Since the novel coronavirus pandemic begin, and nonessential services and businesses began to shut down, it became apparent that there would be an almost-immediate need for financial support for service workers and others dependant upon tip-based income. A Google spreadsheet called the Baltimore Tip Jar was started, and people were encouraged to add their names.
Building on the platform that was originally designed for the groundbreaking Baltimore Independent Media Center, I'm hoping to build an open-source community platform for both the immediate needs of Baltimore, but which can be easily installed and used in other localities.
My name is Spud. I've been politically active in Baltimore for a long time, helped develop the Baltimore Independant Media Center way back when, and was editor of the long-running journal Social Anarchism. If you've found this page and are interested in contributing, please get in touch. I'll be reaching out to local contacts for assistance and resources as soon as time permits!
The Virtual Tip Jar is an obvious piece of functionality to port, but it would be nice to include:
- Neighborhood-specific resources
- Needs/volunteers matchups
- Food banks / Food Not Bombs / food serving options
- Virtual events calendar
- Whatever the community needs! Isn't that the point?