MUtual aid program
We’re setting up a consumer cooperative to purchase bulk household goods directly from distributors, getting a lower price per unit and distributing those units based on needs rather than profit. Households contribute whatever they’re able.
Get in contact to stay in the loop and provide feedback. We will be providing periodical updates. In the meantime, please consider donating to help us set up the initial infrastructure!
overview
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We’re setting up a mutual aid network around a consumer cooperative, so that essential products that usually take up a large portion of household’s spending can be acquired for a lower price per unit through bulk purchasing and collective distribution. We’re calling this model a Community Cooperative.
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Mutual aid is exchange based in reciprocity, rather than transactionality. Aid is provided primarily because aid is needed, not because we expect to gain anything out of the exchange.
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Typically, a consumer cooperative is when a group of people all interested in buying a specific product pool their money together to buy that product in bulk, acquiring it for cheaper and saving money. Instead of already having a product and pooling money together, we are pooling money together first, and then choosing the products to buy based on the needs of the cooperative and community.
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With the cost of living going up, we want to address a real need we see in our community. There is much to be accomplished through collective organization, and our community cooperative is just a starting point to build something bigger. We believe we can make our community strong through voluntary contributions—not because anyone has to, but because they want to.
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The specific details regarding day-to-day and background operations are introduced during the general meetings, the last one being on June 28th. We will have more informational meetings in which we will provide updates, answer questions, and receive feedback. In the meantime, you can still get in touch with us through the form below to learn more.
What’s next?
Right now, we’re focused on establishing basic logistical and infrastructural foundations. It may be a couple of months before we fully launch regular operations.
You can help by donating whatever you can to help us get everything together. The money will go towards any deposits we may need to submit, consolidation of subscription services, art supplies for promotional materials, and other miscellaneous costs. You can donate through Stripe, Venmo, or CashApp.
For those in which want do more than just donate, we hold regular meetings for people who are interested in volunteering their time. Contact us through the form below.
We’ll be providing further updates over the coming weeks regarding calls to action and other events we’re holding. We’re excited to help our community members in need and hope to get as many people involved as possible. Thank you!