NW DC COVID-19 Mutual Aid

My name is Natacia Knapper and I'm a Ward  1 community member who has decided to take on the crucial work of providing mutual aid (as it is outlined in this article https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/y3mkjv/what-is-mutual-aid-and-how-can-it-help-with-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR2iSuk_CRbiiiFUE-hXdaHRXgXLXYs4UNp_v0x0kQt_5FrD7mIaCKW4QFM). As this pandemic grows, we must not panic but we must put systems in place to be prepared and to  take care of each other. While it is my hope that the DC government will be able to provide us with needed resources, the truth is we must be in the position all we can for each other outside of that system. 

For transparency, I am raising these funds for mutual aid in my personal capacity and as an individual, but the money is being used solely for the purpose of:

1. Purchasing groceries and supplies for those in need
2. Providing hot meals for those in our community most vulnerable, particularly our unhoused neighbors and young people out of school who rely on school meals 
3. Production and purchasing of key resources like face masks and hand sanitizer 
4. Giving small stipends, when possible, for those who have basic needs but are struggling with poverty and/or unemployement 
5. Printing needs for flyers/collateral of information about mutual aid and how to connect with me and the other organizers working on this 

I am working closely with several low income housing communities in Ward 1 to assess their needs and to provide them with mutual aid from these funds. Also, if you are in need of help, call [phone redacted] or email [email redacted] and I, alongside several other organizers in the community, will do our best to meet your needs as well. 

Thank you to those who have already donated! And please help if you can. We'll only get through this together. 

-Natacia