Neighbours helping neighbours

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/05/2021 (1806 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even though we can’t get together with our neighbours, one local group has found a way to continue to reach out and help one another.

The Mutual Aid Society (MAS) is an online Facebook group that connects neighbours with neighbours.

“Our aim is to provide community members tools and resources so they can self-organize their local communities by filling the needs and gaps that their family and neighbors may have to face,” said Oumer Kinnarath, a volunteer organizer with MAS.

The group page is filled with people who are either in need of something, those offering to help or others who have something of value to give away.

Everything from a single-parent family asking if anyone can help them bake a cake for an upcoming child’s birthday to a woman in an abuse shelter in need of clothing.

“It’s a platform where folks can ask for what they need, offer what they have,” Kinnarath said.

While there are lots of amazing stories of neighbours helping each other, there are a few that stick out.

“The best ones are when a youth that has aged out of care gets their entire first apartment furnished by the community, or when an expectant mother gets all her baby needs filled days before she is about to give birth,” Kinnarath said.

“Almost every day we hear one of these stories or we can look through posts on the site and see the absolute joy that MAS and the community that it serves brings to folks who had nowhere to turn, but when they come and participate in MAS they are welcomed, appreciated, loved and helped.”

To get involved or for more information, you can join the MAS Winnipeg Facebook group, or visit maswg.ca

Carolyne Braid is a community correspondent for Crescentwood. You can reach her at carolyne.braid@gmail.com