feed thy neighbor.
mutual aid in times of invented crisis.
At the time of publishing this letter, I have a pot of rice cooking. In my oven there are trays of tofu and squash roasting. My children have just barreled through the apartment door very hungry and very loud and in a few minutes we’ll start our nightly ritual of trying to get the aformentioned foods onto the table before anyone utterly loses their mind. (The fact that I still haven’t hit publish is not boding well for any of us.) It’s a very simple dinner by nearly every measure, but it still requires someone being home to prepare it, the money to pay for it, and the bandwidth to remember to start the damn rice. Feeding a family is challenging in even the very best circumstances and for too many the circumstances are about to become more challenging than ever. For no good reason.
On November 1, some 42 million Americans are set to lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Put another way, 42 million Americans are at risk of not having money to buy groceries.
For the uninitiated, SNAP is the federal food aid program formerly called Food Stamps. It’s been helping feed Americans, not always well, since The Great Depression but in the midst of the latest government shutdown, the federal government has decided it will not fund the program for the month of November. And who knows how much longer after that.
Folks receiving SNAP benefits include seniors, families with children, people with disabilities, members of my own family, and probably many of yours.
42 million Americans.
According to NPR, “the Trump administration has warned that the debit-like EBT cards will not be refilled and that the program will run out of money on Nov. 1.” It’s not for a lack of money—there’s an estimated six billion dollars of contingency funding available for times of crisis. It’s cruelty by design. It’s a callous disregard for basic human dignity and need from the people who are supposed to be serving the American people.
In New York City, where I live, some 1.8 million of my neighbors receive these benefits. Across the state that number totals three million. Our Governor is determining whether the state can step in and allocate state money to schools in order to send kids home with extra food and she’s reportedly fast-tracking $40 million in funding for food pantries. Disgracefully, these emergency measures have the potential to face legal hurdles.
So what do we do?
At my kids’ elementary school, we’re in the midst of organizing a mutual aid fund for our immediate community members affected by our government’s gross negligence. One of my friends put together this list of resources that folks in New York City, and across the country, can access and donate to. I’m sharing some of it here, with their permission, in hopes that it might encourage folks to pitch in where possible or to take on similar projects in your own communities.
Finding Food Banks, Community Fridges, & Other Mutual Aid Resources
Often the very best way to help is to join up with other folks who have already been helping. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we need to team up with folks who already have! Whether you need help yourself or you’re hoping to lend a hand or some cash, here are some resources for finding the places already at work:
Food-Finding Resources
Find Help: https://www.findhelp.org/
A national resource for finding free or reduced-cost resources like food, housing, financial assistance, health care, and more.
Free Formula Exchange: https://freeformula.exchange/
A national baby formula mutual aid network.
Find Food NYC: https://www.foodbanknyc.org/find-food/#find-food-map
A map showing food pantries across New York City.
Food Help Line: https://www.foodhelpline.org/regions/brooklyn
Another digital tool for finding local food banks in Brooklyn
Too Good To Go: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/
A free app that lets users buy unsold, surplus food from cafes, restaurants, food stores, and hotels at a steep discount.
City Harvest: https://www.cityharvest.org/food-map/
A map by City Harvest showing locations throughout NYC that are currently distributing food, free of charge. Location sites include soup kitchens, food pantries, community fridges, et cetera.
One Love Community Fridges: https://www.onelovecommunityfridge.org/fridges
A map showing the location of One Love Community Fridges, designed and filled by the organization at sites across the city.
Community Fridge Finder: https://fridgefinder.app/browse
A sometimes-accurate tool for finding local NYC community fridges
Mutual Aid
Mutual Aid Hub: https://www.mutualaidhub.org/
A tool for finding mutual aid projects across the country!
Mutual Aid Groups NYC: https://mutualaid.nyc/mutual-aid-groups/
A tool for finding NYC-specific mutual aid groups
And for folks donating food directly to food pantries, some wisdom from food pantry volunteers:
Everyone donates Mac and Cheese in boxes, but it also needs milk and butter, which are hard to get from food banks.
Boxed milk is a treasure. Kids need it for cereal, which they get a lot of.
Everyone donates pasta sauce & spaghetti noodles.
Canned foods should be pop-top or donate a can opener
Oil is a luxury needed for Rice-a-Roni, which they receive in abundance.
Spices, salt, and pepper are a real gift.
Coffee and tea bags are caring gifts.
Sugar and Flour are treats.
Fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores is essential.
Seeds are great in the spring and summer because growing can be easy for some.
Rarely is there fresh meat.
Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.
Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.
They get lots of peanut butter and jelly, but need sandwich bread.
Butter or butter spread is good.
Eggs are a commodity!
Cake mix and frosting make it possible to create a child’s birthday cake.
Dishwashing detergent is costly and is always appreciated.
Feminine hygiene products are a luxury, and women will cry over them.
Everyone loves Stovetop Stuffing.
Giving money to established food banks or mutual aid organizations helps them to buy what’s missing and to buy in bulk, usually at lower cost and tax free! So, make a monetary donation wherever you’re able!
If you want to read a very lovely essay about what to do in this moment, make it We Feed Each Other from
and maybe consider adding your donation to the list he’s compiling. So far $23,200 has been donated to food pantries in 28 different states from his one small ask.We are so many millions.
I was JUST researching the most needed items at food banks. Heartened by a neighbor who emailed an oft-negative listserv to begin organizing and connecting neighbors in need to those who can afford to help.
Thank you Erin for the list of food pantry tips! Super helpful. If I may add a suggestion - call your representatives! Ask them to create pressure to release the contingency funds. Call your governor too! I’ve been using 5calls to lessen my phone anxiety and give me some tangible talking points (but always manage to go off script a bit).