'Solidarity, not charity': Mutual aid groups are filling gaps in Texas' crisis response

A closed school was converted into a shelter for some of the nearly 200 migrants arriving in Chicago. In tandem, local residents and faith-based groups started the Chicago 4 All initiative to help provide them with the necessary resources to settle in.

Communities in Puerto Rico developed locally-run resilience hubs that combine community kitchens, food stockpiling, and disaster preparedness infrastructure, successfully serving thousands of meals during events like Hurricane Fiona and providing year-round food security while reducing dependence on delayed government aid.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, several community-led organizations are joining forces to help those in need by gathering and distributing supply donations and helping those affected apply for FEMA assistance, unemployment and other relief support.

In Korca, Albania, the Community Safety Net program supports elderly people who live alone in a variety of ways. Volunteers provide essentials like medication, food, and firewood. But they also organize social activities for groups of seniors to help combat loneliness.

What started as an informal support group in Texas for undocumented workers who had been injured while working, has morphed into a mutual aid organization that helps connect immigrants and those who are uninsured with health necessities and resources. The group is unique in the U.S., as it advocates for both disability rights and immigrant rights, while also providing support for disaster relief efforts.

A Cup of Cold Water is a volunteer collaboration between four local Episcopal churches that has been providing assistance to residents who lost their homes in the recent wildfires through the group’s community outreach program. Since a day after the wildfires started on August 8, volunteers have driven a van around the island to distribute supplies like toiletries, food, clothing, bottled water and other necessities.

The Knox County Aktion Club gives adults with disabilities a community where they can connect with others and grow through volunteer opportunities. For 15 years, the group has helped members develop greater independence and confidence, as well as leadership and problem-solving skills. There are currently about 600 Aktion Club members throughout the state, and more than 12,000 members worldwide, spread between 15 countries.

In Detroit, a coalition of nonprofits and organizations are coming together to transform buildings into resilience centers. A resilience center is a hub that people can go to for help, especially in moments of a natural emergency. In Detroit, the hubs are part of a response to the effects of climate change, which can leave people displaced. Some of the things people can find in a hub include emergency services, internet access, and workforce development.

Queer activists and organizers are centering their identity in the environmental justice movement. They form part of a growing movement that doesn't exclude their queer identity in the fight against climate change. Some examples of this work include "Queer Nature," a community where queer people can reconnect with nature. Another example is the "Queer Ecojustice Project," which addresses how queer perspectives were ignored by the environmental movement. This article presents several other examples of the intersection of queer identity with the environmental movement.

Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham tribal leaders took quick action to support members during the Covid-19 pandemic. They instituted a curfew, required face masks, and ensured that tribal members had sufficient food and supplies. The Pascua Yaqui’s information technology team created an app for residents to easily provide household information and request food, household goods and cleaning supplies. Federal rescue money allocated to the tribes has not arrived, so the tribes created their own systems of caring for their tribal members by securing essential goods and distributing them to those in need.