East Brooklyn Mutual Aid Needs Help Funding Food Deliveries

The East Brooklyn Mutual Aid (EMBA) is hosting a fundraiser to keep their volunteer group organizing food distribution in Brownsville, Ocean Hills, East New York, and Cypress Hills for another month.

“We’re one of the worst food deserts in the city,” said Natasha Santos, who has been volunteering to coordinate communications for EMBA. “East Brooklyn Mutual Aid works to ensure that we help feed as many people in our community as possible and to do that we need money.”

The group of neighbors has been delivering food to 150 low-income families in East Brooklyn each week.  In order to keep their efforts afloat, EBMA needs around $15,000 a month, or $3,750 a week. Each month, EBMA receives donations through GoFundMe, CashApp, Venmo, and through a campaign with In Our Backyards, which helps groups to crowdfund their projects.

So far in February, they have only been able to raise $4,000, said Santos – hence the fundraiser.

EMBA organized in March of last year as the pandemic shutdowns closed the city, to help provide support for low-income East Brooklyn residents. From the very beginning, they partnered with Brooklyn Packers, a Brooklyn community-supported agricultural service, to buy, pack, and deliver groceries as efficiently as possible.

To donate to the fundraiser or directly to EBMA, visit their website. The fundraiser ends on the 28th, and all proceeds will directly be used to provide fresh produce and food access to help reduce food insecurity in East Brooklyn. If EBMA cannot raise enough money by the end of the month, they will be forced to cut back on the food distribution, said Santos.