About SBMA

South Bay Mutual Aid is a coalition of students, workers, and community members organizing mutual aid in Santa Clara County, California. Our programs are based out of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center.

Our History

We started this project at the beginning of shelter in place due to COVID-19. At the time, there was an immediate need for grocery delivery and mask handouts to our community members, as well as free goods. The first volunteer signed up on March 13, 2020, and our first request came in on the 14th! We operated in the South Bay and Lower Peninsula areas (Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties). We hit a milestone of helping our 1000th household in February 2022.

Sunsetted programs:

Grocery Delivery: Our delivery program provided free groceries and cleaning supplies to community members.

Mask Handouts: During the 2022 wildfire season, SBMA handed out nearly 10,000 masks to community members and essential workers.

SBMA Today

As the needs of the community and the organization of South Bay Mutual Aid changed, we consolidated our programs.

Current programs:

Free Store: Our clothing and miscellaneous items store. All items are free of charge for community members. Starting in 2022, this became a monthly event that continues today.

Community Garden: Along with San Jose Food Not Bombs and the Silicon Valley DSA mutual aid working group, South Bay Mutual Aid maintains the community garden at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. The fresh vegetables grown in the garden are placed in the Community Pantry in front of the Peace and Justice Center, or are distributed at events including our monthly Free Store.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at southbaymutualaid@gmail.com.