WEST SEATTLE MUTUAL AID PARTY🎉 UPDATES!
West Seattle Mutual Aid Party🎉, a partner of NW Hospitality, reserves their more detailed, regular updates for their volunteers and supporters. However, here are snippets from their weekly updates from the last few weeks.
Interested in volunteering with WSMAP? Contact WSMAP Here!
Interested in getting detailed regular updates about WSMAP and the vulnerable community in West Seattle that they serve? Consider becoming a WSMAP supporter!!
11/24/2023 - Our logistics team was once again more than up for the task of guiding our program through this seasonal shift and our supply depot is well-stocked with hand warmers, propane, fire extinguishers, and a sizeable amount of quality warm clothes. This careful planning combined our current ability to field strong teams at a handful of spots with consistency has empowered our friends and neighbors to know exactly where and when to find us, in turn pushing our weekly number of connections upward.
11/29/2023 - We had two really cool spontaneous interactions to share from this week: first, at Barton, someone came by to chat and learn what we were up to. After talking with us, they felt called to go purchase a big bag of oranges that a kid was selling down the block, and bring them back for us to distribute. These were hot items (figuratively) and much appreciated by everyone! Later, at our stop at Trenton, a woman stopped by to chat and returned with a dozen or so pre-packed hygiene/snack kits that she’d prepared in drawstring backpacks for us to hand out — again, a hugely appreciated gesture that was entirely unexpected. It’s a great feeling when people get what we’re doing, vibe with it, and want to help out.
12/5/2023 - We split into two teams, and luckily had six vehicles making it smooth sailing to fit all our supplies: food from West Seattle Food Bank, warm clothing collected from BeBop Waffle Shop/Flower Lab, hygiene supplies, harm reduction supplies, batteries, pet food from the Seattle Animal Shelter, hand warmers, warm soup from Lect’s, homemade sourdough bread, hot cocoa, coffee and water, and importantly - lots of propane (as well as fire extinguishers). The sun helps everyone in Seattle feel sunnier and today was no exception. Lots of smiles, offers to help one another, and taking the time to catch up with everyone. We were able to connect with 40 neighbors this week, with a few new faces which is always encouraging.
12/20/2023 - Unfortunately, we also want to report some disturbing harassment of friends in the neighborhood. Friends who live in a particular RV by College have been the victims of ongoing harassment by housed neighbors. They have received threatening letters, had their tires slashed, and had items stored outside their RV thrown into the street. They have also had dog shit thrown at their RV. The most recent letter included a photocopy of one resident's driver's license.
Our friends are understandably angry and upset. While they don't have any direct requests related to these issues, we want to support them, as well as all of our unhoused friends who are harassed for that reason alone: their housing status. It's a sobering reminder that we live among people (other neighbors!) who feel this is an acceptable way to treat fellow human beings.
12/28/2023 - We made an effort to jot down and bring some of the special requests that we've started getting from folks, things like specific types of food, gloves, and C batteries. We were able to meet up and provide supplies to 42 people this week and in addition to all the usual supplies, we had some sandwiches that were very popular! Since we've been doing freshly made food for a while now, it's always a joy to see people's faces light up when we offer them a drink and food. It definitely makes distro feel more special to share sustenance and gives people a reason to stick around and chit chat with us so that we can continue to develop relationships and trust.
1/4/2024 - What we do is not about "saving the world" or being the permanent solution to any one issue but rather about developing a rhythm within our own lives and neighborhoods that is more in-line with the kind of world that we want to see. With that goal remaining as one of our guiding principles, we greet West Seattle Mutual Aid Party's 2024 with hearts that are warmed by the fires in our bellies.
You can follow West Seattle Mutual Aid Party🎉 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MutualAidParty
And you can support them through NWH here or through their Patreon here.