(and volunteer ops for the week)

Most Fridays, The Platia joins mutual aid groups, Food Not Bombs and Punks With Lunch, for a picnic in South Philly where we distribute free food and talk about harm reduction on a local level. These Mifflin Square Park picnics are a blast. (We're always looking for more volunteers, so please reach out to adooling at gmail dot com if you'd like to come!)

Someone brings a speaker for music. We make hot dogs. People bring clothes and books to swap. Sometimes there’s iced tea, if we can carry it. Sometimes there’s hamburgers, if we can get them down there. There’s some pastries, some bagels and breads from generous bakery donations. There are a few regulars who adore sweets and we hold some for them. Last week for example, a surprise delivery from Killer Brownies made everyone’s day. But, there’s also produce. Lots and lots of free produce. We pick it up that morning and carry it to the park, packing as much as we can in our own cars. Because fresh food belongs to everyone. 

Fresh produce is the most popular item by far. There are many myths about what people living on the poverty line eat. So let’s talk about what I see people wanting the most. 

First, I want to be very clear, again: food is for everyone. And the produce give-away is not only for people who cannot get food elsewhere. Mutual aid means the community takes care of the community. And so, if you forgot to go grocery shopping, or are exhausted from a long week, or didn’t know you wanted snap peas until you saw them at our distro, they are yours – no questions asked. 

Still, there are people who come to the picnic who live in multi-generational homes, are in recovery, have just come out of the hospital, or have no steady home where they can heat food up. I’ve heard every amalgamation of home life you could possibly consider, from folks at the park. There are so many reasons people can go hungry. 

How does the food get to the park? Some of the mutual aid groups that put together the distro have relationships with major charities that help sort out extra food. That means we sign up for extra breads and snacks from supermarkets like Acme, or bakeries, and over-ripe produce from the wholesale produce market. These foods are from damaged containers, or just over the sell-by date, and would otherwise be thrown in the trash. 

Through group coordination, everyone picks a distributor to claim food from, and we all set out on Friday mornings to get the food. Last week I got up early to drive across the city to the wholesale produce market, park alongside trucks four-times the size of my little hatchback, and wait for the produce to come out. I pack all the crates and boxes of food into my car, doing the Jenga to make sure as much as possible fits, so someone doesn’t go hungry today. 

That food can include bananas, tomatoes, pears, cabbage, heads of lettuce, cucumbers, corn, snap peas, and more. Most of it is near-fresh, not mushy or destroyed.

I drive the produce back to my home. I park in the shade, grab a quick snack because lifting those boxes is not a joke, check my emails and check the mutual aid chat for any last-minute emergency needs if there’s room in my car. Sometimes there is. Most of the time, I can’t even fit everything in my car and have to decide what to throw away. And shortly after that, I’m on the road to the park to offload the boxes and arrange them on tables for distribution. Thankfully, on this side, I have hands to help. 

The scene at the park is cooperative. Some “guests” help offload crates and boxes that they see I cannot carry. Other volunteers are always ready, setting up tables, barbecues, water and iced tea. And maybe 30 minutes later we’re ready for guests to come up and fill their bags with whatever they want. 

The produce always goes first. Lately, there are guests bickering over produce, or trying to grab more than we’d like them to take (so that everyone can have some). It’s obvious that people are getting hungrier and this is one of the only places to get fresh vegetables in their budget. 

After the produce goes, we try to convince folks to take beautiful donated loaves of bread to share with friends and relatives. We make sure they’ve had a hot dog and a sweet, like cakes or cookies. Sometimes we play soccer. Sometimes someone has a more serious need and we help as best we can, or put them in touch with someone who can help. But we always feed them, at the least. 

Any leftover bread or non-perishables go into the South Philadelphia Food Pantry located in the park, where neighbors can come back later to peruse. Sometimes we take them home; I’ve definitely had a few bagels from the picnics myself. 

Of course, at heart this is harm reduction outreach, and it’s not always pretty. People are in pain and in bad situations. Sometimes fights happen. Sometimes people bring their troubles with them. But the idea of shared food creates a community bond. We might be on one side of the table, but we’re also eating hot dogs with them, playing soccer, swapping books and stories. It’s a chance to meet and understand people you’d never meet elsewhere, and maybe get a snap pea recipe you wouldn’t try on your own. 

When I hear the uneducated expound on rumors that people in poverty don’t want fresh food, or they’re looking for candy or fast junk, I think of these outreaches. I think of the look of concentration on peoples faces as they pick the right eggplant or ask to come back around again for a few more bananas, or their kids light up when they see oranges. Feeding people food that gives them nutrients is a form of power. A way to help them stay strong for fights ahead, and that ability shouldn’t just belong to people who can pay rising prices for vegetables. They come out of the ground, and they belong to all of us. 

Now I'm inviting you to come along. If you want to see the pipeline of food redistribution, come on a drive with me to the warehouse and back to outreach. Reach out to me to join on my next pick-up.

What You Can Do 

A small thing: Always pack up untouched leftovers, especially protein from big platters that can be divided up or given to folks on the street. 

Another small thing: Pay-it-forward by leaving herbs or veggies on your stoop or at a community meeting place for someone to find. 

Philly Mutual Aid — June 10 through 28 

Wednesday, June 10 – Night time outreach with The Everywhere Project (6:45 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)

The Everywhere Project sets up a dozen tables on the corner of LOVE Park to distribute hot food, sandwiches, water, clothing and harm reduction supplies. Sign up here. 

Friday, June 12 – Food distribution with Food Not Bombs and Punks With Lunch (1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.)

Join these two mutual aid groups, and The Platia for the weekly picnic at Mifflin Square Park. Reach out to me for orientation and what to know, or if you want to bring some food. Everyone is welcome. 

Sunday, June 14 – Harm reduction kits with The Everywhere Project (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

Learn about the items that make up harm reduction kits at the studio of The Everywhere Project, and create some kits that will be given out at future outreaches. Sign up here. 

Wednesday, June 17 – Harm reduction outreach with Punks With Lunch (1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.)

Join Punks With Lunch for their usual distro at Broad and Snyder, with harm reduction materials, food, and other supplies. Message them on Instagram if you want to cook food for the outreach or for an introduction to their other work. 

Friday, June 19 – Harm reduction outreach with Food Not Bombs and Punks With Lunch (1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.)

Join these two mutual aid groups, and The Platia for the weekly picnic at Mifflin Square Park. Reach out to me for orientation and what to know, or if you want to bring some food. Everyone is welcome. 

Saturday, June 20 – Outreach with Savage Sisters (9:30 p.m. - Midnight)

Savage Sisters gives out wrapped food and drinks, clothing and emergency items at Kensington Ave & Somerset Streets on the third Saturday of each month. Register here. 

Sunday, June 21 – Harm reduction outreach with Punks With Lunch (1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.)

Join Punks With Lunch for their usual distro at Broad and Snyder, with harm reduction materials, food, and other supplies. Message them on Instagram if you want to cook food for the outreach or for an introduction to their other work. 

Saturday, June 27 – Clothing swap at Crossroads Philadelphia (12 p.m. - 3 p.m.)

Join several Philly feminist organizations at 5011 Wayne Avenue for a clothing and resource swap. Medical and public health items will be on-hand, and this event is for everyone. Find out more here. 

Sunday, June 28 – Learn Pet CPR with BarkPark Philly (11 a.m. - 2 p.m.)

Not a volunteer opportunity, but just as important: learn animal CPR and emergency response techniques with BarkPark Philly. The cost is steep for this one, $75, but proceeds go to Stray Cat Relief. More info here. 

Reach out if you have any questions, have something I should look into, or want to talk about mutual aid.

Thanks as always,

Annemarie