ANC6C Responds To Ward 6 Mutual Aid Group’s Plea for Help

ANC6C Responds To Ward 6 Mutual Aid Group’s Plea for Help

By Larry Janezich

Last night, ANC6C stepped up and authorized a $3,000.00 grant to provide health crisis related assistance to Ward 6’s most vulnerable residents.  The grant was in response to a request from The Ward Six Mutual Aid Group, and was made possible by city action which relaxed restrictions on how ANC’s can make grants from their annual funding allocation.  Since the group does not have 501C3 status, the donation will be received by their affiliated organization, Serve Your City, which does.  Maurice Cook, the founder of Serve Your City,  started and now also leads the Ward 6 Mutual Aid Group. 

Prana Nanda, a volunteer with the Mutual Aid Group, was on hand at the Commission’s virtual meeting to support the request from the all-volunteer organization.  He cited the ways in which it provides assistance and noted the group has the support of CHAMPS, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Momma’s Safe Haven, the TraRon Center, and Brotha’s Huddle.

Councilmember Charles Allen, who appeared later to update the ANC on the city’s COV-19 response, expressed his gratitude for the work of Ward 6 Mutual Aid Group had been doing.

According to another volunteer, Max Grossman, the Ward 6 Mutual Aid Group was formed in response to COVID-19 to help limit the impact of the public health pandemic on the city’s most vulnerable – the elderly, low-income families, families facing housing insecurity, and others.

Grossman says in the past 7 weeks, Ward Six Mutual Aid has:

1. Provided over $15,000 in groceries & supplies and 2,500 masks to those who need them in our community.
2. Bridged the digital divide by providing laptops (refurbished by volunteers), modems, and free tutoring to students in Ward 6.
3. Provided fliers throughout our ward that have information on how to avoid COVID-19, how and where to get tested, and how to find the needed medical support for those who test positive through our Black Public Health Campaign. These materials are free to download.

Grossman said, “We’ve delivered 52 laptops/tablets so far and are in need of many, many more.”

If residents can help by donating funds, items, or time, here’s the link:  https://www.serveyourcitydc.org/covid-19-emergency-response

If residents need to access resources, call the Mutual Aid Hotline at 202-683-9962.