How 5 Kinds Of Mutual Aid Projects Are Helping People Get Through The Pandemic (And How You Can Get Involved)

We get by with a little help from our friends.

While certain politicians are taking trips to Cancún and dining indoors with lobbyists in Napa Valley, many regular people are turning to mutual aid projects instead of the government for help during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Different from charities and nonprofits, mutual aid projects are a type of political participation in which community members take responsibility for one another. Instead of emailing your representative in hopes that they'll do something, mutual aid focuses on pooling resources locally. In other words, mutual aid is about solidarity, not charity.

The impact of COVID-19 on Americans' health and economic wellbeing — coupled with the failure of local, state, and federal governments to provide comprehensive assistance — has spawned many mutual aid projects, raising awareness of the idea.

Though it's growing in popularity now, you should know that mutual aid is nothing new.

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Although you might have just recently seen the term popping up, “mutual aid” has been around for more than 100 years. It’s often attributed to Russian anarcho-communist Peter Kropotkin, who defined it in his 1902 essay collection Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution.

However, mutual aid projects existed even before Kropotkin's writings. For example, abolitionists like David Ruggles formed vigilance committees in the 1800s to help fugitive slaves in the US, and rotating credit and savings associations, like Mexico's tandas, can be found in many countries around the world. The Black Panthers' free breakfast program that started in the late 1960s is another, more recent example, of mutual aid in history.

Now, with many mutual aid projects popping up to address people's ongoing needs, there are plenty of projects to choose from if you have the time or extra cash and want to get involved.

Here are five common kinds of mutual aid projects and how to find them in your community:

Mutual aid can take many forms, and you might find that different kinds of assistance other than these are needed in your neighborhood. Just think of this list as a jumping off point to start making a difference.

1. Community fridges supply free food to anyone who needs or wants it.

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This isn’t the same kind of fridge you might have found in your college dormitory — there are no name tags on the food or arguments over who stole Jeffrey’s bagel.

Community fridges are set up in public with dedicated volunteers or random do-gooders stocking them with food. People can come take whatever they want or need, no questions asked.

Like the mutual aid concept itself, community fridges aren’t anything new. Ernst Bertone Oehninger of community fridge network Freedge told the Today show they first heard of the concept in 2012.

Check out Freedge’s database or google "community fridge near me" to find one in your area. You can help out by donating cash to cover the costs of running a fridge, and, of course, by giving food, but be sure to look on social media or the fridge's website first to see what kinds of foods are best to give. Some locations might also accept non-food donations like face masks, sanitizer, diapers, and other necessities. And if you have the time, you could also volunteer to help with any programs associated with the fridge.

2. Bail funds help people who have been arrested get out of jail by covering the costs of bailing them out.

National Bail Fund Network / Via communityjusticeexchange.org

Remember the rush to donate to bail funds during the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests? In an effort to get arrested protestors out of jail, passionate donors gave in droves to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. The fund went from having an annual budget of under $200,000 to raising over $30 million.

Bail funds as we know them today have existed before the 2020 protests — the first official bail funds were organized in the 1920s, but this kind of aid has roots dating back to before the Civil War, when Black communities would pool resources to buy a loved one's freedom. Today, bail funds help people who have been arrested and not yet tried for a crime make bail if they can’t afford it. In the spirit of mutual aid, individuals usually don’t need to pay the bail fund back, unlike getting out with a bail bond agent.

For help finding a bail fund in your area, check out the National Bail Fund Network’s database. Once you've found a fund, you can help by giving money or volunteering your time.

3. Housing funds exist to help people pay their rent so they can stay in their homes.

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Despite eviction moratoriums set in place during the pandemic, many people have still been forced out of their apartments. For example, over 500 people in the San Francisco area alone have been evicted since the start of lockdown in March 2020, and it's estimated that 30 to 40 million people nationally are at risk of eviction when moratoriums end.

In response to people losing their homes, some mutual aid projects have found ways to help people access shelter. Groups like Austin Mutual Aid in Texas are raising money to get hotel rooms for unhoused people to stay in through the winter storms. And while they did this before the pandemic, For the Gworls (FTG), is an example of a mutual aid project that assists renters. With a focus on assisting Black trans women, FTG provides rental assistance funds in addition to other services.

Asanni Armon, founder of FTG, told Slate that they were inspired by the Harlem Renaissance tradition of rent parties. These were events with live bands where entrance fees would go back to the Black community to help those in need pay rent. Armon threw similar rent parties pre-pandemic, but now, FTG activities are mostly virtual.

To help out in your community, search for mutual aid housing and rent funds near you. Donating money is a great way to help these funds. If you're not able to give cash at the moment, you can also help by simply spreading the word, or asking if they need volunteers for any other tasks (like social media promotion, for example).

4. Food distribution events are another way that mutual aid groups feed their neighborhoods.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the levels of food insecurity across the US. Feeding America estimates that 1 in 6 Americans faced food insecurity at some point in 2020.

Like food banks, some mutual aid organizations run food distribution events where individuals can collect groceries, no questions are asked.

An example of this is We All Got SD, a mutual aid program in San Diego, which organizes weekly food distribution events. While facial coverings are required to attend their food distros, no proof of income or ID is required to get a bag of groceries to take home.

To find a mutual aid network offering a food distro in your area, check out this database. And to get involved, see what your local program needs. You might be able to give money, food, or volunteer your time.

5. Finally, grocery delivery projects bring food and other necessities right to people's homes.

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Some mutual aid networks, like Crown Heights Mutual Aid in Brooklyn, deliver groceries to those without reliable transportation and people who are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Some groups, like Para Mi Gente in San Antonio, even distribute hot home-cooked meals à la Meals on Wheels. And like community fridges and other food distro events, these meals are free to anyone in the community who wants or needs them.

To find food delivery projects in your area, check out the map on Mutual Aid Hub. Depending on your local organization's needs, you might be able to help by donating food or money, or volunteering your time making deliveries.

And if you can't find mutual aid near you and you want to make a difference, there are resources out there that can help you start your own project.

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This Mutual Aid 101 guide from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and organizer Mariame Kaba breaks down the process of setting up your own mutual aid project with simple, step-by-step instructions.

Do you know of a mutual aid group that's helping people near you? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

And check out the rest of our personal finance articles for more money tips.