Mutual Aid Spotlight
Dear Neighbor,
It has been amazing to see our community come together and support each other during these difficult times. Whether it's helping shovel a sidewalk or delivering groceries to your next door neighbor, countless people have been stepping up and showing up for their community.
Much of this work is being done by mutual aid groups working in solidarity with their neighbors to ensure that folks have the resources they need to get through the pandemic.
One of the many active mutual aid groups in our district is Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid. Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid is an all-volunteer collective of people who live in Belmont Cragin and surrounding neighborhoods that was formed in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among other things, Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid delivers hundreds of boxes of food, diapers, cleaning products, and other important items to families in Belmont Cragin every week. You can learn more about Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid below in our Q&A with BC Mutual Aid volunteer Darcy Kues!
Q&A with Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid Volunteer Darcy Kues
1. When and why was Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid formed?
Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid is an all-volunteer collective of people who live in Belmont Cragin and surrounding neighborhoods. We are part of a city-wide mutual aid effort, organized neighborhood by neighborhood. We do what we can to help folks get food, diapers, cleaning products, Personal Protective Equipment, etc. It was formed in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 by residents of Belmont Cragin. When COVID-19 broke out in Chicago, many of us began looking for ways to contribute what we could to our neighbors by sourcing our own supplies and volunteers in addition to partnering with neighborhood nonprofits.
2. What is mutual aid?
One of the fundamental tenets of mutual aid is "solidarity, not charity." Mutual aid has existed for centuries, with the basic premise that people can connect to both give and receive support to meet their needs. The current movement of mutual aid grew rapidly at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when many people lost their jobs, businesses closed, and families lost loved ones. The COVID pandemic highlighted that many of the systems that are meant to support us are broken and rooted in inequality. Mutual aid, on the other hand, rests on the idea that we all have something to offer and to receive and that we can work together to change the conditions of our political and personal lives.
3. What types of support does Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid offer to the community?
Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid offers support through weekly distribution of food and other supplies to families throughout Belmont Cragin. Every week, we deliver hundreds of boxes of food, diapers, cleaning products, and other important items; this is a huge collective effort, from volunteers who find food to distribute to people who deliver food boxes to families. We also have seasonal pop-up events, where we partner with community organizations to offer food, clothing, toys, etc. We have partnered with Love Fridge Chicago to build and install a Love Fridge (lovingly named Bidi Bidi Nom Nom) in Belmont Cragin that where people can pick up or drop off free food for the community. As part of our larger mutual aid network, we also organize around eviction defense and immigration rights.
4. How can folks get involved?
We are always looking for additional people who are committed to supporting their community. We need people who are willing to drive food boxes to families on Saturdays and people who can help us during the week with picking up food from community partners. However, we welcome participation in any area that people feel passionate about! If people would like to get involved with Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid, they can email Darcy at dkues07@gmail.com or sign up at: http://bit.ly/volunteerbcma.
If people are not in a place to volunteer in-person, we also need financial support to make sure we can continue to meet the needs of people who request aid from us. Donations can be made by sending funds to one of our food distribution coordinators, Graciela Guzman, through Venmo (@graciela-guzman-1) or Zelle gguzman22@gmail.com. Monetary donations are critical in helping us purchase things like diapers, formula, and cleaning supplies! If people would prefer to drop off donations in-person, please contact us by emailing dkues07@gmail.com.
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