One person alone cannot fight waste, it takes a collective - and in Brooklyn, it takes Collective Focus.

Collective Focus is artist-led, nonprofit mutual aid organization in New York that retrieves a large variety of items that would have been thrown away, and distributes them to the community. Anything from paint and brushes to plants, clothing, and home office supplies, to your old iPhone 8. 

And yes, they collect food too!

“Our group creates socially conscious opportunities that center community building and creative problem solving,” Abbie Richards, who helps run the Food Justice Program, tells Replate. “At our heart, we are a team of ‘do-it-yourself’ creatives making an impact.”

All the donations that Collective Focus retrieves are handed out daily for those in need at a Resource Hub on the Bushwick and Bed-Stuy border, while food is left in community fridges around the borough. There’s even a handy app to locate your nearest stash!

“We built this place to serve others as an emergency access point for free food,” the organization explains in a YouTube video. “We achieve our goals through hard work and with the help of our supporters.”

To date, Collective Focus has rescued 190,000 pounds of food, clothing and other supplies, distributing around $600,000 in value to 40,000 people across the city.

Additionally, the organization leads wellness programs, provides life coaching, and hosts educational workshops for children and adults. The goal is to create more resilient neighborhoods by countering food insecurity and disenfranchisement.  

And, for all the incredible artistic talent brewing in Brooklyn, Collective Focus provides access to a recording studio, magazine publication, and book club. 

As the video highlights, “Inside the Resource Hub, there is a community closet full of donations that anyone can take for free. We offer business development and product placement for local vendors. This fosters economic resiliency for many unique individuals that contribute to our marketplace and cultural events. Thanks to this technology, we expect to grow in strength and unity, as more people hear about our vision for a creative future.”

To learn more about Collective Focus, visit their website.

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