Tweet
Help Distribute Goods to Occupations
as an “Occupy Liaison”
The Firedoglake Membership Program’s #OccupySupply fund just received our first shipment of cold weather supplies for occupations across the country. With a lot of hard work and determination, we were able to purchase 5000 pieces of clothing for extreme cold weather, made in the USA by union workers. Simply amazing.
Now we’re looking for leaders to help us get it all out there.
The Firedoglake membership program is a small, unified group of volunteers that’s worked hard to make the Occupy Supply fund the success it’s become. Many of our members have been acting as liaisons to build bridges with their local occupy encampments. They joined the membership program because they feel passionately about what we are doing and want to become more involved in our work.
We are looking for members who want to take an active role in the work of the Occupy Supply fund and become “Occupy Liaisons.” These members serve as a point of contact at occupations in their local area, visiting occupations and sending us feedback about what is truly needed there. Occupy Liaisons will deliver supplies as they become available, take time to listen to people at the occupations to really understand what their needs are, and tell their stories to the FDL community. If you want to help us distribute cold weather gear to occupations across the country, please consider the FDL membership program.
(And, by joining membership, you not only help sustain FDL’s future as an independent news source, but as an organizing and activism hub as well!)
Cold weather has already arrived in many areas, bringing snow and harsh conditions. So many Occupy protests need help to make it through the winter, and we need as many folks as possible to act as Occupy Liaisons between our union supply chain and the demonstrations. It’s a critical job that could help decide whether or not these historic protests survive the next few months.
We’ll be announcing trainings for any and all FDL Members interested in becoming Occupy Liaisons next week. Join us today and will make sure you get an invitation to our Occupy Liaison trainings.
If you can’t join us as a liaison, but would like to send some warm weather gear to occupiers, click here!
Firedoglake is eagerly working to build a humane, sustainable, equitable and democratic future. Help us achieve our goal by becoming a member today.
If you are already a member and would like to be a liaison, please send me an email at ryan@firedoglake.com.
The Occupy Supply project is a project of the FDL Membership Program. You can read about it in Jane’s post from yesterday and in the Huffington Post, Gothamist, or the Tech Herald.
20 Comments
Liaisons are a critical part of this operation – thanks for the post, Ryan. Rec’d.
This is awesome Ryan, thanks so much. The FDL members across the midwest have been absolutely invaluable, hosting Kevin on his tour and helping to buy supplies.
We don’t just want to throw stuff at people, we want to build organic long-term relationships and support systems with people who live in the community. It’s been just amazing to work with members on this and really see that support system growing.
Wow! This is fabulous, Brian.
There doesn’t seem to be a way to volunteer as a liaison if one is already a member.
Sure there is!
we’ll be getting in touch with members very shortly about volunteering / attending trainings – stay tuned!
One of our members Kristian just contacted me and wants to get involved with delivering supplies to Austin, TX. Its great to see people so excited, and as excited as I am about being able to do this.
Kudo to all the member volunteers. Great idea.
Kris has other Members very close by that will help out!
I jumped all over this. I actually emailed Suz after the webinar last week and volunteered. I’ve reached out to Occupy Austin via email but haven’t heard back. I’m thinking I should just head down there this weekend.
Exciting!
Recommended Ryan. I am doing this anyway so what ever you need me to do.
Go Kris!
Another HUGE thank you to everyone who’s made this possible–and to all the liaisons and liaisons-to-be. I’m so glad to know where to put my money where my convictions are. (And to be able to refute the long-running “ohhhh, all y’all don’t DO anything…just sit around and whine” canard.)
That said, I’m in the middle of that Moving My Money thing. As soon as that’s settled down I’ll be hitting the “donate” button again.
I want to make clear my gratitude for the hosts that helped me in all the cities I visited in the Midwest. I know the newsletter that went out said I did couch hopping, but that isn’t fair to the hosts. Every place I stayed there was a bed for me. I didn’t need a bed. I could have slept on a couch. But, every host offered me a bed.
The kindness shown to me was overwhelming and the hosts were in some ways as heartwarming as the occupations that were so glad to see Firedoglake stepping up to donate supplies.
Oops. Didn’t see it.
Looks like Kristian and family have Austin covered. Good on yas.
Mahalo, Kevin, Jane and the Lake…! No finer community around…!
I’ve two questions about the Occupy Supply… Is there a link where we can buy that apparel for our own use…? That quilted jacket would keep me nice and toasty when I’m working atop Mauna Kea this winter…! And, the second question is if any Rain Apparel is available…? When Occupy Hilo gets going in earnest, we’re gonna need some…! *g*
Excellent idea!
I write this to be transparent and open, will probably disappoint or anger some as well. I don’t support having tiered membership for this sort of thing.
Can only members donate to the supply fund? ;)
I can appreciate the book salons being a feature of membership but with our local occupies, having this particular threshold is offensive. OWS is 99% but membership here is a small fraction, seems positively ironic. So, as it stands, I do my part to contribute to FDL and my local Occupy but cannot liaison because I am not a paid member but apparently a freeloader. Maybe the local Occupies should start charging dues? That would certainly separate the haves from the have-nots. :)
I had similar experience with the D party, while I have been unemployed I contributed many hundreds of hours and the valued members were really the ones who wrote the checks. I gave time which was of significantly less value.
I’d urge you all to me just a lil more sensitive to your unemployed small “m” members of the “community”. I realize I am probably speaking as just a minority of a tiny fraction of people, maybe even just for myself, so be it. This sort of thing actually ensures I will not be transitioning to a paid ‘M’ember any time soon.
I’ve received my response by email. Not being a paid member, I’m a “visitor” to FDL. I only imagined the place having more meaning. I withdraw my objection.
Cheers for the people who donated and FDL for providing the framework.