November Recap
Humboldt Park Solidarity Network: November Recap
Greetings and well wishes from the HPSN team!
November has been a busy month for Humboldt Park Solidarity Network and we are thrilled to report the following updates, attached.
As always, none of this could be possible without your support, so on behalf of us and your neighbors, thank you!
We are thankful to stand in solidarity with you.
Food Distro:
For 3 weekends in November we continued our partnership with the US Department of Agriculture and their Farmers to Families Program. This program brings us boxes filled with 35 pounds of fresh produce, dairy, and proteins most weeks. We deliver these boxes to neighbors as well as passing them on to other groups to distribute.
For the Saturday following Thanksgiving, the USDA didn’t provide food boxes, so we pooled our resources as a network to provide fresh food to our neighbors. Through food rescue, donations, and purchasing items using HPSN’s funds, we were still able to provide food to all those who requested it. Boxes that week were overflowing with fresh produce, delicious prepared meals, eggs, and nutritious shelf-stable goodies.
During this week as well, we sent baby items, household cleaning products, and personal hygiene items to the 25 households who requested them. These products are donated or purchased with funds donated to HPSN.
We are happy to report too that we were able to deliver 60 turkeys the week of Thanksgiving! These were donated to HPSN by: local community members (thank you Delia!), Chicago Social Change, State Representative Delia Ramirez and Senator Aquino.
By the numbers:
- Total Number of boxes (deliveries to families and community organizations) = 1,167
- Boxes directly delivered to neighbors in need: 504
- 11/7: 141
- 11/14: 138
- 11/21: 140
- 11/28: 86
- Turkeys delivered: 60
Groups we share food resources with:
- Puerto Rico Project
- Chi Nations Food Council
- Iglesia Evangelica
- Little Village Free Store
- 65th Infantry Borinquéneers Apartments
- BYP100
- Pilsen Mutual Aid
- Bronzeville Kenwood Mutual Aid
- Belmont Cragin Mutual Aid
- Logan Square Mutual Aid
November Events:
-November 8: Reading Circle "Memories as Catalysts for Change"
-November 10: Screenprinting Workshop
-November 11: Art Class with Tiffani Kuhn
-November 16: Radical People’s Study Hall: What is Mutual Aid? Skillshare and Discussion with ChiResists
-November 25: Mutual Aid is Abolitionist Work with Defund CPD. Recording of Training found here.
Thank you to:
- Rogers Park Food Not Bombs
- The Bloc
- Fight2Feed
- Bronzeville Kenwood Mutual Aid
- Defund CPD
- The long-standing Humboldt Park community members who contributed to our meetings this month
- All of the community groups we are lucky enough to share resources, knowledge, and ideas with.
Save the Date:
Reading Circle: Dec. 13, 5pm : Gentrification, discourse, and the body: Chicago's Humboldt Park
Reminders:
- Do you or someone in your network need assistance? Filling out the aid request form! Formulario En Español
Resources:
Donations needed!
Your donations help fund community needs like:
- Baby supplies (diapers, formula, wipes)
- Personal care items (period products, toiletries)
- PPE (masks, hand sanitizer, gloves)
- Medical supplies (diabetic testing trips, first aid)
- School supplies (headphones for e-learning, notebooks, backpacks)
- Food
- Household supplies (cleaning supplies, paper products)
- And more!
How to Get Involved:
- Do you have a car and are willing to use it to deliver food or other supplies to your neighbors?
- Do you enjoy talking to people and want to connect with your neighbors by providing wellness checks? Spanish speakers are especially needed!
- Are you a fundraising guru who enjoys raising money?
- Are you missing your local gym and would like to break a sweat receiving and organizing donations at the warehouse?
- Have another skill you’d like to use to help out the Humboldt Park community?
- If you answered with an enthusiastic yes to any of these questions, let us know by filling out the volunteer sign-up form!