Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid (SYC/W6MA) has been fulfilling its mission for over three years. Due to their tireless efforts, the community residents can receive the assistance and resources they need. One of the efforts by SYC/W6MA is its partnership with The AYA.
The AYA is the city’s short term family shelter, which opened in Southwest three years ago and provides shelter for up to 50 families that have found themselves homeless. The AYA staff works with each family to set up the support they need to move into apartments of their own. SYC/W6MA partnered with the AYA staff early on to see how they could assist the families, they learned that many families have lost everything when they became homeless, and though the program ensures that they have beds and basic furniture, starting over is a great challenge. Due to the generosity of the Southwest community, SYC/W6MA has been able to provide families with housewarming boxes to take to their new homes.
A lot of thought goes into what these boxes contain, with the main focus to make the first week in a new home easier. These boxes have food: such as soup, vegetables, fruits, and pasta, they have condiments necessary for cooking such as salt/pepper, mayonnaise, sugar, and cooking oil. They contain towels, bedding, kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, some dishes as well as pots and pans. These housewarming boxes are greatly appreciated by the families as they are settling into their new homes.
Providing these housewarming boxes has been made possible by community donations of towels, bedding, pots/pans, cleaning/paper products, and food items. With 3-4 families moving out each month, additional donations are needed and appreciated. Donations are accepted Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the basement of Christ United Methodist Church at 900 4th Street SW. There is also a tent each Saturday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Southwest Farmers Market at 4th & M Streets.
At the Farmer’s Market, Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid is also accepting donations of fresh produce, dairy, and baked goods from shoppers and market vendors. This fresh produce is distributed every Saturday at 2:00 .p.m. Groceries, cleaning, and personal supply distributions take place during the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month at 2:00 p.m. at 900 4th St SW.
MORE WAYS TO HELP:
Support DC’s Black and Brown K-12 Scholars with SYC/W6MA’s Free Summer Programs: Want to help DC’s Black and Brown K-12 scholars thrive? Consider donating to Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid (SYC/W6MA) and support our Free School for Unlimited Youth Summer 2023 Programs. We offer a range of enriching activities and field trips, including music, art, trapeze, and writing, catering to various interests while fostering personal growth and academic success. Your donation goes a long way in supporting our “solidarity, NOT charity” mission to provide quality summer programs. Visit bit.ly/sycsummer to make a difference in the lives of our scholars or email youthenrichment@serveyourcitydc.org to learn more
Current Donation Needs: Below are our greatest needs. Donations can be dropped off at the Pod during its open hours.
- Food: chicken, peanut butter, pasta sauce, soup, rice, box milk, powdered drink mix
- Cleaning: dish soap, spray disinfectant, paper towels
- Personal Hygiene: deodorant, razors, feminine products
- Household: towels, bedding, pots/pans, silverware
- Other: plastic grocery bags that we can use to bag produce in (gently used, no holes)
If you need additional support with food and supplies, please call the Mutual Aid Hotline at 202-683- 9962 or email ward6mutualaid@gmail.com
Want to Learn More or Get Involved? We need more people to help with the food distribution on Saturdays please contact us for more information at swmutualaid@serveyourcity.org