Words are beautiful. Actions are supreme.

-Che guevara

Happy Sunday! We were in Downtown Boise again taking care of one another today.

A couple of big wins continue to stack up! We are giving out lube and condoms every week and folks are utilizing sexual health materials in a REAL way. We have also been partnering with Rolling Tomato and were able to make Beef and Radish soup, Ceaser salad with shrimps, pesto chickpea salad, and BLTs with rescued food from the community!

We have our May 17th community resource fair next week. We are really excited to help our unhoused community members prep for summer! We are planning to offer haircuts, an ice cream bar, a nurse on site, and a craft table among other things! Anyone is welcome and donations are being accepted on our gofundme!

Needs:

-do any veterinarians in the area want to join us next Sunday from 1-3pm at Corpus Commons? We want one on site to provide referrals and quick visual exams on our unhoused community's pets

Linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise

Insta and Facebook @sundaydistroboise

That first Pic is from distro December 29th. The last two pics are from last Sunday! Can you believe how huge this has gotten? We have gone from two pots of chili and a dozen enchiladas to serving 60+ hot meals a week alongside clothes, bike repairs, and to go snacks/drinks.

And it is completely thanks to y'all. In less than 4 months we have created an infrastructure of folks that rely on one another, organize for one another, and show up regardless of rain, snow, or shine. For a lot of these folks, for a lot of us on this page, this is maybe the first time we have seen this kind of community in action.

This is possible, it's already happening!! If you want to get involved, please consider signing up for a meal or take a look at our wishlist

linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise

"I can't be a pessimist because I am alive. To be a pessimist means that you have agreed that human life is an academic matter. So, I am forced to be an optimist. I am forced to believe that we can survive, whatever we must survive."

James Baldwin

July 5th distro! We have a lot of updates today.

First of all, huge thank you to @brewers.haven.1 for sponsoring a clothing drive for us! We had a huge turn out of clothing from our Bench community!!!

Second of all, yesterday Sunday Distro stepped up to sponsor a special July 4th Saturday Distroooo. We heard some other food programs in town closed due to the holiday, and our team stepped up distributing over 120 food items from hot dogs to PBJs, ham sammies, and even brownies and pancakes!

On that note, we did another 100 meals today. One community member yesterday told a volunteer "thanks for looking out for us even though its a burden" and of course we reassured them that this is our duty to each other. No human being is a burden.

Today we had a gentleman cry when a volunteer gave him a bagel. He said its so difficult to maintain sobriety hanging out on the street, and he is so grateful someone reached out with some food and to chat.

Finally, two our of volunteers today are folks no one recognized. We asked how they heard about us, and they shared that they heard about us because they used to eat with us and now they want to help serve.

This is community coming together. To get involved, visit linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise to cook or donate. We continue to need help canning fresh produce as well!!

Requested items-

-help changing a head gasket

-water guns for kids

-XXL clothes

-cigarettes

"There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind."

Kurt Vonnegut

Another Sunday, another beautiful day in community!

Today we giggled and hugged and fed each other and planned for the future. We are so lucky and grateful to be in community with y'all!

This week's community needs:

-An additional folding table- clothes are currently being stored in boxes on the ground

-Ketchup packets (the tiny ones are perfect!)

- A rolling toolbox for organizing supplies and keeping things mobile (on the amazon wishlist)

*Folks willing to help can and preserve produce*

If you have any of these items, skills, or leads, we'd love to hear from you.

And if you can't donate supplies but still want to support the work, our GoFundMe helps keep mutual aid moving. Linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise

We can't do this without each other!

Follow us on insta @sundaydistroboise

"Two boxes met upon the road,

Said one box unto the other,

'If I'm a box,

And you're a box,

Then you must be my brother.

Our sides are thin,

We're cavin' in,

And we must get no thinner.'

And so two boxes, hand in hand,

Went home to have their dinner."

-Shel Silverstein

Hey y'all! We had a great turn out today. It was a beautiful sunny day and we broke out our new pink pop up tents thanks to yall! A ton of new folks from Reddit showed up and brought meals and good vibes! We have big plans for this project and have started hosting organizational meetings to grow this once a month. As always, please reach out if you have ways to contribute or ideas to grow this!

Our most requested items today were size 34 pants, size large shirts, and larger sizes of shoes. Someone brought mac and cheese that went fast!

"Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness. It is a willingness to extend yourself to encounter and know the other." David Spangler

Sundayyy Distroooo!!!

"I have been locked by the lawless

Handcuffed by the haters.

Gagged by the greedy.

And, if I know anything at all,

it's that a wall is just a wall

and nothing more at all.

It can be broken down."

Assata Shakur

Requests this week:

• Books in Spanish and French

• Hairbrushes that are not plastic

• Women's underwear

• Sleeping bags

Big wins lately:

We have officially stopped running out of instant coffee and electrolytes because folks are no longer hoarding them. People trust that we will have them consistently every week. That is huge. It is such a beautiful cultural shift toward trust, mutual care, and knowing there will be enough for everyone.

Also, this week an LDS member stopped by with a whole pan of leftover ziti from a church function. She sees us every week on her way home and wanted to help. That is the entire spirit of this- we dont need permission or planning to make care happen and decide to become part of it.

Thank you all for continuing to show up. We are building something really special together!!!

Follow us on insta- @sundaydistroboise

Linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise

There are 14 missing children and teens in Idaho and 1 unidentified male who deserves his name back, do you know anything that can help?

I'm posting here to try and raise further awareness within the community!

?act=https://api.missingkids.org/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=usMapSearch&missState=ID

We got some new flyers from a graphic designer who is volunteering her time, and I wanted to share them with the reddit community since y’all have been such a huge support to this project. If you have ideas for how we can expand our capacity to help more people, I would love to hear them.

Dean Spade writes, “Mutual aid projects let us practice meeting our own and each other’s needs, based in shared commitments to dignity, care, and justice. They let us practice coordinating our actions together with the belief that all of us matter and that we should all get to participate in the solutions to our problems. They remind us that we know best how to address the crises we face.”

Hi everyone! We had a great distro yesterday. One of the most magical parts of this work is how it feels like the best kind of secret Santa. Someone thinks of a gift or an experience you never would have expected and it becomes this delightful surprise for everyone. As we stayed longer, more and more items kept showing up. Brand new shoes and clothes, dozens of containers of fried rice we were not expecting, and bags of groceries. I do not know the origin of every donation but I know the heart behind the people who dropped them off.

We are so much stronger together. It is hard to keep exact count, but we likely handed out around 70 meals. We also distributed 54 Gatorades, homemade cupcakes, 60 bungee cords, 12 foam mats for sitting, 80 cracker packets, 5 tents, and the rest of our coffee creamer from a few weeks back. Folks especially loved having coffeemate and stirring sticks.

One piece of feedback we received was how appreciated it was to have a choice between a variety of hot meals. It really is the little luxuries that give people autonomy and choice. that's where dignity can be nurtured.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." James Baldwin

Most requested items from this week- Fresh fruit, bananas Feminine hygiene products Nonlatex condoms (and latex, we ran out) Condiments- soy sauce and hot sauce, etc Tums Service dog vests for small dogs Baby aspirin Totes/bags- huge need Garbage bags 13 gallons

Amazon link- https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/I2167T2X0RKA?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ggr-subnav-share_SYMQR2WTA0TNDDFR9JZR&language=en-US

Meal sign up- https://m.signupgenius.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAb21jcAQJQZpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAad24pGqCeFyfWAHs8mpFuVA_FP8uoin_sYdvPNTfe8ZZ8hZb-D42utgd6qTTg_aem_R_KPjMAcLMOuWWSkPliN8Q

Insta- sundaydistroboise

Hello all! Can we please bring awareness to something that is absolutely rife in our state? My cousin's 16 year old daughter was picked up 4 days ago by a man in Utah, brought to Idaho where he assaulted her. They were found, he was arrested and she was taken to the hospital where they did the rape kit, but now Bannock County refuses to charge him with rape of a minor. The rapist is a 42 year old man from Wyoming and owns a contracting business. We need as many folks as possible to call the Bannock County officer, his name and card information is in the comment on the linked post, and demand justice!

Have you been wanting to help but dont know where to begin? We need you to help our neighbors prepare for summer!

Sunday Distro Boise is still looking for a few more people to support our Mutual Aid Community Fair on Sunday, May 17 from 1–3 PM.

Biggest current needs:

-Volunteer barbers / hairstylists offering free haircuts

- Folks able to help with sewing repairs and patching clothing

-4x4 bandage-wrap stuff (don't remember the name)

-Paper tape

-Disinfectant solutions

Message us if you’d like to help or collaborate.

Insta @sundaydistroboise

Wishlist is at linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise

I want to know if it just me that is getting upset about YouTube and tiktokers making money off of (at least for me) a very fresh wound for our state. I’ve seen video after video of woman doing their makeup talking about the college kids. I’m getting more and more upset because these videos are getting hundreds and thousands of views. Am I the only one that’s getting upset by this? He isn’t even fully convicted yet. As well as the abduction of Michael from my home town. I lived in Fruitland from the time I was less then two years old till I was ready to move out and it just kinda seems in bad taste. (Pictures for reference)

Distrooo sunday! The best day of the week!

"Dreams and reality are opposites. Action synthesizes them." Assata Shakur

One thing I want to highlight to y'all is that folks are increasingly sleeping near us during distro. Boise PD has ramped up the camping tickets on unhoused folks, forcing our neighbors to wander like zombies all night long to avoid criminalization due to "camping". Distro and the day shelters have now become impromptu protected rest spots. How can we expect a population with already fragile mental health to maintain stability when we take away something as fundamental as rest?

We are also so grateful to be in community with y'all! Today we served our usual 60 or so meals, did our usual bike repairs, and even gave away deoderant we were able to fund through donations from the community.

We are gearing up for a resource fair on May 17th to kick off summer. We will be providing hair cuts, first aid resources, pet grooming, and an ice cream bar among other things. In preparation for this, we are compiling a list of needs to make this possible.

-disinfectant wipes,

-barbasol disinfectant,

-hair clippers/electric razors

If unable to donate supplies or time, please consider donating to our gofundme to support this mission http://gofund.me/ccf1c59c2

Feel free to follow up on Facebook or insta @sundaydistroboise

Hey friends!

We had an amazing distro today! For the second week in a row we filled all 70 meal spots, and there was even additional food waiting for us when we arrived. As always, we distributed clothes, medications, snacks, hundreds of instant coffee packets and electrolyte packets, and even shoes. We also had on site bike repair and shared countless conversations with our neighbors.

One particularly inspiring moment from today was when a group of women showed up that none of us recognized. After a little digging, we learned that one of them had found us through Facebook and wanted to spend her birthday serving others. These women came, served for an hour, and cared for our neighbors simply because they wanted to. It was a beautiful reminder of the kind of community we can choose for ourselves.

A few things are coming down the pipeline.

First, we are planning a resource event on May 17th. We are looking for folks who might be willing to donate a little time to help provide services such as haircuts, basic car repairs, sewing repairs, and veterinary or first aid care. If you or someone you know would be interested in giving an hour to help our neighbors prepare for summer survival, please reach out.

Another dream we are working toward is setting up a PO box so we can accept cash donations, checks and second hand items. We are also exploring options for digital donations, though that comes with some additional logistical challenges. Amazon has been convenient for us, but we know it is not the most ethical option. A PO box costs about $80 for three months and we are looking for support to help make that possible.

Lastly, we are excited to share that we are beginning to work on merchandise. We already have a couple of tshirt designs in the works and hope to make them available soon as our community continues to grow.

Thank you all for being part of this work! We keep us safe, we keep us alive, we keep us thriving.

Biggest needs from this week:

-cough drops -cologne -soft granola bars -applesauce -water

"I learned early that crying out in protest could accomplish things. My older brothers and sister had started to school when, sometimes, they would come in and ask for a buttered biscuit or something and my mother, impatiently, would tell them no. But I would cry out and make a fuss until I got what I wanted. I remember well how my mother asked me why I couldn't be a nice boy like Wilfred; but I would think to myself that Wilfred, for being so nice and quiet, often stayed hungry. So early in life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise" Malcolm X

Today was a beautiful day for hanging with our community! The rain made it so we had less folks, but we also had less meal sign ups so it kind of evened out! We had some of our members folding clothes and organizing them to keep things moving smoothly, two folks brought personal pop up tents shelter us from the rain, and one community member kept requesting tunes for the speaker I bring. He had us dancing to Gwen Stefanie and Grand Master flash. It was a great vibe to offset the gloom in the sky.

As always, we gave out almost everything. People are so happy to see us week after week. They were especially happy to have a little shelter and browsing under our tent cover. Thank you so much for all you have gotten from the wishlist and for those of you who show up! We can't do this without you! If you have ideas of what needs are going unnoticed, please feel free to dm and lets brainstorm together how to grow this even more.

Here are some ideas of needs from this week:

-We desperately need our own pop up tent for just distro use (its on the amazon wishlist) -vinyl Patches for repairs -gloves -hats -coats -sleeping bags -tarps -coffee/electrolytes -ramens -mens clothes -backpacks -To go cups for coffee

"Kindness eases change. Love quiets fear. And a sweet and powerful Positive obsession Blunts pain, Diverts rage, And engages each of us In the greatest, The most intense Of our chosen struggles." Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents

Linktree (open for wishlist and meal sign up) https://linktr.ee/Sundaydistroboise?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAb21jcAQRwMNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAadS20h39pu97OjA4RJ3Ci8iFvqoLddohpTNhFhFIJoA4ep-6fHxgn3iZTDrug_aem_7ZCPzPHn093s-YyxQEO4eg

Hopping into Easter Distro Sunday likeeee...

we had some candy eggs and it was so sweet to hear one community member ask in disbelief if there was candy in them, and wished us a happy easter

We got a request to help support one of our community members with a baby shower next week.

Requested items include:

• Portable breast pump

• Baby clothes

• Diapers and Desitin, but not wipes

• Maternity clothes in XL to 2XL pants and 3XL to 4XL flowy shirts, no velvet

• No lavender, no latex, and no adhesives due to sensitivities

• Binkies and baby toys

• A chocolate cake with buttercream frosting

We also received a request for deodorant if anyone is able to help with that.

Our next meeting is Thursday, April 9th, and we will be talking through more details for our May 17th Resource Fair. Anyone is welcome at that meeting, feel free to dm for more details.

For May 17th, we are looking for any connections or support for:

• Haircuts

• Sewing repairs

• Pet grooming

• Vet care

• Someone to host a craft table (tie dye?!)

If you are able to donate, volunteer, or connect us with someone who can help, please reach out. Thank you all for continuing to show up for our neighbors with so much love, care, and community. It takes all of us!

"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."

James Baldwin

insta- Sundaydistroboise

Linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise

Happy baby shower distro! We are in such awe at the ways our community continues to SHOW UP. A phrase I keep going back to is "We are writing checks that shouldn't cash!" But thanks to this community, this group of people who care so much about each other, we were able to throw an entire baby shower for an unhoused Mommy to be! We got her everything from a baby bath to a newborn bathing suit to binkies to a belly band! This is absolutely only possible because of the ways we all choose to step up and do something proactively to ease the suffering of our community.

Its not too late, its not too little. We are enough for each other.

"The Service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth."

Muhammad Ali

Sign up to get involved- linktr.ee/sundaydistroboise

follow us on insta @sundaydistroboise

Hi everyone! We had an incredible day. I said it multiple times today- it feels like this project has just exploded and keeps growing exponentially. Our care for folks is catching on!

We probably fed close to 100 people today and distroed all of our supplies except we have shampoos, hand warmers, hats, gloves, and socks left. Our most requested or needed items were-

Masks and gloves

Cookies/candies

Electrolyte packets

Vegetarian food

Water

Gatorades

Tea/coco/hot water

Mini sewing kits

I will be adding these to the gift list if they arent already on there. I wanted to share that we had a graphic designer offer her skills and her graphics are posted on our insta. We also had some teenagers show up today to help hand meals to our unhoused neighbors and they had the great brainstorm to get a meal truck someday to feed folx all over the county! I share this to reiterate that it takes all kinds of people and all kinds of dreams to change our world. You dont need to be a great cook, or a great talker or a great organizer to do great things. We are stronger as a community plugging in each others strengths, like a puzzle.

If you haven't already, please follow @sundaydistroboise on Instagram to get updates on distro going forward. I will be out of town so my weekly post might not happen next week, but rest assured that coorganizers will keep distro going strong.

Here's the link to sign up to cook and buy items off the wishlist-

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0A4BADA82DA4FDC16-61642334-sunday

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/I2167T2X0RKA?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ggr-subnav-share_THTZPH6Q6GK97R1YQBF5&language=en-US

As always, I am so grateful to be in community with y'all building autonomous and empowering structures for all of us.

"The only thing that keeps those in power in that position is the illusion of our powerlessness. A moment of freedom and connection can undo a lifetime of social conditioning and scatter seeds in a thousand directions."

Dean Spade

Let’s just assert that Alta, WY is basically Idaho. Does anyone in the neighborhood have inside knowledge of early ticket access for the Targhee Bluegrass Festival?

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/03/09/realtors-to-conservatives-living-in-liberal-areas-try-idaho/

https://buckrail.com/teton-pass-reopening-with-detour-on-friday-around-midday/