Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Mutual aid is making a comeback during COVID-19 outbreak

    Mutual aid at the grassroots level is about helping a neighbor in need, and this strategy has been spurred into action across the country in response to COVID-19. In Detroit, people rally across social media and technology to connect those in need with those looking to help. For those without social media, mutual aid forms are available online for residents to apply for help from community members in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and more. They provide services such as picking up groceries and medicine, childcare, or monetary donations.

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  • With Food For All Poor and Door-to-Door Coronavirus Screening, Pandemic-hit Bhilwara Sets Example for Rest of India

    Bhilwara, India has provided food, masks, hand sanitizer, and door-to-door coronavirus screening to 600,000 residents who are not allowed to leave their houses during a total lockdown due to an outbreak of coronavirus. The generosity of donors from NGOs, charities, and individuals was managed efficiently by local government who handed out food staples to thousands of households.

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  • Our Closet provides clothing—and dignity—to Philadelphians of all walks of life

    A Philadelphia program called Our Closet offers a judgement-free way for people to access high-quality donated clothes without any barriers to entry—no paperwork, referral, or ID needed. As their services grew, they joined with Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) to open 18 pop-up retail-style locations around the city. 90% of their donations come from community members, and "in 2019 alone, Our Closet held 85 pop-ups, distributing 33,451 items of clothing, shoes, and accessories via 6,208 shopping experiences and 575 crises and reentry packages with the help of 2,524 volunteers."

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  • The Hub of Hope's laundry services help homeless people feel 'normal' again

    In Philadelphia, the Hub of Hope offers free shower and laundry services for people experiencing homelessness. The service, while acknowledging it won’t solve chronic housing insecurity, does help improve quality of life and health and served over 600 individuals and churned over 2,000 loads of laundry. Other Philadelphia shelters and service centers are starting to offer similar services with funding from local nonprofits.

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  • The secret gardens of Rohingya refugees

    The Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world, is overcrowded and increasingly isolated. A program by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Bangladeshi NGO BRAC offers refugees equipment, advice, fertilizer, and seeds to make their own garden. These gardens have become hugely popular, taking up what little space there is between tents, but also offer refugees a source of peace and a food source to supplement their meals. Compost for these gardens are prepared outside of the camp by Bangladeshi women, which helps improve the relationship between the two groups.

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  • In Toronto, Muslims offer ‘shelter bus' for the homeless

    Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association Canada and Humanity First Canada teamed up to transform a bus into a mobile shelter for the homeless, complete with 20 beds, a kitchenette, a bathroom, internet, and more. The program is called Shelter Bus and, since launching in December 2019, has served over 1,000 people and reaches up to 50 people a day. The bus has been described as "heaven" by some guests, and they are now planning to have 3 buses by the next year.

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  • Hartford first city to aid former inmates with Lyft rides

    Hartford, Connecticut, in partnership with Lyft and the criminal justice reform group, #cut50, is providing transportation credits to formerly incarcerated individuals. The effort aims to help individuals reentering their communities with a way of getting to places like job interviews and doctors appointments – things that will help them get back on their feet.

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  • Free For All: Clarke County School District Provides Free Meals to Every Student

    Clarke County School District in Georgia has 21 public schools that all offer free meals to students, regardless of their financial needs. This is facilitated through a federally-funded program, so even though poverty rates are high in the area, local residents are not footing the bill. While there are still some challenges implementing the program, in general it is received well and allows students to focus on their work and well-being instead of being distracted by hunger.

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  • This Church Found a Brilliant Way to Help Homeless People, and It All Starts with a Mailbox

    Providing access to a permanent address allows individuals experiencing homeless to break the “Postal Paradox.” In San Jose, California, individuals without an address can use The Window, a program operated by the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph. The Window serves as a node for those in need—offering a permanent address so they can find work or housing, as well as access to basic necessities and services.

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  • A new initiative is trying to make searching for tampons easier for Highland Park women. It's part of a national movement.

    In 2013, the United Nations deemed access to menstrual supplies a human right. Since then, Illinois has taken a number of steps to make access to these products even easier. This story includes solutions such as free dispensers in public restrooms, eliminating the "luxury" or "tampon" tax, and drives to collect pads and tampons for low-income and homeless women.

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