Ajo Community Care for Covid-19 Impact
Donation protected
Seeking financial help to assist Ajo residents in need
The small, geographically isolated, and proximate borderlands communities of Ajo and Why, Arizona, are located on ancestral Hia C-ed O'odham and Tohono O'odham homelands. Our community faces unique challenges stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Given our unique history and lack of local governance (we’re unincorporated and 2 hours by car to the Tucson county seat), a group of residents has organized Ajo Community Care to provide support and assistance to neighbors in need at this time. We are neighbors helping neighbors.
Ajo Community Care is a mutual aid project serving a population of roughly 5,000 and comprised wholly of volunteers who are identifying and matching needs and offers within our community, drawing inspiration and solidarity from other mutual aid projects emerging around the country. To do this, we’re spreading the word with leaflets at the grocery store (in English and Spanish). We have a Facebook group (search “Ajo Community Care Network”) and email address. We’ve set up a Google Voice phone number to be used as a hotline for the community. Funds raised will be used to help defer the costs of providing services such as:
--Grocery and utility bill assistance
--Driving patients to appointments in Phoenix or Tucson
--Delivering groceries to homebound residents
--Other needs as they are identified
In short, we aim to provide a needed safety net, coordinating with existing public services. We are identifying people throughout the community who may be aware of needs that are not reported. We have online spreadsheets set up to track needs in the community, identify the people/means to meet individual needs, and close met needs to avoid duplication.
We are organized. We've stepped into volunteer roles and established a network banking account to redistribute the funds we collect in an ethical transparent way. When this pandemic is over and the needs related to it are met, all of any remaining funds will be donated to the established and ongoing Ajo Food Bank.
Thank you very much for any support you can provide. We are all one community.
Ajo Community Care
The small, geographically isolated, and proximate borderlands communities of Ajo and Why, Arizona, are located on ancestral Hia C-ed O'odham and Tohono O'odham homelands. Our community faces unique challenges stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Given our unique history and lack of local governance (we’re unincorporated and 2 hours by car to the Tucson county seat), a group of residents has organized Ajo Community Care to provide support and assistance to neighbors in need at this time. We are neighbors helping neighbors.
Ajo Community Care is a mutual aid project serving a population of roughly 5,000 and comprised wholly of volunteers who are identifying and matching needs and offers within our community, drawing inspiration and solidarity from other mutual aid projects emerging around the country. To do this, we’re spreading the word with leaflets at the grocery store (in English and Spanish). We have a Facebook group (search “Ajo Community Care Network”) and email address. We’ve set up a Google Voice phone number to be used as a hotline for the community. Funds raised will be used to help defer the costs of providing services such as:
--Grocery and utility bill assistance
--Driving patients to appointments in Phoenix or Tucson
--Delivering groceries to homebound residents
--Other needs as they are identified
In short, we aim to provide a needed safety net, coordinating with existing public services. We are identifying people throughout the community who may be aware of needs that are not reported. We have online spreadsheets set up to track needs in the community, identify the people/means to meet individual needs, and close met needs to avoid duplication.
We are organized. We've stepped into volunteer roles and established a network banking account to redistribute the funds we collect in an ethical transparent way. When this pandemic is over and the needs related to it are met, all of any remaining funds will be donated to the established and ongoing Ajo Food Bank.
Thank you very much for any support you can provide. We are all one community.
Ajo Community Care
Organizer
Michael Robertson
Organizer
Ajo, AZ