‘Mutual Aid Gig Harbor’ looks to support fellow community members in need
As the COVID-19 pandemic still has the world in its clutches and continues to upend so many people’s lives, a new group has formed to assist those in need.
Known as Mutual Aid Gig Harbor, the group is part of a groundswell of mutual aid groups that have popped up during the pandemic. Their purpose is to connect with and meet people’s direct needs on a community level rather than through a charity. Similar groups have already popped up in Tacoma and have been working with local businesses like Alma Mater to distribute resources to people.
There hadn’t been one yet in Gig Harbor.
Hannah Lerman, 19, is a Peninsula high school graduate, a substitute teacher at Purdy elementary during a break from online college, and organizer of the Gig Harbor iteration of the movement. Lerman said the group got assistance getting off the ground from the Tacoma Mutual Aid Collective and is excited to begin helping those whose struggles may otherwise be forgotten.
“We felt like in Gig Harbor there isn’t a lot of discussion about the unhoused community and how there isn’t a lot of resources for people who are low income, especially out on the Key Peninsula,” Lerman said. “It’s overlooked in Gig Harbor a lot. People don’t associate the KP with Gig Harbor even though it is part of the zip code. It was just a big push to make sure people understand, this is an issue we have going on here and we need to address it. We can’t just brush it under the rug.”
For Lerman, the philosophy is to move beyond the concept of simply giving charity and more about forming a common bond with people.
“We act on the basis of solidarity, not charity. This means that we are working all together as a collective rather than being a charity,” Lerman said. “We aren’t taking money for ourselves, this is going right back into the community.”
Lerman said the group has tapped into existing organizations for information on homeless encampments. They even are even getting excess food that is donated to the teen shelter on the Key Peninsula to distribute before it goes bad.
Jan Coen runs the Gig Harbor-Peninsula Fish Food Bank and said a group doing an event on the evening can reach more people that her organization might not able to.
“I think it is a good idea that we all work together to relieve some of the problems that are in the community,” Coen said. “We have set hours during the week, but sometimes people are working or not able to get to our building during that time. Having someplace else, a resource that they can plug into on other days, that’s wonderful.”
The group’s first “Distribution Day” event on Saturday gave out resources to people in the parking lot of the Lake Katherine Market. The group has primarily promoted the event through social media and a flyer. They have also been working to collect warm clothing, underwear, pantry food items, and toiletries for people to take what they need with no questions asked.
“We felt now would be a good time to get things established,” Lerman said. “I’m really hoping that we can build more momentum in our community. Right now, we don’t have as many members as I would like but I’m really hopeful this won’t be the only event. We really want to be able to continue doing distribution events.”
The groups is accepting donations through a CashApp they created though they are always looking for more donations in the form of women’s or kid’s stuff as that is often the items they see a continued need for.
Lerman said the group has seven or eight dedicated members, though anyone who is interested in helping can email mutualaidgigharbor@gmail.com.
“Whenever people feel like joining, they can.”
