MAMAS reflects on an impactful 2024

On January 10, 2025, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

MAMAS 2024 Free Store event last November at East Somerville Community School.

By Jeffrey Shwom

From the “Newsletter: MAMAS 2024 Year End Review” email The Somerville Times obtained, Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) impact continued to help those in need in 2024 and plans to do so in 2025.

Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville is a mutual aid organization that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The largest program that MAMAS coordinates by far is Grocery Pairs, where volunteers deliver groceries and grocery gift cards, and may help with other small errands like prescription pickup. In 2024, MAMAS reimbursed its deliverers $89,993 and supported 60 families, according to its website. Supermarket Sweep, a recurring program where direct grocery aid (i.e., dollars) is delivered with no means-testing or judgment, saw $30,900 distributed into the community.

For those who do not know, a mutual aid organization is a community-based group that connects people in need with resources and services. It is usually informal and initially responds in times of crisis. Some of the offerings MAMAS coordinates include Groceries and Deliveries, Hotline Support, Money Distribution, Gardening Collective, and Emotional and Spiritual Support.

Other 2024 highlights: The MAMAS Garden Collective, which according to their website “helps connect people who can host gardening space with folks who can help tend.” Per the newsletter, they “had 3 coordinators, around 50 active gardeners, and about 15 garden sites.” The Hotline Team that runs a support hotline (English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese support available) with 15 hotliners and 5 active coordinators “responded to approximately 720 text conversations, 420 voicemails, and 200 emails.”

The Free Store, which collects and distributes washed clothing donations, held their most recent event at The East Somerville Community School in November 2024 and has an upcoming donation drop-off day on January 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Connexion (149 Broadway). $1,200 in no questions asked Cash Assistance was also handed out in 2024.

If you would like to donate your time, money, space for a garden, and more, visit https://mutualaidmamas.com/welcome.

 

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