The Kansas City Defender’s Back-to-School People’s Distribution returns, and we are calling on our whole community to show up for our children, starting with our People’s Drop Off this Saturday, July 18.
Through our People’s Programs, The Defender has distributed thousands of items to Black families across Kansas City. We ask no questions. No applications. No drug tests. Everything is free, because our people deserve the full, breathing, beautiful dignity of a life worth living, and dignity should never come with paperwork.
And yes, we know school isn’t back just yet. We’re holding our People’s Drop Off this Saturday so our Mutual Aid team, an all-Black team of KC Defender community members, has time to sort, wash, and organize every piece of clothing and every hygiene item into perfectly sorted, retail-quality People’s Free Store sections, the same way we did at our last distribution at 31st & Prospect. Our families deserve to shop with dignity, and our team makes sure they do.
This is how we build power. Every People’s Program we run is proof that our community can meet its own needs, on our own terms, without begging institutions that were never built for us. When we clothe our children ourselves, we are practicing the world we are fighting for.
What we’re gathering
Kid’s and teen clothing:
- Gently used or new summer clothing
- Short-sleeve tops and t-shirts
- Shorts, pants, and skirts
- Underwear and socks (new only)
Hygiene items:
- Toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Body wash and bar soap
- Deodorant
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Lotion and lip balm
- Tampons, pads, etc.
- Shaving razors
- Black hair products
When and where
Bring what you can this Saturday, July 18, between 11 AM and 2 PM to our home on Troost. Bring your neighbor. Bring your church. Bring the abundance our community holds.
Every t-shirt, every toothbrush, every bottle of lotion tells a young person the same thing. You are loved. You are ours. And your community will always show up for you.
Only we can ensure the survival and flourishing of our people. See you Saturday.
