Mutual Aid Organizations

in Philadelphia and vicinity

Although we as a group focus primarily on the climate and ecological crises facing us, we recognize that as vulnerable and marginalized people are increasingly bearing the brunt of the fascist Trump regime’s cruel policies (which are the culmination of decades of neoliberalism pursued by both major capitalist parties), we need to come together to alleviate the worst of what is happening and to prepare for a better future. Only by creating strong connections among us will we be able to withstand the difficult times ahead, and to build a just, equitable, and ecologically sustainable world.

If you know of a mutual aid group not listed here or if we can make any fixes to this list, please let us know. Contact us at xrphilly@protonmail.com

community action relief project

Community Action Relief Project (CARP) is a mutual aid and harm reduction project committed to sharing resources and redistributing wealth throughout the Kensington community.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, ESSENTIAL ITEMS DISTRIBUTION, HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

city wide! mutual aid

City Wide! Mutual Aid provides support to Philadelphians through an ongoing variety of mutual aid efforts.

Instagram: citywide_mutualaid

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, ESSENTIAL ITEMS DISTRIBUTION, HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

Double Trellis food initiative

The Double Trellis Food Initiative provides free dignified, low-waste meals for Philadelphians experiencing food insecurity and paid culinary training for young adults formerly incarcerated.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

experimental farm network

The Experimental Farm Network works to facilitate collaborative plant breeding and sustainable agriculture research in order to fight global climate change, preserve the natural environment, and ensure food security for humanity into the distant future. EFN is a non-profit based in Philadelphia.

URBAN AGRICULTURE, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

food not bombs - south Philly

Food Not Bombs South Philly distributes food in S Philly! Our food is vegan & free. We feed workers on strike, folks sleeping rough, & families on the block.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

food not bombs - West Philly

Food Not Bombs West Philly distributes food every Friday at 4:30 pm in Malcolm X Park in all weather.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

homies helping homies

Homies Helping Homies is a collective mutual aid initiative with the simple goal of improving the quality of life of the communities we serve in Point Breeze Philadelphia and beyond. Food and other essential goods are distributed at 11 am on three Monday’s per month along with regular drops to our community fridge at: 2144 Cross Street, Philadelphia.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, ESSENTIAL ITEMS DISTRIBUTION

Iglesias Gardens

The Iglesias Gardens aim to preserve a space for the people. Through providing multigenerational activities for our community, creating harmony and balance with local ecosystems, and growing edible fruits and vegetables and plant medicine, we pay tribute to stolen land and develop a network of support for our future generations.

URBAN AGRICULTURE, FOOD DISTRIBUTION

LAVA

The Lancaster AVenue Autonomous space is a center for radical media and organizing located at 4134 Lancaster Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood of West Philadelphia. The LAVA collective’s mission is to create an empowering and welcoming physical space where diverse communities build connections and break down barriers, blending media-making, artistic expression and nuts-and-bolts organizing in order to advance movements for justice.

Website: lavazone.org

ORGANIZING SPACE

NATIVE ROOTS FARM FOUNDATION

Native Roots Farm Foundation is a Native (Nanticoke) woman-led organization, founded with a mission to celebrate Indigenous cultures and protect open spaces – in particular, areas stewarded by the Nanticoke and Lenape communities who have called Delaware and the surrounding region home since time immemorial.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

the people’s kitchen

The People's Kitchen of Philadelphia is a collaborative of chefs, students, and community members responding to our city’s chronic issues of poverty and food insecurity by growing and cooking free, delicious meals. PKP operates out of the former home of El Compadre Restaurant in South Philadelphia.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, URBAN AGRICULTURE

Philabundance

Philabundance is a non-profit food bank that works with partners, such as shelters, other nonprofits, emergency kitchens, senior centers, and schools, in five counties in PA (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia) and four counties in NJ (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem).

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Philly breathes

Philly Breathes is a disability justice collective organizing to redistribute resources, provide education on safety from air pollution (including airborne viruses, particle pollution, allergens, and more), and advocate for the safety of marginalized groups that are disproportionately affected by resource scarcity, air pollution, and mask criminalization.

Instagram: PhillyBreathes

HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

Philly CHILDCARE COLLECTIVE

Philly Childcare Collective provides free and donation-based childcare. We partner with groups led by low income and/or of color parents and families organizing for economic and racial justice in their communities. Our goal is to make it possible for parents, caregivers, and children to participate in social movements.

CHILD CARE

Philly PEACE PARK

The Philly Peace Park is an open, charitable, intergenerational, neighborhood-managed ecology campus championing food, education and community. Philly Peace Park exists in two locations: North Philly and West Philly.

URBAN AGRICULTURE

Philly SRA

The Socialist Rifle Association of Philadelphia promotes and advocates for the right of the poor and working class people of color, trans and queer people, indigenous peoples, and non-men to self defense and community defense. Philly SRA offers training in gun safety and bleeding control.

Instagram: phillysra

HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

Philly Thrive

Philly Thrive is a powerful environmental justice organization engaging in activism and community services in the Grey’s Ferry neighborhood of South Philadelphia.

Website: phillythrive.org

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, YOUTH PROGRAMS, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, HOUSING JUSTICE

PhL Laundry support

PHL Laundry Support provides clean laundry to Philadelphia’s houseless and housing insecure communities. Each week they pick up laundry, wash, dry, fold, and return it. They have teamed up with City Wide Mutual Aid and Homies helping Homies to expand support efforts throughout Philadelphia.

ESSENTIAL ITEMS DISTRIBUTION, HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

Poor people’s army

The Poor People’s Army, also known as the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, is a nonviolent army with headquarters in Philadelphia. The PPA was founded and are led by poor people, homeless people, people at the bottom that want the power to control our own destinies. We want to see a cooperative society where everyone gets what they need, to have the basic necessities of life and live a comfortable life.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES, HOUSING JUSTICE

Punks with lunch

Punks with Lunch distribute fresh food, harm reduction supplies, toiletries, clothing, and “whatever else we can get our hands on!”
Sundays and Wednesdays at Broad and Snyder, 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Fridays at Mifflin Square Park, 1:30 to 3:30 pm.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, ESSENTIAL ITEMS DISTRIBUTION, HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

sANCTUARY FARM PHILADELPHIA

Sanctuary Farm converts abandoned spaces into community farming centers to increase access to inexpensive fresh produce, strengthens community bonds through various programs, and promotes health and wellness through educational programs and workshops

URBAN AGRICULTURE, FOOD DISTRIBUTION

sANkofa community farm

Sankofa Community Farm is a 3.5-acre community-based crop farm, rooted in the experience of the African Diaspora. As a spiritually centered farm, Sankofa prioritizes reverence for Spirit, human beings, and our relationship to the myriad beings beneath and above the soil.

URBAN AGRICULTURE

sepas

South Eastern Pennsylvania Airborne Safety bloc is an autonomous collective of anti-eugenicist, anti-fascist abolistionists and harm reductionist focused on expanding resource and knowledge networks around airborne safety. We’re committed to building together in ways that are accessible and within individual capacity.

HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

share food program

Share Food Program rescues and distributes food to hundreds of thousands of people in Philadelphia and the region.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, FOOD RESCUE

sharing excess

Sharing Excess is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that rescues fresh food waste from retailers, wholesalers, and farmers, and distributes it to community organizations across the city. SE partners with and operates out of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, FOOD RESCUE

TRUELOVE SEEDS

Truelove Seeds is a farm-based seed company offering culturally important and open pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. Our seeds are grown by more than 50 small-scale urban and rural farmers committed to community food sovereignty, cultural preservation, and sustainable agriculture.

URBAN AGRICULTURE, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

untitled medical collective

Untitled Medical Collective is an autonomous collective of medics who provide healthcare mutual aid to the Philadelphia community. UMC holds monthly free bleeding control classes and provides on-site medical care for rallies, protests and community actions. UMC also provides basic wound care to unhoused and food-insecure folks.

Instagram: untitledmedical215

STREET MEDICINE, HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES

uRBAN CREATORS

The Urban Creators is a platform for radical and collaborative imagination. Since 2010 we have used food, art, and education as tools to nurture resilience and self-determination in our neighborhood. Life Do Grow (LDG) is a Neighborhood Creative Commons, situated in the heart of North Central Philadelphia on the ancestral lands of the indigenous Lenni-Lenape.

URBAN AGRICULTURE

WORKERS REVOLUTIONARY COLLECTIVE

Workers Revolutionary Collective are are members of oppressed & working communities who tangibly display, build & apply the power of our people to obtain our basic human needs. Among their manifestations are Human Care Collective, helpfuljellyfish collective, PHL Laundry Collective, and Lava Library.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION, HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES