our programs
this is quick summary, not all encompassing of our work. as we grow and onboard more volunteers, my hope is that this page can more vividly capture and articulate the work we are embarking on and its impact.
2020 holiday giving program
2020 was a stressful year for all of us. realizing that the stress is tenfold for single parent families, we aimed to provide a little bit of joy to single parents this year through a holiday sponsorship program. each recipient family was paired with a sponsor family, who shopped, wrapped, and in some cases delivered the gifts right to the families home. some of our families who were houseless or living hotels got special delivered from volunteers dressed up as Santa’s helpers. in total, 72 female led single parent families ranging in sizes 2-8 were sponsored through our inaugural holiday program. we hope to join together with community and sponsors next year to reach even more mamas and their kiddos.
solidarity not charity- mutual aid
Our community’s mutual aid efforts date back to 1787, when The Free African Society was founded in Philly by black ministers Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. In the founding documents, its stated that ‘members would contribute money to a fund from which a weekly sum would be paid to the "needy of this society’. In 1808 New York African Society for Mutual Relief was initiated. Similar to the Free African Society, the New York society was formed to provide a form of health and life insurance for its members and their families. Examples of mutual aid programs in recent history include The Black Panther’s Breakfast Program, which provided free breakfast to children 20,000 children a week in 1969.
We each do better as individuals we do better as a community. Our mutual aid fund is an opportunity to redistribute wealth to BIPOC single mothers who are in need of direct financial support in order to get their basic needs meet and continue to provide for their children. Distributions from the mutual aid fund range from as small as $50-$499 depending on the need (distributions above $499 are considered on a case by case basis and will require the completion of a W9). our aim is to collectively raise and redistribute at least $5,000 every month to single mothers within the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs. For transparency & accountability monthly updates will be shared here.