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Core Values
1. We seek to be obsolete, not profitable.
We have no aspirations of becoming a non-profit organization because we don’t want to need to exist. We have stepped in because the US government has failed to protect the most vulnerable.
2. We prioritize vulnerable communities over money.
For example, we don’t make masks for one community over another because there is potential for a bigger financial donation. In fact, if a community can’t afford to donate towards their masks, they are probably the community we should be sewing for FIRST.
3. We work collectively,
and encourage our Aunties to sew for where they have passion and to even helm the ask for communities they care about most. We are a team of leaders and empower anyone to step up and help where they feel most engaged.
4. We prefer having a direct and vetted connection with our recipient.
We won’t mail masks to an address we have found online without making a connection to the recipient. We are not a labor farm that makes masks that get sent to an outside distribution hub. We are both the maker and the distributor. We want our masks to be a connector between the person who made it and the person who wears it.
5. We are not here for capitalism.
Because sewing these masks is about making safety and health a human right, we reject capitalist language like buy, order or sell when it comes to requesting a mask. Our currency is our time in making these masks as a way to give protection and show solidarity to vulnerable communities.
6. We value our Auntie community as people first.
We are invested in the creative lives and personal connections within this group over “more efficient” ways of working. This is why we aren’t organized regionally and why we will not break into “chapters.” This is why we sometimes mail elastic across the country to an Auntie who is the only member in their state.
7. We believe in Auntie Community Care.
For Aunties who have made masks for our large group efforts, we have dedicated resources to shower these Aunties with appreciative care primarily in the form of food or stay-at-home-order-appropriate creature comforts.
8. We lead with Love, and sometimes, twisted humor.
People will screw up. People will make mistakes. We will joke and have fun. We will be kind and forgiving. But we will also hold each other accountable. It’s all in good fun as we work together to cope with this difficult time in our shared history. We realize this tone will not be for everyone but it’s who we are.
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