In 2023 CPR has continued to move relationally. We have strengthened our ability to prioritize our own and each other’s mental health in ways that have preserved and expanded our individual and collective capacities. We have added people slowly to our group such that we are able to continue to maintain the culture of forthright care that has become the center of what we do. We look forward to continuing that process. 

This year, we continued to let our individual and collective capacity and interests lead the projects we take on, and we have taken steps to make this work accessible for each of us. We are excited to see how our work unfolds as each new person begins working with CPR, bringing their own unique talents and passions with them into our organizing space. 

In 2023, CPR received 764 requests for assistance through our online form. We were able to offer some form of assistance to every requester who was able to confirm with us via text. Some households asked for assistance multiple times, some only once.  Our evolving collective of drivers delivered supplies every weekend this year. We do not require proof of need, or limit the number of requests, although we did set a boundary of delivering to each household every 6 weeks to honor our capacity.

This year, we have consistently purchased and redistributed the following items to each household that requested assistance:

-dish liquid

-laundry detergent

-bar soap

-antiperspirant

-toilet paper

-toothpaste

-toothbrushes

-single use menstrual products

-menstrual cups

-children’s KN95 masks

-diapers

On March 30 2023, we were notified that our previous fiscal sponsor would not work with us after April 30th. As we had very little in writing with them, this short notice is what we had to work with. Luckily, we had been aware of Open Collective for a while and really loved so many things about the way they function. Everything is documented, everything is clear, and we are able to easily find answers to our questions. This transition, while it had stressful moments, has allowed us to grow our financial health and to be able to operate with a high level of transparency. The platform has allowed us to share the labor around purchasing and reimbursement in new and improved ways. Anyone can look at our OC page and see exactly how we spend the money we receive. 

As a neurodivergent-led organization, explicit and clear communication is extremely important to all of us and for this reason Open Collective has been such a wonderful change for us. We are so grateful.

In addition to the supplies we purchased using community funds through Open Collective, we have developed relationships with a number of community groups and individuals who give us supplies to distribute, including:

Midwest Access Coalition (MAC) gave us:

-condoms

-pregnancy tests

-Plan B

Thrive 4 Change shares:

-Narcan

-fentanyl testing strips

A local artisan soap company has provided us hundreds of soap cuttings to distribute.

Phoenix Coffee on Lee Rd in Cleveland Heights hosts a contribution box where people can share non-perishable food and toiletries.

Each week, we post on social media about any specific needs for the week, and amplify our wishlist. So many community members have come through in ways that have built up our faith during these strange times. 

Community members responding to our direct requests on social media have offered:

-10,000+ adult KN95 masks

-chux pads

-Supplies from the community - paper and plastic bags

-hundreds of Covid rapid tests

-a walking cane 

One notable piece of CPR’s work is our  “diaper network,” a small social group of parents that formed early in the pandemic as a way to become involved in this work in a way that felt accessible and joyful to them. The diaper network organizes over a chat thread, and has also helped source and deliver items like refrigerators and crockpots to people in our community who need them. In 2023, CPR received requests for diapers from 473 households - many of these households have multiple children in diapers. With the support of our diaper network, we delivered diapers to every household who was able to confirm with us. 

We are imagining ways to expand our distribution of food in sustainable and collaborative ways. In the coming year, we are excited to continue expanding our years-long relationship with Trials for Hope, slowly adding new families to our weekly grocery deliveries. Each week, CPR drivers pick up food provided by Trials for Hope, and deliver them to families who struggle with access  barriers to Food Bank pickups, including households at high risk for Covid and/or lacking transportation. We also look forward to continuing to redistribute food that we receive from contribution boxes placed in local businesses, and to possibly placing a few more.

On this day when Cleveland receives the least amount of light, it feels good to stop and reflect on the things that we are doing to help turn ourselves and others toward hope. Happy solstice, everyone. Thanks for the ways we’ve found each other.