70+ volunteers. 4 hours. 5,800 kits.
We recently joined with organizations from across Oakland, and APEN, one of our closest partners, to assemble emergency kits for the community. This is a special guest post by Caitlyn He of APEN | Aug 21, 2024
70+ volunteers. 4 hours. 5,800 emergency starter kits packed with life-saving essentials like flashlights, first aid kits and masks. We did that!
Thank you to all of the volunteers, staff, members, and partner organizations who joined us in Chinatown in August to assemble 5,800 emergency kits for working-class families in Oakland.
At Lincoln Rec, a cornerstone of the Oakland Chinatown community, participants from eight community organizations shared their hopes and dreams for what a resilient Oakland could look like as we prepared to pack the kits. Participants dreamed up a future where our communities have the resources they need to thrive before, during, and after disasters strike. A future where indigenous leadership is honored; where working families can access housing, green space, clean water, medical care and transportation; where our youth are invested in, not punished.
Fourth-graders from Lincoln Elementary assembled kits side-by-side with elders from Chinatown and young adults from East Oakland, working together to keep our community safe. This is what community care looks like.
At APEN, we believe that resilient communities are organized communities. When wildfires, blackouts, and pandemics threaten our neighborhoods, we come together — sharing information and resources, picking up trash, delivering food, and walking with our elders so they don’t need to walk alone.
Time and time again, people like you have stood with our community in these moments. Thank you.
