In March of 2020 everything was closing. Many people needed help as they were service workers and depended on tips and service. Many of the traditional NGOs were closed resulting in many people not getting support. We knew support was needed, but we did not know how.
Purpose
Mutual aid is when everyday people get together to meet each other’s needs, with the shared understanding that the systems we live in are not meeting our needs and that we can meet them together, right now, without having to pressure power structures to do the right thing. Mutual aid is an idea and practice that is based on the principles of direct action, cooperation, mutual understanding, and solidarity. Mutual aid is not charity, but the building and continuing of new social relations where people give what they can and get what they need, outside of unjust systems of power. We have used the term Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Approach
Determine the population of the 19th Ward. We went to the statics from the census data to determine the total population, by age, ethnicity, employment type, and location of their employment. This allowed us to cater our initial type of need.
Next, we determine what current resources existed and were they able to address the need. This existed in neighborhood institutions, as well as other mutual aid organizations, political resources, and non-geographic resources (resources not tied to a specific location).
Accomplishments
We partnered with Turpin Cares in May 2020 to reimagine their approach to a distribution model. 19th Ward Mutual Aid began weekly food distribution in July 2020. For the next 60 weeks we distributed to over 20,000 people who came to us for help. We have consistently provided holiday meals since we drew down our weekly distribution.
In December 2020, the 19th ward mutual aid group, along with the local mutual organizations throughout Chicago created the Chicagoland Food Sovereignty Coalition (CFSC). We have two warehouses, one on the northside and the other in Pilsen.
For nearly 200 weeks we have been providing food to pantries across the south side of Chicago. There are several groups who provide sandwiches for the unhoused. We have been providing bread and snacks. We also provide bread and snacks to the CFSC warehouse, so they may be distributed throughout the city.
| Fire Victims | In the summer of 2020, Turpin Cares and 19th Ward MA were contacted to provided needed necessities that were lost in a fire. We provided clothing, kitchen kits, and bathroom kits to help get people back on their feet. |
| 19th ward mutual aid partnered with Bespoke fence to provide a fence to a local abuse shelter. Gathering the talented gardeners, we sketched out options for a garden for the shelter. Realizing the garden is an outstanding job that we have not completed | Fence |
| Face masks | 19th ward mutual aid worked with Cook County and Nice Chicks with Sewing Machines to provide masks to first responders, elderly, and children. |
| Upon hearing the news of town and cities were banning books from libraries in many areas in the US. The 19th Ward Mutual Aid group, in partnership purchased books that were considered banned to all the middle school and high school children in the ward. The first choice was the graphic novel MAUS. | Banned Books |
| Books To All | We receive a large number of new elementary-aged schoolbooks from a donor several times a year. We find schools and organizations in underserved areas to receive these books for children to spend their holiday breaks focusing on reading. |
| Lead the advocacy and education on the south side of Chicago Bring Chicago Home initiative. Bring Chicago Home was intended to create a dedicated funding stream to house the city’s homeless residents, numbering over 68,000 according to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, including up to 20,000 students. | Bring Chicago Home |