ABOUT THE SPACE

The Mutual Aid Disaster Distro is an autonomous space for organizing mutual aid relief efforts in the aftermath of natural disaster. Within the warehouse, volunteers can find like-minded friends to work along side with, share initiatives, and help develop projects to support those most affected by the storm. Here's what a regular day inside of the distro can look like:

picking up supplies and driving out east
helping sort and catalogue inventory
preparing loads to be driven out east
organizing a supply drive in your local park
or building communication platforms to help reach other potential supporters

The MAD Distro is not an "organization" - volunteers won't find a top-down command structure here, and no one will be handing you your marching orders for the day. It's best instead to understand the distro as a communal open space, one where there are always tasks to be done or possibilities to explore. What matters here is a willingness to take the initiative when you see something that needs doing, horizontal communication so that folks know what you're working on, and a desire to begin your own support projects. Nor is anyone here a "professional." The vast majority of people coming through the space have never done this kind of work before, but through sharing experience, skills, and our time, we're learning how we can support each other and survivors of the storm together.

From Hurricane Harvey in Houston to Hurricane Irma in Puerto Rico, experience proves that this method of organizing works significantly better than state institutions like FEMA. In the aftermath of Florence, volunteers working within the space and across a network of groups have helped move tens of thousands of supplies across the state of so-called North Carolina. We've coordinated shipments in Wilmington, Lumberton, Kinston/New Bern, Duplin, Clinton, Brunswick, and other areas that lie in the flood plains. We've been able to do this through building a network of drop-sites, pickup and box trucks, motorboats, and even airplanes.

This space is dedicated towards mutual aid, not charity. Those affected by the floodwaters know exactly what they need, and our efforts are aimed at listening to those voices, building connections with them, and supporting them as they ask us to. An extremely long history of systemic racism has taught us that in times like these, we cannot count on the state to support us or others who are marginalized. We've prioritized reaching out to indigenous communities, working-class people of color, migrant farm-worker communities, and the rural poor. We keep us safe!

DONATIONS

We’re live again! And we’ve moved.

Please bring items from the list below to our central hub at 105 Hood St, Durham NC between 8am and 8pm or to one of the drop-off sites listed below. We will get all donated items to Hurricane impacted communities, sending them out as quickly as they are requested. Our focus is on serving those most in need, those lacking the resources to purchase provisions themselves, and those not adequately served by large government or national non-profit relief efforts.

Donation Links

If you would like to make a monetary contribution, you can send it to our venmo @maddistronc.
You can also donate to the Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice through Venmo: @interfaithclimatejustice (please designate in a note that the donation is for Lumberton disaster relief) or Mutual Aid Disaster Relief through Venmo: @mutualaiddisasterrelief.

Drop Sites

Here is a list of additional drop-sites across the state where you can leave donations:

Durham:
- Mutual Aid Disaster Distro @ 105 Hood St, Bay 3 – 8am to 8pm daily
  - We'll be there through Saturday the 7th, then at The Fruit 305 S Dillard St starting Sunday the 8th
- Museum of Durham History @ 500 West Main Street – Tues-Sat: 10am to 5pm, Sun: 1pm to 5pm
- Durham Co-op Market @ 1111 W Chapel Hill St – 7am to 9pm daily
- Nolia: Family & Coffee @ 1004 Morning Glory Ave – Tues-Fri: 8am to 12pm, 2pm to 6pm, Sat: 9am to 4pm
- Crossfit Durham @ 410 W Geer St – Mon-Fri: 6am to 10:15am, 11:45am to12:45am, 4:30pm to 7:30pm, Sat: 8am to 12pm, Sun: 10am to 12pm
- East Durham Bake Shop @ 406 S Driver - Tues-Fri: 7am to 7pm, Sat-Sun: 8am to 3pm
Chapel Hill:
- New Hope Market @ 6117 Hwy NC 86 South – Tues-Sat: 8am to 9pm
- The Root Cellar @ 750 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd – 7:30am – 8pm daily
- Orange County Public Library, Carrboro Branch @ 900 Old Fayetteville Rd – Mon-Thur 3:30pm to 8pm, Sat 10am to 2pm, Sun 1pm to 5pm
- Imbibe/Zog’s @ 108 Henderson St – Mon-Sat after 5pm, call M.A.D. Distro to coordinate daytime & Sunday drop off.
Hillsborough:
- Orange County Public Library, Main Branch @ 137 W Margaret Ln – Mon-Thurs: 9am to 8pm, Fri-Sat: 9am to 6pm, Sun: 12pm to 6pm
- Hillsborough Pharmacy @ 110 Boone Square Street, Hillsborough - Mon - Fri: 8:30am-6:30pm, Sat: 10am-2pm
Pittsboro:
- The Root Cellar @ 35 Suttles Rd – Mon, Wed-Fri: 10am to 8pm, Sat-Sun: 8am to 8pm
- Chatham Marketplace @ 480 Hillsboro St, Ste 320 – Mon-Sat: 7am to 9pm, Sun: 10am to 7pm
- Blue Dot Coffee, 53 Hillsborough St, Pittsboro, 7:00am to 5:30pm Mon-Sat
Raleigh:
- Hayes Barton Pharmacy @ 2000 Fairview Rd, Raleigh, Mon-Fri: 9am - 6pm, Sat: 9am - 3pm
- Glenwood South Pharmacy & Market @ 401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, Mon-Fri: 9am - 7pm, Sat: 9am - 5pm, Sun: 12pm - 5pm