We at JACK have partnered with the mutual aid group We Keep Us Safe Abolitionist Network to transform our space into a hub for the distribution of food to our neighbors in need. Every week, 120 individuals and families in the area receive food assistance as part of this effort.

Our aim is to address the lack of support and resources provided to the economically-disadvantaged Black and Brown members of our community. This assistance is critical, as these populations disproportionately represent the front-line workers suffering most from the virus.

We Keep Us Safe (WKUS) is a BIPOC-led mutual aid group that grew out of the No New Jails NYC movement. Dozens of volunteers are involved in the effort, which began in mid-March when WKUS organized phone banks to identify and catalog the needs of Brooklyn’s public housing residents. Volunteers procured and began to distribute the needed food and supplies from a staging area in Brownsville. When that space closed at the end of March, JACK took over as the central site for collecting, sorting, arranging and delivering these emergency resources as care packages to families in need.

This initiative advances JACK’s mission to fuel experiments in art and activism. Specifically, it builds upon our work providing a space for dialogue and action around racial justice, including our Forward Ferguson programming in 2015 and our ongoing Reparations365 series (launched in 2017) that has featured over forty performances and community conversations around distributive justice for Black Americans.
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​If you know of anyone in the Clinton Hill-Fort Greene area that could use food help, please let us know by e-mailing us at info@jackny.org.