We are The Gym, an organizing network and mutual aid hub based along the Myrtle-Broadway corridor of Bushwick, on the occupied Lenape land known as Brooklyn. Since June of 2020, organizers, volunteers and (most importantly) community members have held the storefront space at 1083 Broadway as a place to share material goods, resources, meals, conversations and so much more.  We are a non-hierarchical abolitionist collective and aim to stay that way. We are not a non-profit and have no plans to become one. By steering clear of the non-profit industrial complex (<a href="https://communitycentricfundraising.org/2020/08/10/nonprofit-industrial-complex-101-a-primer-on-how-it-upholds-inequity-and-flattens-resistance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">read more</a>), we are afforded the freedom to adapt our organizing to the ever-changing needs of a city in crisis. We can react quickly and appropriately to housing emergencies, we can collaborate in our response with grassroots groups in other boros. Unfortunately for us, that radical freedom comes at the quite literal cost of things like fiscal sponsorship and easy access to a permanent indoor space. Even non-profits themselves will deny you donations of socks and underwear if you don’t claim a 501c3 status.  So while we aren’t a non-profit, we do intend to grow. Here are some of the general ways we spend our money on a weekly basis. We will also provide monthly spending reports on our social media beginning mid-August.  HOUSING: anything and everything from last minute hotel rentals to helping neighbors to sign long term leases.  CASH ASSISTANCE: petty funds for urgent needs of community members including transportation, medical and utility bills. SITE OPERATIONS: the tables we gather at, the chairs we sit on, the paper we print on, the speakers we dance and rally to.  FOOD: covers operational cost of hot meal distribution, utensils, groceries for onsite cooking, beverages and ice.  DISTRO: keeps our weekend free store stocked with hygiene kits, diapers, socks, PPE, seasonal items such as raincoats and hand warmers.  OUTREACH: helps us facilitate free medical clinics and haircuts, teach ins, workshops, organizing meetings, art projects. New York City needs liberated spaces, spaces where people of all backgrounds encounter each other in unpredictable ways. Our approach to care work must be biodynamic: designed to foster the complexity between us, never reducing it. This happens best when many people are given open, ongoing access to resources and are encouraged to experiment.  Any and every contribution allows us to grow, to react more swiftly and intentionally to both individual and collective needs within our community.  For current donation needs, updates and calls for volunteers, follow our Instagram: @t_h_e_g_y_m

Kaitlyn Clarke

Anonymous

June Key

Jeffery Walsh

deval shah

Desiree Permenter

Aleksander Johnsen

Liz J

Ellen Maynard

Vesna Stoicovici

the gym - community fund

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