We're sure you've heard by now that the Trump Administration is refusing to release SNAP benefits. The government shutdown (caused by a group of people hellbent on stripping people of healthcare and denying Americans any social safety net while also funding a group of dangerous, lawless weirdos targeting non-white people in communities around the country) harms the most vulnerable. The State of Massachusetts is no stranger to food insecurity, with the number of people looking for aid rising weekly.
Like previous periods of need, the community is stepping up to help. There are many small businesses hosting food drives like Formaggio Kitchen and Curio Spice. Siena Farms has Emergency SNAP food shares available for people eager to help to purchase that will be distributed to those in need. As true believers in mutual aid, we are handling this month's We Care Wednesday a little differently. Instead of one single nonprofit benefiting from a single donation, we will be taking the 5% of each Wednesday's sales and heading to a local grocery store to stock a community fridge.
*Since launching the We Care Wednesday initiative in January 2017 we have donated over $96,647 to a variety of nonprofits and mutual aid funds doing essential work in our community as well as other places. From the Mayor's Disaster Fund to BAGLY to Abortion Access Front and Material Aid and Advocacy. We select organizations that we feel represent not only our commitment to a better, more equitable world but also our desire to "do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.