Today, Explained No one will save us but ourselves
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Feb 15, 2026 
Devin Kirtis, a Chapel Hill mutual aid organizer, and Thalia Beatty, an AP reporter on nonprofits, discuss neighborhood skill-sharing, repair circles, and rapid disaster responses. They explore how mutual aid differs from charity, its agility and risks, historical roots, and practical ways communities organize food, transport, and distribution hubs to meet urgent needs.
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Skill Circles Build Local Capacity
- Devin Kirtis described organizing skill-based circles like car and bike repair to share practical knowledge.
- These circles let neighbors teach each other useful skills and build local capacity.
Knocking On Doors To Find Needs
- Nicole Uganen recounted checking on elders and knocking on doors when someone hadn't left home in days.
- That direct neighborhood outreach revealed needs formal systems missed after disasters.
Buses Became Makeshift Distribution Hubs
- After the Maui fire, volunteers turned tour buses into logistics for moving supplies and people between hubs.
- They matched offers and needs directly, like routing extra diapers to people who requested them.
