Wanted: 1,000 pairs of durable shoes

We’re also looking for tents, crutches, sharps containers, and more

Author

Distribute Aid
January 15, 2026

Our team at Distribute Aid knows that making New Years’ resolutions, and then giving up on them after a few weeks, is a time-honored tradition. Yet while we have many characteristics commonly associated with rules-followers—an aptitude for paperwork, an affection for crunching numbers, etc.—we also enjoy subverting expectations from time to time.

So we’re going to break with tradition, and make a resolution that won’t be discarded as soon as we find a fun new series on TV:   

In 2026, we aim to double our last year’s impact in the United States and the Levant while still maintaining our level of aid to Europe.

That means:

  • Delivering twice the amount of aid to displaced people in Palestinian, Lebanese, and Jordanian refugee camps

  • Expanding our US mutual aid hubs from 6 centers to 12 centers across the country

  • Producing and distributing 4x the amount of HRT toolkits

  • Sending a full shipment of aid to Europe each month

For this, we need your help—especially in the form of in-kind donations.

We (more specifically: you) could be heroes

Long-time readers of this newsletter may remember that we’ve written about in-kind donations and how to get them in the past. We’re doing it again because it’s one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal—a single well-placed reader can provide water filters for an entire school’s worth of children who live in a disaster zone, or walkers for all their grandparents.

If you happen to be such a reader*, this is your time to shine.

*Maybe you work at a company that makes medical devices, or you have an aunt who owns an outdoor sports shop. Or maybe you have some other unguessable-yet-fortuitous connection.

It’s also your time to be rewarded for your generosity, because in-kind donations can do a lot for donors as well as recipients. Tax rebates, freed-up shelf space, and positive publicity are the three biggest benefits of donating goods in bulk, and Distribute Aid will be happy to help you take maximum advantage of them all.

In the next section, we’ll provide a look at 1) what items we need and 2) how we’ll use them.  

The droids durable goods we’re looking for

As a grassroots-to-grassroots humanitarian aid organization that serves people from the Palisades to Palestine, Distribute Aid has a diverse range of needs. Too diverse, in fact, to list them all here. 

But we can still find a great use for items that aren’t mentioned below. Drop us a line at [email protected] if you’re interested in making a bulk donation of any kind.

  • Baby supplies

    • Examples: diapers, bottles, onesies, pacifiers, wipes

    • Amount needed: 224,000+ items

  • Hygiene products

    • Examples: bars of soap, bottles of shampoo/conditioner, towels, washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bandaids

    • Amount needed: 494,000+ items

  • Clothing (all ages and genders)

    • Examples: underwear, socks, winter coats, T-shirts, pants, boots, shoes, gloves, scarves, hats

    • Amount needed: 131,000+ items

  • Medical supplies

    • Examples: masks, vitamins, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, sharps containers, needles, bandages, alcohol wipes

    • Amount needed: 415,000+ items

  • Shelter

    • Examples: tents, sleeping bags, tarps, bed sheets, blankets, furniture

    • Amount needed: 64,000+ items

We’re seeking so many “items” because right now there’s a huge amount of need in the communities we serve. The ongoing persecution of trans people in the US means that demand for our HRT toolkits is much higher—and in many more places—than we anticipated at the beginning of this project. In Europe, governments are imposing intentionally cruel policies to discourage migrants and asylum seekers from even trying to seek refuge on the continent. And across the Levant, millions of people are being deprived of food, medicine, and shelter as a result of the ongoing Israeli-US extermination campaign.

We have the logistics expertise and local connections to deliver relief to these suffering people. The stockpile of supplies is the only limiting factor. And that’s where you, hopefully, can help.

If you’re able to donate any of the items you see on this list—or, again, if you’re able to donate something that isn’t mentioned here—please get in touch with us at [email protected]. 

You’ll have our eternal gratitude. But more importantly, you’ll have a tangible positive impact on the lives of your fellow human beings who could really, really use a break right now.

Quick hits

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