About
Who we are
Solidarity Commons is a young nonprofit in Allegheny County that exists to support the people and groups already doing mutual aid. We don't run distros ourselves. We work behind the groups that do.
Our mission is to provide material support to individuals and organizations practicing mutual aid with Allegheny County's vulnerable communities. We expand access to resources, space, and infrastructure for collective action, empowering independent groups to grow and thrive while maintaining their autonomy, values, and unique character.
How we got here
We started in the summer of 2025, when people running food distros around Pittsburgh began meeting to talk about what they kept running short of: storage, kitchen space, a place to meet, and a way to share food and supplies between groups.
In July 2025 we held an open meeting for anyone doing distro work. Food, storage, education, anyone who might one day need a fiscal sponsor. The idea we put to the room was simple: build an organization in service to the distros, owned by the people doing the work.
One of the first things that came out of that work was a shared monthly calendar of distros across the city. It's now the Find Food page and a printable calendar.
What we do today
Right now we're mostly a network: we connect groups and move resources between them. We don't have a building yet.
Food rescue. When a restaurant, store or event has surplus food, it often reaches one of our members first. We get it to the group that can use it soonest, before it goes to waste.
The shared calendar. We keep a public calendar and map of free food distros, community fridges and pantries across Allegheny County, with a printable version each month.
Connecting groups. We put groups in touch with each other and with people who want to help, and we point supporters straight to each group's own donation links.
What we're building toward
The groups we work with keep naming the same needs, and those needs set our direction:
A shared space with a commercial kitchen, storage, and rooms for meetings and classes, open to the groups that use it.
Buying together. Coordinating bulk orders so small groups get better prices, and sharing what one group has in excess with another.
Fiscal sponsorship. A way for groups that can't or won't incorporate to receive grants and donations.
A home base. A mailing address and the everyday infrastructure a small group struggles to keep on its own.
How we work
Groups stay independent. We support groups; we don't direct them. Each one keeps its own decisions, values and way of doing things, and owns its own listing on our calendar.
Decisions are made together. We are a membership organization with an elected board that serves fixed terms, and we're writing our community agreements with our members.
Open books. We will be transparent about where our money comes from and where it goes.
We keep as little information as we can. Our website doesn't track you or use advertising cookies, and our forms ask only for what we need to act on them.
Where things stand
We're early, and there's a lot of work to do.
Incorporated: yes.
501(c)(3) status: application in progress.
A space: not yet. We're looking, and we'll share news here when there is some.
Get involved
Support the groups directly. The Groups page lists who's doing the work and how to give to each group, volunteer, or send supplies from their wish lists.
Have surplus food? Get in touch and we'll route it to a group that can use it.
Run a distro, fridge or pantry? Ask us to list it, or tell us if your listing needs fixing.