The Grassroots Fund talked the Milagros Project of Rhode Island, an intergenerational group of organizers who are doing emergent, on-the-ground mutual aid work in solidarity with the community they live in and love. This conversation touches on everything from what drives them to organize to practical advice on how to avoid burn out to how to get involved in your own community. Tune in and enjoy this conversation with some truly amazing front-line community organizers.
You can learn more about the Milagros Project by visiting their website at www.themilagrosproject.org and you can check them out on Instagram @milagros_project and Facebook @themilagrosproject.
Below you will find a transcript of the above conversation with the Milagros Project of Rhode Island.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
So hi, everybody. Welcome to this conversation with the Grassroots Fund and the Milagros Project. Here at the Grassroots Fund, we see local resilience and community led community centered solutions everywhere. This is true even when the indicators of escalating climate change, economic instability, racial tensions and political turmoil can be really overwhelming here in our communities. But it's through our work with hundreds of on-the-ground community groups and organizers that we have seen countless examples of people activating their community agency, and coming together to lift each other up, build more resilient communities and fight injustice. No group moreso embodies this type of work than the Milagros Project of Rhode Island. The group of young organizers, it really embodies the ethos of the Grassroots Guiding Practices of Rooted Innovation, Shifting Power in Decision-making, Equity in Participation, and Centering a Just Transition in all of the work that they do in their community. And as they focus on meeting their community's needs, as defined by the people that are most impacted, they're working to upend entrenched systems that perpetuate the inequities that they are working to address. So I'm really excited tonight, to have a wonderful group of organizers from the Milagros Project on. We have Daishanay, Jaliyah, Jen, Eve, Harrison, Andrea, and Bonnie, who are all joining us this evening for a ranging conversation about why they organized, how they got to where they are, and all the great work that they're doing in Rhode Island. So to start us off, I'm going to turn to Barney and Barney, I would love if you could really just introduce us to the Milagros Project, tell us what they do, where you guys are located and what you're all doing in the community.
Bonnie Piekarski
So hi. So the Milagros Project really started in 2020 as a result of a few things, right, we had seen an increase teen violence and violence within our community. And then obviously, we went into a pandemic. And we started seeing just like some major discrepancies and inequities in our communities specifically around, at that point, it was food injustice, right and food apartheid that we saw in the Woonsocket community. So how it really began was just kind of getting food out to folks during the pandemic, right, because everything shuts down in the community, folks were losing their jobs immediately, and a lot of our community members were not able to access food and that included like our elderly our people with children, our unhoused population, just numerous people. And as we kind of move through 2020, right, we know what that looks like, we ended up in the summer of 2020, which really kind of changed the way that we were moving and kind of changed the direction that we weren't just focusing on food insecurity. So with all the police violence of 2020, we started working on that and really working heavily with our young people in organizing protests and informationals in the city of Woonsocket where we are located and we kind of really started becoming one of the leading quote unquote social justice organizations in the in the community itself. So we now have our own space located in Woonsocket where people can access it every Saturday for meals, for food, it's a really large mutual aid project. There's no questions asked, we do a lot around harm reduction now, narcan distribution, organizing around safe injection safe sites. Like today, there was an incident police files with young people. So we were called upon to help with the parents on that and to stand with them while they talked about what happened to their children. So we've really escalated and grown from what really started off as just feeding people to now really just being very socially active in the Woonsocket community. And beyond. Right? Sometimes we're in Providence area, we partner with a lot of other mutual aid organizations and we've actually formed like a network throughout New England of folks that do mutual aid so that if we have an excess of like winter coats, for instance, we can give it to our friends in Providence, or we can give it to our friends in Connecticut, wherever that may be. So that's pretty much the premise.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Yeah, thank you. That's a really wonderful explanation and very clear just how much need there was being addressed. Now, I want to turn to Eve, who is one of the founders of the Milagros Project. First off, could you just introduce yourself, who you are. And then we really understand that Rhode Island, as all places in New England, is pretty unique with its own set of challenges. And as you're working through navigating those dominant systems that are really supposed to be providing help, but often aren't, why did you all choose, through the Milagros Project, to really work outside the systems? Bonnie mentioned mutual aid, would you call it you're doing mutual aid? Or is it something different? And you know, what are those benefits and challenges that you're running into?
Eve Armstrong
Yeah, so my name is Eve. I'm the daughter of Bonnie, and also a co-founder of the Milagros Project. So I'm trying to recall your question, but I think that some of the unique challenges, but the uniqueness of the Milagros Project, and not relying on governmental aid, is something that I found throughout, I also background, I studied public health, too, and I have found that to really empower communities, it's honestly relying less on the government. Because if you rely on the government for everything, you're not going to get much accomplished, because there's always a cost to everything. And an alternative motive for most things. And that's just the reality of it. And I think when you have governmental projects, or what I find, like an issue with other nonprofits, is that they look at the community as like this helping situation that these people are, they have no power, they're just disenfranchised. And that's just not what that is not fact, it's just these, there are systems in place that have been created by the government. And that is why these people are left. Even though you can work as hard as you want, the bootstrap mentality, when you have systems in place that are there to ensure that poverty exist, it's really hard to get out of that. So it's not that the people have no, that they're incapable of, you know, striving for better. It's just that the systems in place are just so difficult to overcome. So with that, I think the Milagros Project is so wonderful, and I think a lot of nonprofits should learn from is if you really want equity, if you really want to help people it's going to take to challenge the government, it's going to take to challenge the systems. And it's also going to take that this collaborative approach with the community, you can't just go in and say, Oh, well, we're going to serve you, this is the way we're going to do it. Because these communities have their own culture, they have their own beliefs, they have their own lives. And we have to value that. And we have to work together because we need to create leaders within our communities so that they can lead themselves and not have us come in and say, "This is what we're going to do," which a lot of governments do. I think, too, is just the quality of the work that some nonprofits do. And sometimes the government does, where, even with food distribution, we've seen it. They'll give you the crappiest food, they'll say "oh, you know, poor people only eat this. Poor people only want chips or this fast food." And that's not the case. Again, these are structural systems. This is this weird ideology of povert, of poor people don't deserve quality goods, and that's inequity. And we have found that it's not only a racist approach, it's an inequitable approach. Poor people eat fruit, poor people eat vegetables, and it's shocking when you have these conversations with people. And it's like, "oh, I didn't even know that poor people ate peas and carrots," but it's like, it's just frustrating to have this conversation, but it's the reality of it. So I think with us, we always make sure that, you know, I wouldn't give someone a coat that I wouldn't wear myself. I wouldn't give someone a vegetable that's days old and rotting. And as far as what my mom had explained to you with, like no questions asked. It's just humanizing people, because these are people. They're our friends. They're our community. And again, this collaborative approach of these are people just like us, this is not a helping project. This is not a, you know, "oh, I'm here, just do a service learning project." And I think that's the ultimate way to reach equity and to reach a world of you know, seeing people in the same, allowing people to be on the same playing field because that's not what it is. Some people start higher, some people start lower. And it's not because of their choice, but it's because of the system and what they have been born into. I feel like I went on a tangent.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
That was great, you can really, you really get that sense of solidarity baked into the Milagros Project with the community first and foremost. And I see a ton of head nods across the screen from your fellow organizers. Is there anybody else that wanted to jump in and piggyback off of what Eve was saying, before we move on to the next question?
Jen DuBois
This is Jen. And I'll just quickly add that when it comes to what we do and the fact that it's a no questions asked approach is like, like Eve was saying, especially with these government programs that are set up, they, you know, will restrict you based on your age, based on the number of children in your house, your income, they asked, you know, all these questions prying into your personal life, in order to base if you're worthy of assistance or not. And we don't do that. So you know, and everybody struggles in their own different way. Whether it be, you know, one week, your bills are too high, and you're struggling putting food in the house, whether it just be you know, little things and you know, not being able to afford afford toiletries. So we don't pass judgment as to who needs help, or what type of help you need. The community store is there for everybody to come into, and to enjoy and to take what they need. Some people may need more than others. And that's fine. And so I think that that really is what's unique about us is that we don't ask questions. Like we say before you can walk in and rags or you can walk in in a three piece suit, we're not going to question you because everybody has a different need. And everybody's in a different place in their life. And that's okay.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Definitely, definitely getting rid of that means testing. Anybody else wanted to jump in?
Andrea Rascott
Sure. So just piggybacking both on Jen and Eve's statements, someone that's newer to this panel, and the group that I'm now with, I just love the piece of empowerment, that people and friends that come through the door have just even being there on Saturday. There were two individuals and one didn't have a jacket, he didn't have a sweatshirt, he didn't have a meal. But he had a case of masks he could share. So it just empowers people that even if they have a little it's a lot, and they're willing to share it. So I think that's a really big piece to take back that the community is willing to give back and be active.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Yeah, the best support and Eve did you want to follow up with?
Eve Armstrong
Yeah, and I guess like the other point, too, is that we deal with a lot of undocumented folks. And it's that fear of you know, being reported. So having the safe space of you can still get these resources, but not have that fear of being reported.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
So, yeah, go ahead, Harrison.
Harrison Tuttle
A lot of people who go through difficult times will seek out family and friends. And in many ways, due to the systems that have been built up for people that have been disenfranchised, there is not a lot of generational wealth, there is not a lot of equity, and folks reaching out to each other, that sense of community. And so because of redlining, because of segregation, we see a large portion of Woonsocket and a large portion of Rhode Island and across the country, be divided and folks that are lower income on one end of the city, and folks who are doing better on the other. And so the fact that the community can come together, the fact that people have no problem helping each other is a testament to the fact that we have people in our community and people throughout the state here in Rhode Island that want to help each other despite systems and other elected officials being in place that don't and I think it's really important for people to see that and know that they have a hand that they can they can reach out to at any moment.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Definitely thanks Harrison for that. And you know, I know one of the most important parts to you all for the Milagros Project is not really having a hierarchy within the group, right, not having defined roles, working on consent-based decision making, and I want to throw this question to Jaliyah, which again, I would love for you to introduce yourself first. But why is this important? And why does this help you achieve, really those ideals that your other organizers were just talking about? The work based in solidarity, the accepting folks for who they are and where they are no questions asked. So why and how does that that lack of hierarchy contribute to that sense of organizing as well?
Jaliyah Joseph
I'm Jaliyah. I'm on the board here at the Milagros Project. And I'm also a student here in Woonsocket, I'm a senior. And I think that the lack of hierarchy in the organization is really what allows us to all flourish in our own ways. We all have a different skill set. We all have lots of different roles that we're taking on, we all have different backgrounds. So to put that all together, and everyone be able to share their opinions and do what they do and work how they work best. And putting all their different skill sets into the organization really allows us to show up in multiple different ways as ourselves for the community.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Thanks, definitely. Did anybody else want to add on top of that? Or is there anything that's coming up for folks around the hierarchy?
Bonnie Piekarski
I just thought it was important to establish it like and I mean, obviously, with some, when you apply for some grants, folks want to see a certain hierarchy, which we always will, write in that we don't have it. But I think it was just really important so that specifically with the young people that came on that it wasn't like, "Okay, I'm in charge. And this is what you're going to do." Or anyone that wants to come in, right, because anyone that wants to volunteer or have a stake in like, the community will tell us "this is what we want," the young people will say, "this is what we should do." And I didn't want it to be a place that they didn't feel empowered to do so, right. So if, if, if only one person is in charge, and a bunch of people are saying this is what we should be doing, they might not feel as comfortable saying it to just one person or a CEO or a director or whatever that looks like. And I think that that's what makes us really unique, right is that we can all kind of sit together, we all might not always agree on certain situations. But we can sit together and and kind of figure it out and work through instances together instead of just one person saying it, and then everybody else having to do it. Like being myself a product of working in nonprofits for years, I witnessed that, and I know how dangerous that can be. Right. And I have seen that firsthand. And so I definitely, when we established this and when we met with the board and and the original folks that were working on the Milagros Project, we established out with them, too, so that there was really no one in charge, right? We moved as a collective front and we moved all together even if we argue or squabble inside, right? No one from the outside would ever know that.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Yeah, and I may, as you know, I'm going to throw this to Daishanay, why is this sense of really trying to build in this collective decision making really important, also in including the community in your organizing, and bringing in folks who are out in the community that are helping to make decisions on which way you're going to be running? What projects you're pursuing? What you're bringing into the store? Why is this ethos really important? And what can folks learn from how you all are approaching this work? Right? And what would you hope that people are taking away that are tuning in?
Daishanay Francis
Um, I would definitely say, when it comes to serving the community, you obviously have to have some type of unity with different organizations, sometimes, local governments, and so on. Definitely, I feel like others who are watching should definitely take note of the consideration of, you know, it does matter to have some times local support, it does make an effect, because as you've said that, like you don't necessarily need that. But it is sometimes beneficial, and it benefits the community as a whole serving the community. I also wanted to add in that even though we're nonprofit, and we don't ask much for my people, our people still tend to give things whether that's like grocery bags that we usually use, they'll say, "Hey, I found a grocery bags. Here's this." So I would say like obviously everything there is free. It's nothing that's coming out of their pocket, but it's definitely I would say, we would all agree like a shared store.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
I love it you have I love being able to see when you all are doing the right things, right like just how the community is able to participate and really get involved with it. And it clearly is such a tight knit community. And I'm sure you're running into a lot of different groups and organizations that are attempting to work on similar things. So I want to throw a question to Harrison, how do you how do you navigate that as the Milagros Project? And I know you have a couple of other associations as well, just as well as all these other organizers on the call, but how are you working together to address the many needs that are being present, but also working together to celebrate the successes that are happening?
Harrison Tuttle
Yeah, we know that a lot of these issues that the Milagros Project is helping with people, alongside other community organizations that are doing great work, including BLM. You know, I think, when we when we think about making sure that people have the needs and the basic necessities, it's going to take a multi-pronged approach. You know, nobody wants to be poor, nobody wants to be homeless. And the reality is, is that we can advocate and we can try to, you know, elect more different people that have more progressive values. But at the end of the day, those folks that are struggling because of the policies that are enacted right now, they are still struggling. And so what really moved me to the Milagros Project is to know that you can advocate electorally, but if you're not helping people who are really struggling in the moment, how can you expect them to go to the voting booth, and believe in a system that hasn't historically worked for them, right? And so that's the collaboration effort. If you want someone to be elected in your community, then you need to help the community first. You need to be present in the community. And we can tie that all the way back to the fact that these systems and electoral politics were never meant for lower income, black and brown people. And so, you know, when you have equity built up, when you have generational wealth that's built up, traditionally, the elected leaders that we see don't have to help the community, they don't have to worry about lower income folks, because they're not the people that they're trying to help. And so as we transition to helping people to putting a priority on people that need it the most. That's how working with collaborative organizations are going to be the way that we see the change that we need in Woonsocket and all throughout the state.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Definitely. Anybody want to add on to that, you know, Jen, why is it important to have those community partners really filling those gaps? You know, Milagros Project can't do everything, you all are really good at reaching the community needs that you've been able to identify. But you're also branching out further from Woonsocket into Providence and into other areas. Why is that a driving force behind the work? And what should other folks be tuning into when they're trying to accomplish similar things?
Jen DuBois
I think obviously, it's extremely important to collaborate with other organizations or other folks in the community. Because I mean, that's what mutual aid is, it's to work together. Which is why like, for instance, we are open on Saturdays because we like to fill the space to feed people. When during the week, we have another awesome organization in the city, New Beginnings. They help supply food to people Monday through Friday, we step in on a Saturday to do so. There's another awesome organization that feeds people on on a Sunday in the city, right? So we all try to have to take turns because like you said this work, it's never ending, it's exhausting. And if one group of people could fix everything, it would have been fixed a long time ago. So you definitely need to work with other groups. And you know, what, every group has a different approach. I think, not to say any approach is better than another, and different groups may target or maybe have a reputation or relationship with different certain people. So I feel like it's really important for everybody to work together so everybody's connections can kind of make sure everybody's reached because one group of people cannot just reach everybody So I think it's really important that we do that. And I mean, spreading out is difficult, but it's needed, right? So it just goes to show you that the need is just not immediately in Woonsocket, the need is everywhere, because the same issues that we're trying to help, are nationwide, it's this whole country. With the poverty, the issues in the black and brown communities. It's just been boiling over for a very long time now. And I'm just hoping that by spreading out, other organizations may take a look at kind of how we do things, or other people in general and say, you know what, this is actually a really good idea. And this seems to be a really good approach. It's getting a lot of positive feedback, it's really helping people. And maybe hopefully it will catch on.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
It's like that approach is common sense, right? We listen to our community, we put them in positions of power to make decisions, it's all logical that folks just don't seem to really want to jump into for whatever societal training that they seem to have been raised with. Andrea. Oh, go ahead, Bonnie. Did you want to add something?
Bonnie Piekarski
What we know to is that a lot of local organizations, specifically in Woonsocket, we're really kind of beaten down by the municipality, right? And we're very vocal, and we're very, we take a very quote, unquote, socialist approach to things right? And a lot of us do, especially around like the, the free food programs and things like that are really based in the teachings of Fred Hampton, the Black Panther Party movement. So a lot of what we do is based in that, and that idealism, around poverty, and what that looks like, and if people in poverty, no matter your race background, unified how powerful that is. And that was basic, that was our initial approach, and doing this type of work. And what we saw was that a lot of organizations wanted to help and wanted to do things, but were afraid because they might lose funding, or they might say the wrong thing. Or they, you know, we have a very tough local government that is well documented, and they were afraid of that, or backlash. And what has happened is that they will call and say, "Hey, I have X, Y, or Z," or "hey, can you check out on this encampment, I can give you a, b and c," they just don't want to be the people to do it. And that's okay. Right? But at least they know that what they want to be done is being done, and that they can call on us to do it. And that's fine, because we don't mind taking on that front. And we don't mind taking on that backlash per se, if we get it. And a lot, I think that we've gained a lot of respect for that. Because if you're gonna give us a bunch of tents to give to our folks, like, if someone's going to get mad at us, that's fine. We'll take the whatever it comes out to protect those other organizations, because we're small, right? And a lot of these organizations depend on state money and federal money and all of these things. So we'll take the stuff and we'll give it out. And that's that's fine with us, too.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Yeah, definitely. Anybody else want to add?
Harrison Tuttle
Harrison. I also want to say that we see that overlap, right, that intersectionality. But that intersectionality, as Bonnie mentioned, creates issue, it's how do you create impact? And historically impacts have been made through funding through statewide funding as you know, multiple people have said, I think the challenge is always for people to do things and in a way that the Milagros Project has, but it's very easy to say you're going to do something, you open it up and then not have community engagement. But the Milagros Project has done as they have put in the work beforehand, to where people were aware of people like Bonnie, like Daishanay, like Jen, to where there's that trust there. Right? And there's that trust in organizations that, as Bonnie mentioned, may not be able to say it, but understand the role that the Milagros Project plays every day for people. And so you need buy in and you need people to be able to know that they can come in and have a safe place for folks.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Building up that trust. Jaliyah, I saw you come off mute? Yep.
Jaliyah Joseph
Yeah, I think to add on to all of that, when we use the word community, there's a very large emphasis on the end of that which is unity and we're really rooted in people-based power. It's for everybody, regardless of ideology, background, who you are, where you're from, what your look like. It's all community, it's for everybody. Everybody has a place in this community. And if you're struggling, if you need help, like we're there, we don't care who you are, we don't care where you're from, we don't care about any of that, if you need help, you need help. And to do that everyone needs to be united to help. That's with community partners. That's with the community itself, that's with everybody, everybody needs to come together, because we can't do it alone, especially when our local government, that's another part where Eve said in the beginning, you can't depend on local government, because nine times out of 10, you're not going to get the result that you want. The community has to fight for the community and the community has to help the community because if not, nothing's gonna get done.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
I love seeing all the vigorous head nods, that are going on, as you all are talking. To switch gears just a little bit. Andrea, I would be curious, you know, it was brought up a little bit earlier that this work is hard, right? You're in there day in and day out. And it is up against systems, which are not designed to be easy to navigate. How are you all taking care of yourselves and each other? And what are those expectations within the Milagros Project to do so when it comes to showing up for the project and the work that you're doing with your community partners and others?
Andrea Rascott
Absolutely, Andrea here. So I think a big piece that's important to keep in mind is we keep saying community and unity. And this group of people that are all on this board, we have good days, we have bad days, we have families, we have full time jobs, we have trauma, we have tragedy, and we have successes, and we all go through it together. So if one person needs that pick up that day, someone is going to pick them up. Someone needs that day off, they're gonna get that day off. But we truly all just hear each other and listen to each other and communicate well. So I think that's important. We're all on the same playing field in that we all have an equal piece in this community. And we just choose to elevate our kindness and keep going forward with it really.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
And Eve Why is it so important to have that among the organizers within this project? Why does that lift you up? Why should people be striving for that if they're looking to set up a similar type of mutual aid organization or group within their area?
Eve Armstrong
It's interesting, you have this question because I had to go through a panel and I met with other organizers in Boston and I asked them that similar question of like, how do you stay still motivated and not let burnout get to you? And what they said I thought was really powerful. And I feel like is applicable to the Milagros Project, as well it's that you find your people, and you align yourself with them. So these people that have the same ideals so that you're not constantly. And I think even with, like the partnership factor of, I shouldn't have to explain racism to you, I shouldn't have to explain this industrialized complex to you like this, these are things that you should know, especially if you're doing work of part of community, a part of you know, nonprofit work, because at the end of the day, it's human rights, and I shouldn't have to explain human rights to a person. So having just that general understanding with each other, is just not being like gaslit of "oh, this is, you know, poor people deserve this." Having this general understanding is it's nice. And it is saddening when you do meet with other organizations, and you realize that they don't really understand what these systems are, and it shouldn't be that way. But it is. So it's nice that with our own organization, we all have that, that common ground and that common understanding. So it's we don't have to explain ourselves. And as well to with the burnout thing, I think another thing the panel had said was take your small wins. Because social work, social justice work is long work. I mean, we're trying to dismantle like years and years of years of systematic oppression of people. And that's not going to change overnight. And it may not even change in my lifetime. But taking these small wins of a person felt empowered today or person felt like "you know what, I have some type of autonomy in my life today." And for me, that's a great win. That's even though it's a small win, it's a great win, having a policy change, things like that. Those things may not come in one year, two years, 10 years. But to know that, you know, a community is feeling more empowered than the day prior is a small one that I think that fights my burnout for sure. Especially being in public health. Having to work with people especially when everything is so political. And it's about who has the money and who doesn't. And everything comes with a cost. I take my small wins, and I definitely think the Milagros Project does. And those small wins may be a new partnership, a new a collaborative approach with someone, it may just be a person, we see them come in every weekend for their food. And we know that they feel comfortable, and they feel happy that they have found a community. And that's a small win that inspires me, and I think inspires the rest of our board members.
Bonnie Piekarski
Yeah, I mean, honestly, to piggyback off that, I think in a lot of folks that are on the call that are there most Saturdays can say that it's actually the people that keep us inspired and going like, at this point, now, every Saturday, folks just come in and sit down and hang out with us and want to just be there and listen to music and have that sense of belonging to someplace. And a lot of those folks are housing insecure, or we'll have someone come in and say, "Hey, I've been sober for three months, thank you," or people in the community, we are located in a space that has been, for years known as like the bad street or the bad neighborhood, because of our high sex work population, the high substance use population, and we have other community, home owners and business owners coming like, "hey, ever since you guys have opened, I've been seeing less of this, I've been seeing less of that," our sex work population came and said, "Hey, we need better HIV testing." And Eve connected with a doctor at Brown to kind of navigate that and make sure that these folks are getting the services that they needed. And I think that it's those wins. And it's really the people that come in every week, like there'll be days and me and Jen and laugh because we're like, "we'd rather hang out with all of our folks today than our friends" because it's just like, they start to become your family. And then there's certain that we know they live outside. And we know that they're struggling with substance use, and we searched for them like if we don't see them. And now they laugh because they're like, "oh, here comes my stalker. Here comes my mom," because if we dont see you we don't know where you are. And we see you every Saturday, traditionally, then we're going to go search and find you. So now they know. So now they'll call even if they're in jail and be like "hey, I'm here." And just kind of seeing those folks in particular that really the community has really, for years, just not treated well. It's amazing. If you love on someone, it's amazing to see what that can do. Right? And we had a man come in last week who had got all of his clothes. And he's like, "look at it, I got my whole outfit here. And now when I go out in public, I feel good." Right? "I feel good." And it's just like, there's no better feeling than that. Right? There's no better feeling than just sharing what you have, making someone feel good making someone feel like someone cares about me, right. Everybody wants to feel cared about. And I think that in this case, folks know that we really do. It's not just a facade, it's not just "I'm going to pretend to care about you because I need this." No, I think that folks really know that. Like we're most of us come from poverty ourselves. So we know what that looks like. And you know how difficult that is to navigate. And, I mean, that's what keeps me going. I don't know about everybody else. But just that that sense of just partnership within our community, it's like, they've empowered me, you know, and they've empowered me to be better and me to move differently. That's a big piece of it.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
There's so much power in that, and I'm gonna let Daishanay jump in. And then Jaliyah and I love I just want to say I love seeing all the smiles as everyone is like, really vibing on the work that you do. It's really wonderful to see. Go ahead, Daishanay.
Daishanay Francis
Um, I just wanted to mention, obviously, from being raised in Woonsocket, obviously, being in a minority community, my mom was a single mom, and majority of the time I would end up being at my grandmother's house. My grandmother's house actually was on the street that we currently do our work in. I don't remember being outside by myself or being allowed to. I remember arguments outside all the time. I remember just other things going on in the street. The street was always active, something was always going on. But I did want to mention that like, it is very empowering to be at Milagros Project and to be doing the work that I do as young as I am. And think about how the young me necessarily didn't understand, like what was going on on that street and now that I do, and just working and do doing the stuff that we do is super empowering to the young me. And I just wanted to say I appreciate you guys.
Jen DuBois
Oh, we love you.
Jaliyah Joseph
I just wanted to say everything that Eve and Bonnie said literally times a million. That's the exact way I feel. Somebody asked on social media yesterday, as someone who was like only been organizing, I think it was like eight months, they were asking to the organizers in Rhode Island, how do you keep going? What keeps you going? What how do you not get burned out? And that was my exact response is our people and my team. Even today, after the press conference that Bonnie mentioned that we had at the park, I was walking to go get my little iced coffee. And one of the people that we serve every Saturday that comes in, she's always crazy and dancing. I saw her and she was just chilling in her walker, vibing to some music. And I was like, "Hey, girl," she goes, "Hey, niece. I love you." Yeah, another example was another one of our people. I think Daishanay remembers this, we were just driving, I think we were on our way to the space on Saturday. And we saw one of our people. He was in the hospital prior. And so he would call us and we talked to them. We know we know where our people, as Bonnie said, we know where are people at and how they're doing. And he had just got out of the hospital and the smile on his face. And I always I, I can't get like the glimmer, that you know that light in some ways. I feel like there's just that glimmer of hope in someone's eyes. And like, you can see that they are full of life and they're ready, they, you know, they're just they're alive, you can see there's hope there, they're ready for change. I saw that in his eyes that day. And that like that memory and just knowing that, and I see it in all of our people, it's just there, that that hope and that's like this is changing. We are seeing the change very gradually. But we're seeing the change. That is what keeps me going so times a million to a Bonnie and Eve said
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
The love and the excitement that is just like pouring out right now is, is really inspiring. I'm very glad to be able to kind of witness as you all rift off of each other. And, you know, as we're coming to the close of this conversation, I think there's gonna be a lot of people that want to experience this, right? Like, this is an outlet that they're looking for. They're looking for their people. So I'm going to ask you first Daishanay, how do you see? And I don't I don't want to say just older folks, but how do you see folks really plugging in and supporting work like this that has been done by groups across New England? What is the best way for people to show up that maybe don't have an idea, don't have a clue? They're grounded in a lot of those principles that Eve was talking about, they understand the injustices that are taking place, and they want to make an impact, but they just don't know where to start, what would you say to that?
Daishanay Francis
Um, honestly, I feel like each individual kind of has some type of thought or idea of what they're most passionate about. I mean, obviously, I feel like each one of us have our own type of thing of like, what we're passionate about whether that's like harm reduction, or homelessness. For me, it's kind of mental health and restorative practices. So we all have that type of like clicking unit, and having another unit coming in, whether that's something completely different from what we do. And they have the same principles as us. It's super important and empowering and beneficial for not only for the team, but for the community. So even if they have any type of ideas, feel free to reach out to us. And we're more than willing to meet with you.
Harrison Tuttle
Harrison here. Also, to add on to what Daishanay said, you know, I know when I started getting involved in organizing, I didn't really know how to how to get in contact with the people that agreed with me, right? A lot of the times I shared this frustration, but I was only using my frustration as an outlet to my friends, and not really doing anything. I think a lot of people feel frustrated right now because of what's going on in this country, what's going on in Rhode Island, and they don't know where to put that energy. And they don't want to feel uncomfortable, and they don't want to feel not wanted. And to tie in all the conversations that we've said here when it comes to hierarchy, not having a hierarchy, making sure that we're connecting with people and their needs. You know, I think people are drawn to community and people are drawn to, you know, food and music and basic necessities that the Milagros Project does. I think it's our role as community leaders to make sure that everyone has a welcoming space to where you know if you reach out to Bonnie or you reach out to Jaliyah in school or Daishanay that people feel comfortable enough to know that, you know, we're just like everyone else that shares the same struggles and frustration of the world around us. And we want to make a difference.
Daishanay Francis
Yeah, sorry, I just wanted to add one more thing. Me and Jaliyah, actually, I'm pretty sure both of us, we actually do get a lot of questions or like, recommendations or like kind of where to start. A lot of people have that type of spark of activism or, you know, maybe a specific societal issue that they want to, like, pursue and better. And they don't necessarily know where to start. I mean, Harrison, I know, it texted you like last week mentioning that one of my friends wanted to be involved in like social work, and so on. So I connected her with him. So these are just things that we like go through. And I think it's super impactful to have youth leadership, and for youth to have someone like them to contact, because we end up getting a lot, a lot of people. And it doesn't only, you know, benefit the team, but it benefits that person into growing into something that's going to help the world and it also benefits the community where they're getting help.
Jaliyah Joseph
And to piggyback off of that, I think the biggest piece of advice and I'm sure that Daishanay will agree for youth who want to community organized but don't know where to start, literally just do it. Just show up. If there's something happening in your community show up, if you're in Woonsocket and you want to get involved show up on Saturdays, like we don't care who you are to show up. It's all family. We have strangers coming in and we're like, "Hey, girl, how are you?" And then we like have our own little therapy sessions. You know, it's big family. It's close knit just show up. You'll never go wrong by just showing up. You will find your people you will find people who are likeminded just fight fight for what you want to fight for, and show up because you, you'll get there. That's what we did. That's what we had to do. We just had to show up. We just had to speak and use our voices like we've never used our voices before. scream out loud,fight for what you need to fight for. Just show up.
Andrea Rascott
Yes, I love that answer. Just fight for it. And I think a big piece too. And how to give back is there's no small amount of kindness. Like just donating a sweater is keeping someone warm. Just feeding someone a granola bar that you had in your purse is maybe something the first thing they've eaten days. So there's no little place to start. Like, really come in, we're here on Saturdays we are there we are a family. And I mean, it's easy to get involved. I literally saw Bonnie's posts on social media, my boyfriend's from Woonsocket. So I was like, "hey, that's your community grew up in," that's where his daughter lives. And we were ready to get involved. And we went to the backpack drive. And here I am now on the board of directors with you guys. Because I found my people, they care. Everyone in this group cares, we were sick of just donating money, just doing things on our own. And it's the same group of people, the same minds that are going to make the changes and make that positive change in Woonsocket and other communities in our area. And it is, it's awesome that so many young people are getting involved, because us old ladies can't do it all on our own, we need you guys out there.
Bonnie Piekarski
And even folks that traditionally have been like conservative in our community are like they will come on Saturdays, at least only just check us out. Right, they might have a certain view of our signage or anything in the windows and we invite them to just like, you know, if you want to check us out, if you want to volunteer, feel free to do so. And a lot of folks did, they showed up, we had a walk for a young lady that was killed, a couple years ago, one of my students, and folks that we have never seen how showed up because if we're not harming anyone, right, we're really showing up and spreading out into the community. And I think that people are starting to recognize that regardless of their political views, right, some of us on this call are more loudly politically, but that doesn't take away from the work that we're doing. And I think that more folks are starting to realize that and, and kind of respect that right. You don't have to agree with me or my thought process, but they're respecting the work that we do, and vice versa, right. And I think that that, to me has been really important in in seeing and seeing certain people come to things that traditionally would not even like step through our doors. So that has been really impactful too. And like they're, they're a part of the community just like everybody else. And so they should be a part and they should see what's going on and understand what's going on. So that they're not just thinking this is like some type of like, give out program or however they spin it. And I just I think that that's been really great too, because even those those folks have started donating items and saying "hey, like these guys are really just giving it out to the community. They're not keeping it," we're not hoarding it. I'm not taking all the coats and having them in my house. And I think that that's, that's been really important. And that's, that's been really a big part of our build out. Because we started off really small, it's me and a couple of people. And we've really built out we have a lot of high school kids volunteer, we had a bunch of kids show up Saturday to volunteer, we have kids coming out seeking and wanting to have conversation about what we're doing, because they're tired, too, right. And they're part of the community to do. And I think that that's what's been really special and Jaliyah and Daishanay, as far as the high school, do a lot of work. And they do the narcan training, and they do the trainings. And so young people are seeing it from their peers, it's not me coming in and saying, hey, you know, this is what you should be doing. It's their peers doing it. And, you know, Harrison and Eve are a little bit older, so when young people in their 20s, or millennials, or however, Gen Z, you want to see it when they see someone like that someone that looks like them, saying, "Hey, this is what we're doing this is, this is how we're moving." I think that it's just so impactful. And it inspires them to be better. And the young people on this call, have inspired myself. And I've seen the community inspired by that.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
Eve, Jen, did you want to add anything? I understand that these are all tough responses to follow.
Jen DuBois
No, I just want to say that the young people in this group are actually amazing. So I just want to put that out there first and foremost. And what Bonnie said was actually very true, especially in today's society, you know, there's a very, there's a disconnect between adults and the younger population. Because I mean, they're, they're teenagers, right, and they're younger kids. And sometimes I think they feel as adults, we don't understand what they're going through in this day and age. So it's very important for our peers to have peers to look up to we know there's a lot of kids out there right now, that are probably getting into some things that are going through some trying times. I mean, they're teenagers, life's hard. So the fact that we have teens, like Jaliyah and Daishanay, that are setting such a positive example. And making harm reduction, and mutual aid look so good and so cool and making other people want to inquire about it. And that's the thing is it's making, it's making what we're doing so interesting, it makes you stop and say, I'm curious enough to ask. The people asking questions, you know, they're asking questions they want to know. And it's even just asking questions, and having a conversation started, you're getting people involved. So just you know, even to spark that little fire in the community, of just starting with simple conversation, you know, change isn't going to come, people aren't going to physically start to do different things or help out or, or really make a difference without having conversation first. So, small win.
Bonnie Piekarski
Yeah, and honestly seeing that spark in young people and I can only really attest because my daughter is on the call. But when she first went to college, she went to New Orleans, and she called me up and she was like, "Mom, how are people still living in trailers like all these years after Katrina?" And it was like then that I saw that spark in her and she was just like, "This can't be like this can't be." And it's funny, what will not what will, like, get a young person sparked to get a young person so involved and just seeing the young people in the Woonsocket community really come together as far as like mental health and violence in their school. Seeing those young people get sparked and excited about things. It's been really, it's been really a great thing, and just being able to bear witness and be the adult in the room, quote, unquote. It's just, it's really exciting.
Eve Armstrong
I guess everyone said, they said it so beautifully. I guess the only thing I'll add is that I like what Jaliyah said about just like showing up. That's always the first step of community work is showing up. And I think to that, it does take all of us because for community work to thrive, it does take innovation, because one thing might work, but it may not work tomorrow. So it takes people from various backgrounds and a different perspective, because you know, sometimes you got to be challenged yourself in your own thought processes. I know certainly I do, where I'm like, "Oh, I didn't even think of doing it this way." So without that you wouldn't have innovation and especially with community work, you're always going to find a new barrier and a new challenge. So you need more people, you need more, different perspectives, to see how we can overcome them. And then with the youth topic too. I think that it is amazing seeing how much the youth are getting involved in you know, political things and public health things because, you know, these are the next generation and they always say that, I remember they said to me in high school, where it's like, "you guys are up, you can change the world, you can do it." And it is true. But it does take, you know, all of us to do it together. Because again, this work isn't overnight. And it's something that you need it. It has to be long lasting. And it does take inspiring the young people and the young people inspire me, because you guys have so much like no fear. I think that maybe because sometimes practicality kind of overpowers me with you, young folks, I feel like the practicality thing you have it, it's not there. So you're just like, oh, we can do this. And you know what, you can. So I, I even though I'm not even that old. But sometimes I'm like, "Oh, maybe I should think of you know, put it on a board. And think of how many ways this could go wrong." But I think with young people, it's like, who cares if it goes wrong, we're just going to do it. Which I think I need to do more of in my own life.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
I see a couple of folks on this call laughing at you calling yourself an old person.
Bonnie Piekarski
And it's funny because her sister's actually part of this, but she'd sick and her sister is exactly the person that Yvette is describing "I'm just going to do it. And whatever happens, happens."
Jen DuBois
Complete polar opposites. I think too, with the mistakes, I don't think there are any mistakes, don't be afraid to make them because they're truly only mistakes, if you're not willing to change them and learn from them. So I think it's a lot of trial and error, you have to make those mistakes so that you can grow patient as a community as a person. So just don't be afraid. And our young ones, you guys exemplify that for us all the time. They just think it's so empowering all of you.
Shane Rogers - Grassroots Fund
I love it. And this is really proof of concept, right? You all put in the work in the community, you put it in on the ground, you had those conversations, you didn't come in at saviors, you didn't come in with prescribed solutions, and you're just continuing to roll, you're continuing to grow as you need. You're bringing in a ton of lived experience across generations, across other experiences. And I'm hoping folks that are tuning into this are taking note. And to end our discussion tonight. I would love to just hear from folks really what is the best way to go about supporting the Milagros Project, you may as well get yourself a plug in here as you all continue to do the work. So if you all just want to jump in however you see fit. That's how we'll end the conversation for this evening.
Bonnie Piekarski
Well, they can go to our web page themilagrosproject.org, they can visit us if they want if they're in the age great northern Rhode Island City of Woonsocket, we are located at 46 Arnold street, they can hit up our Instagram, and DM Yvette, is in charge of the Instagram and that's @milagros_project on Instagram. And we are also on Facebook, they can hit us up and they can we can they can write us a check. They can donate a coat, they can come through, they can help, you know anything and however they would want to help or if they even if they have questions or they're they want to organize their own community they want to expand especially in Rhode Island. They can we actually working with an organization in Massachusetts right now and Worchester around the holiday season. So you know if anybody wants to even partner with us there, they can feel free to contact us and we're pretty quick to respond. So that's probably the best course of action.
Jen DuBois
I think it's also very important to note that obviously we are, everything that we do is based on community and it's based on donation. So every piece of clothing that we take in blankets, tents and hygiene products, non perishable food, on every single thing we get, we put back into the store and it goes right back onto the community at no cost to anyone. So it's very important that we have these items. Because again, we are a very, you know, we're a new nonprofit, we don't have access to large funding and like food banks and things that other larger or nonprofits that have been established longer have so you know, like Bonnie said, Please cut a check. We can't serve if we can't keep the lights on but we do it. Um, and it's no it's just very important to know that any and everything you do do will go right back into the community with love, you know, you give it to us. We'll multiply it and we'll make it work and You know, we really appreciate anything that anybody can do.
Harrison Tuttle
For the folks that, you know, that have the opportunity to give or can give just know that as Bonnie and Jen mentioned we really optimized all of the resources that we have. And ultimately your contribution, whether it’s big or small, saves life. It legitimately saves lives. And the Milagros Project has a track record of doing that, and it’s continuing to grow. And, so know, that you’re not giving to a campaign, or an, you know, may or may not help. We are and are going to continue to. And the more successful the Milagros Project gets, the more other people throughout the country, throughout Rhode Island, will see that is a successful formula.
Bonnie Piekarski
Thanks Harrison. And i do want to also add that in Rhode Island, the Department of Health puts out heat maps every couple of months around the opioid crisis because Woonsocket is the highest in the state for overdoses and our neighborhood and surrounding has been lifted off the heat map after massive harm reduction efforts from ourselves with our partners. And the prevention coalition int he community actually came to us to do some work with them and partner with them around hanging up boxes that contain narcan in the community and I just really want to point out how important this work is because we have folks on this call who have reversed overdoses and saved lives and all of that is part of this community action and it’s really part of what we have talked about as far as our community telling us what they need. And our community, where we set up, was really tired of folks dying and overdosing and they asked us “can we have narcan training? Can we do these things? Can we hang these boxes? Can you do this work?” and we have done it. And, you know, the state’s whole map came out and that area was actually completely lifted off the overdose map. So I’m really thankful to everyone on this call, whether they can participate or not, sometimes, you know, folks are in school or they have something going on at home, But everyone show sup the best that they can and, you know, that’s the biggest part of community organizing, is showing up as you can, in your capacity that you’re able to do so, you don’t have to over extend yourself. Everyone is not going to like Harrison, Harrison is all over the state, all of the time, and that’s his thing, and I think that just showing up in your capacity that you feel comfortable in doing and that’s what is really important.
Shane Rogers
Thank you so much everyone. Bonnie, Jen, Andrea, Eve, Harrison, Jaliyah, Daishanay, you all have been wonderful. This has been a really great conversation. And I will from the Grassroots Fund, and from my own personal perspective, it’s groups like yours which are the reason to have hope for the future because it’s building resilience in our community which is the only way to move forward, the only way to that we’re going to be able to create a just and resilient future. So thank you, thank you for the work that you have done. And, folks, we will post all of the information for the Milagros Project on the website. And we hope that you will tune in and keep doing work like this.