East of the River Mutual Aid (EORMA) is a grassroots, all-volunteer network based in DC’s Wards 7 & 8. We are not a non-profit; we are neighbors organizing to meet each other’s needs and build power from the ground up.

Since 2020, we’ve distributed thousands of brand-new coats and other winter items to children, elders, and families across Southeast DC. Every dollar raised goes directly toward new coats, not overhead or staff. Our fundraising goal this year is $8500.

The Reality East of the River

DC is one of the richest and most divided cities in the country, a city split between abundance and survival. East of the River, in Wards 7 and 8, the reality is stark: the median household income in Ward 8 is $50,931, and in Ward 7 it’s about $69,109, both less than one-third of what families in Ward 3 ($141,849+) earn. More than a third of residents East of the River live below the poverty line, and over 90 percent of Ward 8 and nearly 90 percent of Ward 7 residents are Black. Life expectancy in Ward 8 is 15 years shorter than in wealthier neighborhoods. Meanwhile, grocery stores are closing, rent is climbing, and public transportation is shrinking. Services are being cut even as prices for food, Metro, and utilities rise while wages stagnate. People are working harder and still falling further behind. For months now, things have been getting worse day by day, and our communities feel it first and hardest.

Why Mutual Aid

This coat drive isn’t about charity; it’s about survival, solidarity, and dignity. Mutual aid is the practice of people sharing what they have to meet each other’s needs, not through charity, but through cooperation and care. It’s not new. It’s the foundation that has kept Black, Indigenous, and working-class people alive through slavery, segregation, and state neglect. When we organize mutual aid, we refuse to wait for institutions that only respond to crisis with punishment or profit. We’re building our own systems of care rooted in trust, love, and shared struggle.

When we distribute winter items, we aren’t just fighting the cold; we’re affirming life, refusing neglect, and building the relationships that keep our people alive.

This is about self-determination, not charity. Together, we meet the need and build the power to outlast the systems that created it.

Join us.
Help families across Wards 7 and 8 stay warm this winter.

eormutualaid@protonmail.ch
Instagram & Facebook: @EastOfTheRiverMutualAid