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(From left) Danielle Howard, Zuri Fleming and Zander Fleming prepare to hand out care packages on Sunday, Aug. 9.
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A neighbor helps introduce the volunteers to a resident.
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A group of kids walks back home after receiving care packages.
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The volunteers' goal is to station themselves at 436 Calhoun St. as they continue to service Gilpin Court for the month of August, but they also walk around and look for families or children who might be interested in the care packages.
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On Sunday, the volunteers distributed 40 care packages in just over 30 minutes.
On a recent Sunday evening, Danielle Howard and Zuri Fleming, accompanied by Fleming's younger brother, Zander, seek shelter from a passing summer storm in their car, parked near Richmond's Gilpin Court public housing community. The back seat is filled with bins that are stocked with bags — "care packages" containing granola bars, applesauce, cups of noodle soup and water.
As the rain slows, Howard offers care packages to two young boys passing by. “We’ll be back next week at the same time,” she says to them. “Spread the word, let other people know.” The boys nod their heads in unison and walk back toward the oldest and largest subsidized housing project in the city, bags in their hands.
This outing marks the second time Howard and Fleming have visited the court since launching the effort in the beginning of June. Each Sunday, they distribute packages with food and drinks in lower-income neighborhoods, specifically the six public housing courts, home to over 8,000 people with an average annual income of less than $10,000, the vast majority of the residents African American.
“We decided to put an emphasis on under-resourced areas and neighborhoods in Richmond, like the projects and the courts,” says 19-year-old Fleming, a native of the city's Blackwell neighborhood.
Fleming is used to connecting with the community. In 2018, while a junior at Collegiate School, she was awarded an endowment to work on a summer project. With a love for music and Richmond, the rapper hosted a musical showcase to benefit local youth.
After a successful turnout, she kept the project going and founded Beats, Rhythm & Life (BRLRVA), a collective where young people can perform, receive feedback and feel supported. As COVID-19 has halted many in-person gatherings, BRLRVA decided to shift its focus.
“It was honestly a spur-of-the-moment idea," Fleming says. "I was just thinking about how a lot of kids in public school, that’s where they got a lot of their meals from; maybe there’s something I can do to give back to the community, and then [I] thought of the care package idea.”
Howard, the 22-year-old manager of BRLRVA, says, “Once Zuri gets an idea, it’s on,” and the two exchange smiles.
Each month BRLRVA will focus its efforts on a different local public housing development. After Gilpin Court they will head to Mosby Court in September, followed by Creighton Court in October, Hillside Court in November, Fairfield Court in December and Whitcomb Court in January.
Once a week, Fleming and Howard go to Sam’s Club and purchase supplies, then distribute them with the help of volunteers, including family and local artists. The two women say they simply want to continue to spread the word about their efforts and reach children and families living in neighborhoods that are systemically rooted in crime, poverty and often hopelessness.
“It’s really important for more [residents] to know we’re out there; they’ll definitely come if they know it’s there,” says Fleming, a first-generation college student studying communications at Old Dominion University. “I just want to see more people out there on Sundays when we're out there and [let them] know they have a resource in the community and people that care and are there to offer help and assistance if they need.”
But part of the process has been gaining trust. Fleming shares that the last time they came to Gilpin Court, a group of kids was reluctant to receive the packages from them until a woman they knew vouched for the volunteers.
“In those types of communities, one thing I’ve noticed is, if you’re an outsider, it’s very hard to just come in, even if you’re a person trying to help out,” she says.
A similar experience occurs when I join them. A woman the volunteers know points out a few units in Gilpin Court where she knows families with children live. Fleming and Howard mention that they have knocked on one of the doors before and attempted to drop packages off, but no one answered. This time, with the help of the neighbor, a familiar face to introduce them, they are in luck.
A resident of the home comes outside, accepts a few packages and then heads back in. Moments later, three more people from the unit follow and do the same. Although few words are exchanged, the brief interaction speaks volumes. It feels like a victory for their mutual aid initiative, a sign that they are needed and that there is room to grow.
“We came here to do a job and provide a service, and we’re going to do it, we just want to get it done,” Howard says.
Currently, the duo prepare 40 care packages for distribution during their weekly hourlong drop-off sessions. This particular week, however, the packages were gone in just over 30 minutes. Fleming says that in the future they hope to introduce fruits and vegetables to the packages and, with schools continuing virtual learning in the fall, books as well.
“We are building everything from the ground up, really, and watching the work you put in slowly but surely come to life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” Fleming says. “For me it's what pushes me, it gives me a reason to live and to wake up in the morning.”
To volunteer or make a donation to BRLRVA's care package effort, email brlrva1@gmail.com.
