St. Louis Tornado Relief Resources - The People’s Response
Here is a list of Black-led and mutual aid ways & places you can support right now, whether you are in St. Louis, or afar.
Sometimes I support by guiding thru grief, rage, confusion & reclaiming joy. 🧘🏻 Sometimes I pick up bricks, roofing, carry tree limbs & bags of debris. 🦺
It’s all the same for me with Somatics + Solidarity. 🤷🏻
It’s about what’s needed most in the moment. ❤️🔥
In about 72 hours response since an F3 tornado hit St. Louis’s most vulnerable communities, our Black communities that are north of the redline divide and forged through decades of systemic neglect, there is still no FEMA response and police were deployed to guard the grocery stores instead of serving & protecting displaced residents. Meanwhile our newly elected Mayor, Cara Spencer, who ran on a performative neoliberal ticket backed by hundreds of thousands in developer money is out doing photo ops in high heels telling us to not “self deploy,” while our ousted former Mayor, the first Black Mayor of STL Tishaura Jones, has her sleeves rolled up supporting folks on the streets, along with us. The People’s Response.
By the time I got my own power back on and my boots on the ground yesterday for my first day of clean up support in one of the most systemically underserved community, The People already had food stations, water deliveries, infant supplies, DJ stations, donut stations, a bounce house… and the effort was already well underway to get tarps out covering roofs that had been torn clear off, to try to salvage what we can before this next impending storm. Hundreds of homes and families supported that wouldn’t been left out in the rain if we had listened to our city government.
The government is not coming to save us, WE are coming to save us.
WE KEEP US SAFE means climate crisis response too.
WE KEEP US SAFE means we fold into Black-led organizations who have already been doing the work.
WE KEEP US SAFE means supporting to the best of our ability, from each of our own self determined ability, in a margins to center approach.
North St. Louis, BLACK St. Louis needs everyone’s support right now. Below is a list of EASY WAYS & PLACES you can support right now, whether you are in St. Louis, or afar. Mutual aid, supply drives, and volunteer opportunities. Plus this MEGA THREAD that is a living document and includes lots more ways to get out support (especially if you’re local).
I also highly recommend EVERYONE reading this Instagram post outlining how to support without being a dick, especially if your social location provides you more privilege than the folks you are supporting (bookmark it for when crisis hits your neighborhood). And I recommend reading this Instagram post from the St. Louis Anti-Imperialist Collective explaining why neoliberal disaster capitalism will never be the response we need going forward in late stage capitalism.
I want to say to folks out there… if you are new to this kind of support (ahem, leftist mutual aid and grassroots organizing), you are so very welcome here. NOW is always a great time to plug in, learn from others and support. One of the best things you can do to get started is to link up with a friend, show up to an existing organization in your neighborhood and ask “how can I support.”
Always in solidarity ❤️🔥
-Deanna-
MUTUAL AID & BLACK ORG DONATIONS:
UNHOUSED OUTREACH:
PayPal: Lifelineaidgroup@gmail.comCashapp: #LifelineAidGroup
Venmo: Lifelineaidgroup
Stomp the World Donation Link -they’re helping Flance Early Learning Center with donations for their diaper drive that will benefit STL families affected by the recent storms. Venmo or CashApp: @stomptheworld and use the word "diapers" when donating
SUPPLY DRIVE ITEMS:
Tents, Tarps, Boards, Lumber, Plywood, Umbrellas, Ponchos, Soap, Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, Dish Soap, Ice, Camping Gear, Water, Flashlights, Glow Sticks (preferred over candles), Nonperishable food, Boxes (Medium-XL), Gloves, Trash bags, First Aid Kits, Masks, Solar lights, Safety glasses, Bags, Power Banks, Formula, Diapers, Hygiene supplies, Clean clothes, Blankets, Laundry supplies, Dog food, Cat Food, Pet supplies
O’ Fallon Park YMCA, Rec Plex parking lot- 4343 W Florissant Ave, 63115, May 19th, 10am-3pm (more locations at the Mega Thread)
VOLUNTEER SIGN UPS:
For the Culture and Action STL Community Support Volunteer Sign Up
St. Louis Early Childhood Centers Volunteer Request Form
- Child Care Center Clean-up, volunteers needed- Meet at at 10am to pick up and/or drop off supplies and be assigned a location, Baden Christian Child Care Center Monday May 19th from 10am-1pm 8375 North Broadway,63147.