Join us in supporting local groups’ mutual aid efforts!
This campaign page supports grassroots mutual aid response efforts around the power outage in Gary, Indiana, still ongoing nearly two weeks after historic storms left thousands of people in Gary without power, and some without reliable water access.
A predominantly Black community, longtime residents have called it an already-familiar "survival mode" that has taken the community to a new breaking point. We know, from experience, that we save each other. In the absence of fast, equitable agency responses, it is solidarity between affinity groups, neighbors, mutual aid networks, and grassroots crews on the ground clearing trees and debris, mucking and gutting, and hosting kitchens and clinics, that are keeping each other alive. It is the power of the people sharing and distributing supplies, cooking and eating together, creating donation hubs out of garages and community centers, and serving as mobile medics, checking in on elders door to door. It is the resilience of the relationships built through solidarity that help endure the long response, as communities recover, rebuild, and reimagine their communities in real time.
Mutual Aid Disaster Relief is a grassroots network whose mission is to provide disaster relief based on the principles of solidarity, mutual aid, and autonomous direct action, not top-down charity. Resources are shared directly with the people already doing the work: crews distro-ing food, water, and hygiene supplies door-to-door; volunteers building solar-powered charging stations at community hubs so people can stay connected and get medical devices running again; and direct support to cover fuel, generators, and tools for rebuilding.
As a 501(c)(3), we are also able to support larger donations of supplies and resources, or finances, that directly support smaller groups on the ground within our network. We are also fundraising for the long haul, to support requests for resilient infrastructure for the next disaster: solar power, water filtration systems, and resilient communications tools, such as mesh networks, radio, walkies, and ham radio training, so neighbors can reach each other when the grid goes down again. To discuss larger donations, please email us at give@mutualaiddisasterrelief.org.
To donate to the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Infrastructure Campaign directly, you can also donate here. To donate to our Connections Lifeline Survival Program's critical comms development group, you can also directly donate here.
As an all volunteer network, every dollar and resource donated to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief goes directly to autonomous, community-led relief and rebuilding. Donating to this page ensure the funds will be earmarked for the response efforts in Gary, IN.
#wesaveeachother #mutualaiddisasterrelief #solidaritynotcharity #garymutualaid
