What is Mutual Aid?
An educational graphic from Corona Comunidad Fridge’s Instagram account
On Friday mornings, I volunteer at Love Wins Food Pantry, which operates out of Friends Tavern in Jackson Heights. It is my job to show the people waiting in line to receive food that their time is valued and their needs will be met. This involves a lot of walking up and down the line, greeting familiar faces and distributing lists of free resources in the neighborhood. I also remind folks to stay six feet apart and avoid blocking storefronts.
No one assigned me this role, but I do it week after week because it suits me. I am most useful working the line. I like talking to people and I’m nice to talk to. And I speak Spanish as well as English, so I can chat with more people.
Recently, I took on more duties at Love Wins. Now I write blog posts in addition to helping out on Fridays. I proposed the idea of a blog to Daniel because I wanted to use my Bachelor’s degree in creative writing to benefit the pantry. This is my first post.
Other volunteers have different skills, personalities, and identities, and so take on different roles. Some use their skills in accounting or web design to support the pantry. Others have physical strength, which helps them unload boxes and set up shelters when it rains. Still others are charismatic and well-connected in the local community, which allows them to manage whatever conflicts arise.
In exchange for their time and skills, volunteers can take home food from the pantry if they need it. Sometimes a local restaurant provides lunch, or Betty brings homemade cookies.
There are intangible benefits too. The pantry gives me a sense of purpose and belonging. When I show up on Friday mornings, the other volunteers smile and say my name. When I walk up and down the line, I meet new people and catch up with regulars. In spite of social distancing, I feel connected to my city and to the people around me.
This is how mutual aid works. It is the exchange of resources and services, by choice, to benefit all those involved. For example, at Love Wins Food Pantry, I exchange my services (speaking Spanish, speaking politely, and writing blog posts) for resources (community, food). No one forces me to give up my Fridays, when I could be making money or sleeping in bed. I return every week because mutual aid feels good and does good.
Peter Kropotkin, the anarchist philosopher who first defined mutual aid, argued that cooperation, not competition, is the driving force behind evolution. Because of this emphasis on cooperation, mutual aid can be seen as an alternative to capitalism. It provides a glimpse into a world where people support and care for one another, rather than competing for resources.
This philosophy sets mutual aid apart from charity, in which those with lots of money and power give relatively small donations to those with less. This model reinforces economic hierarchy, providing only temporary relief to long-term, systemic problems.
Still confused? Here’s another definition of mutual aid, pulled from the Instagram account of fellow mutual aid project Corona Comunidad Fridge:
I like this artist’s vision of mutual aid as radical love in action. In their words, “We are all deserving of what is good and we are all capable of doing good.”
You can find more information about Love Wins Food Pantry here.
With love always, Carly
