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Next week will mark the one-year anniversary of COVID in the DC region. In that time more than 41,000 of our neighbors have gotten sick with COVID. Many of us live with the economic fall-out of the pandemic every day. And together we grieve more than 1,000 members of the DC community who passed away due to the virus this past year.

This milestone also means Ward 4 Mutual Aid is nearing our first anniversary. W4MA began shortly after COVID shut down the city last March. What began as a informal effort to get groceries to neighbors has since grown to become a syncopated system that includes hundreds of people each week.

At this milestone we’re taking an opportunity to reflect on our work and examine what’s working well and how we could grow. We want to hear from you as we do that. If you are willing, take a few minutes to answer our 1-year survey:

Share your perspective

As neighbors start getting vaccinated and we look ahead to changes in store, we want step back from our day-to-day and consider what’s working well and what could work better. Take the short survey to share what you think.

More information is below about what our community has been up to, ways to help, and resources you can use.

Stay well,

Ward 4 Mutual Aid

For more than 30 years Gethsemane Baptist Church (at 5119 4th St NW) has been giving out food to anyone who needs it. The program started when an ANC commissioner and church leaders came together to support the community. They created a small food pantry and have been distributing groceries once a month ever since. Valencia (on the left) has been part of the program since its start and Sarah (on the right) now puts some of Ward 4 Mutual Aid’s energy and resources into their work. We recognize and celebrate Gethsemane’s work this week — it makes all of our community stronger.

Unhoused support is meeting urgent needs

Since January we’ve been making supplies available to unhoused neighbors every Saturday afternoon. These supplies help neighbors stay warm, dry, and survive, and it’s a part of W4MA that’s growing fast.

We need your help to make it possible. We’re aiming to recruit 10 monthly donors to power this work in an ongoing way. Would you be able to be one of them?

Become a monthly supporter

ISO: A bookkeeping volunteer or two

Do you know your way around receipts and love tidy columns of accounting data? We want your help! We’re looking for a volunteer or two to join our bookkeeping and money management team. Email dcward4mutualaid@gmail.com if you’d be interested in taking on this role.

Interested in becoming a volunteer in a different way? Sign up to join our monthly onboarding session.

Resources

• “Capital One, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo have agreed to refund overdraft fees incurred by unemployment claimants whose benefits were delayed by a technical glitch.” Read more
• New groups are now eligible for COVID vaccines. See the new groups who are eligible. In addition, all teachers will become eligible next week.
• Need help getting a vaccine appointment on the DC Health website? The DC Vaccine Coalition is here to help. Email dcvaccinecoalition@gmail.com or call/text 240-516-6993.
• A calendar of where to get free groceries, all over DC.
• “Early the morning of March 3, 2021, Renee lost her Petworth home to fire. Fortunately, she was not injured, but her home and everything in it was destroyed and she has been indefinitely displaced. Please help contribute what you can to help Renee get back on her feet and recover from this terrible tragedy.” Donate.
• “Our Brightwood School Community has suffered a tremendous loss.  We are deeply saddened that Gisella Sorto, a fourth-grade student, at our Brightwood Educational Campus, DC has passed away.” Donate.
• Find more information on the Resources page of W4MA’s website.

Volunteer

Donate

Ward 4 Helpline:
Text or call (202) 681-3098. Se habla Español.

Groceries and supplies are available for anyone on Wednesdays from 5-7pm and Saturdays from 12-2pm at Brightwood Park United Methodist Church, 744 Jefferson St. NW. No appointment or signup needed.