Mutual Aid

As socialists, we aim to mutually build resilient, intentional communities in Long Island by connecting each other to food, funds, and other life sustaining resources.

About Us

When the pandemic hit, Nassau DSA’s leaders created a mutual aid group to address our county’s immediate needs. What started as grocery runs has evolved to include micro-grants, a developing community food forest, and several subcommittees dedicated to serving our communities’ needs.

Our Subcommittees:
To tackle our goal, we operate in six subcommittees each with its own clear purpose and unique set of responsibilities. Members can, and often do, get involved in one or more subcommittees. (See “Join Us” section for more information.)

Projects

Brentwood Community Food Forest

Our Nassau County DSA’s Mutual Aid Working Group Gardening Subcommittee has partnered with the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Brentwood to plant a 0.4-acre Community Food Forest starting Spring 2021. The space will rely on the principles of a public “food forest”: a garden of perennial trees and shrubs with edible and medicinal benefits, whose design mimics a natural forest.

Once grown, the site would provide edible plants such as fruits, nuts, and herbs for volunteers and visitors to freely enjoy. By working with Brentwood’s diverse resident populations, we hope to empower a movement toward food sovereignty within the community at large, as well as a restored sense of connection to the land.

Together let us cultivate the commons for all to enjoy. A better world is growable.

To accomplish this initial work, we have split up into four, interconnected task forces:
Outreach, Fundraising & Resource Procurement, Business Plan Writing, & Lease Agreement.

Learn more about our task forces here. Sign up for one here. 

Grocery Runs and Microgrants

Nassau DSA Mutual Aid organized grocery deliveries to community members across Nassau County since the beginning of the pandemic. We helped hundreds of families access fresh groceries and other necessities. Our number of grocery requests has steadily climbed, reflecting the continued and growing food insecurity many of us face on Long Island.

Up until now, we have been organizing volunteers to deliver groceries straight to those who request them. In order to meet rising demand while ensuring our process is sustainable and effective, we are changing the way we conduct mutual aid and intake. 

Nassau residents can request either one grocery delivery worth up to $40 of groceries, OR one cash grant of $40, one time per month, for as long as we have the funds to make this possible. We will be taking 25 requests per month. This will allow us to support as many community members as we can. Thank you for your patience as we continue building a smooth and effective process, and finding new ways to support our community.

Volunteer Roles

You don't have to be a Nassau DSA member to volunteer for our grocery and microgrant program. 

Runners: Runners collect and deliver groceries and supplies to families in need in Nassau County. 

Intake: This role helps communicate between runners and families to make sure runners have the information they need to successfully complete their run, and to make sure families are receiving the items they requested.

Phonebankers and Texters: These roles allow us to grow our outreach by spreading the word about our events and happenings.

Donors: We rely on small donations to keep our mutual aid program running. Please consider making a donation today!

Volunteer to Help

If you'd like to volunteer to help out with out Mutual Aid efforts, please click the link below! We'll reach out to you as soon as we're able, but please be aware that we operate on a 100% volunteer basis. 

Si desea ofrecerse como voluntario para ayudar con los esfuerzos de ayuda mutua, haga clic en el enlace a continuación. Nos comunicaremos con usted tan pronto como podamos, pero tenga en cuenta que operamos de forma 100% voluntaria.

Thanks to our donors and volunteers, we’ve helped over 500 families with food and supplies assistance since March 2020. On average, we spend about $1,300 a month purchasing groceries and delivering them across Nassau County. With the funds donated here, we can continue our mutual aid work and broaden our mutual aid work to include more programs and communities.

Request Aid

ANNOUNCEMENT: We are at capacity and are not accepting further requests for the month of April 2021.

Please check back on May 1, 2021.


ANUNCIO: SOLICITUDES DEL APOYO MUTUAL ESTAN CERRADO POR EL MES DE ABRIL 2021. 

POR FAVOR DE CONSULTARNOS EN MAYO 1 2021. 

Join Us

We meet every week to discuss our plans, learn new skills, and share updates together. We would love to have your perspective and voice at our meetings!

Connect with us on Facebook

All other subcommittees meet irregularly, depending on need. To join our Slack channel for updates, or request more information on our work, email us at nassaudsamutualaid@gmail.com.