Southwest Missouri Solidarity Network

Mutual Aid Fair is back at First UU 2434 E Battlefield on Sunday June 28 from 2-5 PM

But wait, what IS mutual aid?

Mutual aid is a community caring for itself. This is done by people sharing supplies, services, and skills to help everyone. The idea is to practice "solidarity, not charity", and create a space where we can support each other away from the constraints of nonprofit and governmental systems.

This can look like, but is not limited to:

- Sharing goods, clothes, and food
- Repairing clothes, electronics, vehicles, etc.
- Sharing a free service (haircuts, massages, eye exams)
-Teaching a skill for food security (gardening, bread making, foraging)
- Teaching a creative skill (crafting, screen printing, poem writing)
- Teaching a survival skill (knot tying, plant identification, first aid)

We welcome you to bring a skill or resource, or to bring your beautiful self to share in community!

Ozarks Pridefest is today! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Visit booth S9 to meet your comrades and learn more about the work we are doing to build community and solidarity in the Ozarks!

🌈

About 70 neighbors came out to Sunday’s Mutual Aid Fair.
Bikes were fixed!
Clothing was mended!
Food was eaten!
Most importantly, community was built.

It was great seeing organic conversations, games, moments of connection, and skill shares pop up around the room. We have so much strength when we build together.

A big thank you to National Avenue Christian Church for letting us quickly pivot to their location.

Please note the location of our Mutual Aid Fair on Sunday May 31 from 2-6 PM has changed. It will now be held in The Gallery of National Avenue Christian Church at 1515 S National Ave.

Since we have so many new followers, we’d like to talk a little bit about what to expect at Mutual Aid Fair.

What is mutual aid?

Mutual aid is an exchange of goods, services, and skills between neighbors. Instead of a top-down approach found in traditional nonprofits and charities, mutual aid focuses on a lateral approach where each community member can give and take freely without having to show proof of need.

We believe that decentralized community-based direct action is an essential step in our collective liberation from the capitalist hierarchy.

Southwest Missouri Solidarity Network has hosted a Mutual Aid Fair on the last Sunday of each month for the past year. We invite our neighbors to bring a dish to share, a skill to teach, household items to give, or to simply bring themselves.

Here’s what you can expect at this month’s Mutual Aid Fair:

🪢 Knot Tying Lessons
🛍️ No-Sew Bag Making (bring a t-shirt!)
🥖 Sourdough Making
📖 The People’s Library
🚨 Brake Light Clinic
🚲 Bike Tuneups
📲 Tech Troubleshooting
🪡 Clothes Mending
💊 Harm Reduction Education & Supplies
🐝 STUN Letter Writing Campaign
🍲 Community Meal
🎨 Open Craft Table
🆓 Goods Exchange

If you’d like to share a skill, please send us a message so we can make sure to have a place for you!