Conversations with Feed the Block IE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Feed the Block IE. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Feed the Block IE (Inland Empire) was born in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the uprisings sparked by the murder of George Floyd and other Black people by the police. It was created because of the ongoing struggle and need of the Inland Empire community. Feed the Block (FTB) came together through the channels of community members who desired to radically transform their community and meet the needs of the people; a group of us got connected via Instagram and through trusted mutual connections and decided to plan a food drive. That food drive led us to do another, followed by another and from there, it took off!

We came to understand that the system was not going to take care of us and our people and that we must build our own alternative system that will be able to support, feed, clothe, house and humanize our community. We began to plant our feet in the city of Ontario (as most of us live/have lived there) and developed a strategic plan to launch us forward into creating our organization. Over the past two years, our organization has expanded in every way possible: from food drives to free medical clinics, mutual aid fund distributions, resource fairs, emergency housing support, adding new members and volunteers. As we begin to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary, FTB has plans to continue to expand across the IE and meet the needs of our whole community.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The past two years have been filled with so much excitement and hope but also many challenges. One of the biggest challenges has been securing consistent and reliable funding, as that is one of the main struggles most organizations that are looking to radically transform their community face. Most of our funding has come from the community itself or physical items have been donated and redistributed to whoever is in need. If anyone reading this would like to help fund our efforts in our community, our cashapp is $FeedTheBlockOnta and our venmo is @FeedTheBlockOnta.

Another challenge has been our members’ working capacity; none of us are paid for the work and it is a struggle to find the balance between meeting the hectic demands of our personal lives as well as the needs of the organization.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Feed the Block is a mutual aid collective that aims to meet the material needs of our community. Most of our work is centered around providing resources to whoever is in need. Oftentimes, this looks like resource distributions: food, hygiene, clothes, shoes, personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, transportation assistance (bus passes) and sometimes even funds by themselves.

We host large distribution events every month or so in which we pass out these resources and even bring other community groups that can provide assistance such as a free medical clinic, free phone program, harm reduction resources, and housing attorneys. These events attract a lot of our houseless neighbors and give them an opportunity to not only interact with one another but with us too, and we are able to hear their story and what resources they need us to support them with. Over the past two years, we have worked hard to build trusted relationships with them and make sure their voices are steering our organization forward.

FTB is special because we were created by the community, for the community: we do not do anything that is not in alignment with our marginalized community members and that contradicts our political beliefs. We have no special interests other than meeting the needs of our community.

What does success mean to you?
Feed the Block defines success as being a part of a community that practices radical love and collective solidarity. Our goal is to live in a world where the material needs of everyone are met so that we can move beyond surviving and into experiencing joy and thriving. We invite everyone to think about how they can join or start networks within their community that could make success, as we’ve defined, possible! Whether it’s distributing meals, hygiene kits, money or any other resources to local marginalized community members, these resources are what make a huge difference in shifting our communities to become more successful in love and community.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: feedtheblock_ie
• Twitter: @FeedTheBlockIE