We distributed approximately 350lbs of produce, 50+ burgers, 25+ hot dogs, $500 worth of socks and hygiene products, and boxes and boxes warm clothes. Throughout the day dozens of people came by and took what they needed. At the end all the leftover clothes were donated to the Newburgh Warming Station at 13 Bridge Street.Thank you Councilmember Giselle Martinez for helping translate our coat drive flyer to Spanish, going canvassing with our team to advertise the event, and then helping pass out clothes. Thank you to the Melanin_Unchained, For the Many, and Keep It Moving members who brought donations. Thank you to the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley for donating fresh food. And of course, thank you to all of our amazing DSA members who did the hard work of planning the coat drive, recruiting volunteers, and running the event. We had so many great conversations with Newburgh residents about how to build an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. Mutual aid isn’t charity, it’s about building working class power by bringing us closer together. We’re looking forward to having more events like this in the spring and summer. Our Mutual Aid Working Group meets every other Sunday at 8 on Zoom to plan these events. Send an email to mutualaid@mhvdsa.org for this week’s Zoom link!
A brand new member joined us on Sunday and had this to say: “Today was my first time participating in mutual aid with my comrades! It was a wonderful experience and it felt great finally putting my beliefs into action. This is an incredible group of individuals and our movement can only grow in strength from here.” ✊