Libertarian Mutual Aid to Participate in 401Gives! “Sister Effort” of CoalitionNews Seeks Support for “Water Project”
Libertarian Mutual Aid – The Mission
Libertarian Mutual Aid embraces the vision of Mutual Aid: an organizational model where voluntary, collaborative exchanges of resources and services for common benefit take place amongst community. And in doing so, seeks to reconnect disparate members of a Community, fostering empathy as well as an understanding of the individuals role .. and responsibility for taking direct human action.
The Water Project: Libertarian Mutual Aid
A chance meeting at a homeless encampment … Coalition Radio Reporter & Libertarian Mutual Aid Founder Pat Ford was at a Press Conference, to discuss the upcoming forced eviction of dozens of unhoused Rhode Islanders, at a homeless encampment just off Charles Street, in Providence. In the blazing midsummer heat, a young man approached Pat for a “cold bottle of water” … By coincidence, Pat’s truck held 2 pallets of bottled water, originally destined for a “drop in center”. Realizing that despite the literal millions spent by Rhode Island Government to “combat” homelessness, including the appointment of a well paid “Housing Czar”, no one had thought to provide folks living out doors with the most basic of needs. Clean. Drinking. Water. That day, 40 Packs of clean, life supporting water were delivered to each tent.
And, the Water Project was formed. Clean drinking water is now delivered across Rhode Island. Homeless Encampments. Food Pantries. Meal Kitchens. Street Corners. Your generosity will help with delivery costs, and additional foodstuffs as funds are available.
How important is water? Why is clean water important to the community?
Why clean drinking water is essential for your body:
- Water transports nutrients and waste products. Your body relies heavily on water to transport all the different substances you need to survive. …
- Water regulates your body chemistry. …
- Water helps maintain a normal temperature. …
- Water is essential for your digestion.
Yet, access to clean drinking water remains an almost insurmountable objective for the homeless:
A report by the Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco “Water for All”, issued in 2021 based on a survey, focusing on unhoused and precariously housed San Franciscans, reached through direct street outreach in a geographic focus area of the Tenderloin and other locations, provided startling survey results taken
“Overwhelmingly, survey respondents reported
confronting barriers to accessing their basic water
needs. Of the 68% of respondents who shared that
everyday they face barriers and struggle to meet their
basic water needs, the underlying issue ultimately is
homelessness. San Francisco fails to guarantee housing
for the over 8,000 unhoused and many of the over
30,000 living in Single Room Occupancies (SROs) lack
robust and consistent water access, sanitation, and
hygiene”.
The Mission of Libertarian Mutual Aid has broadened since then. LMA raised thousands for Hurricane Victims in Tennessee, North Carolina & Florida. Participated as a Food Donor at the hugely successful Da Vinci Center Warming Center/Shelter … Donated Water to facilities in 6 States … Donated Bulk Food to Food Pantries across Rhode Island. And just week, helped organize/sponsor The Central Falls Restaurant Night.
Water4All-Report_web_download_2021-10-02
