About Us
Who We Are
Future Economy Collective (FEC) is a grassroots, community-based, all-volunteer-run, certified 501c3 started and based in southwest Virginia’s New River Valley. FEC focuses on mutual aid, community-building, and harm reduction in the NRV. Mutual Aid projects include the 24/7 take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can community free fridge (now in the rear of UKirk Student Ministries) and essential needs supply distributions (behind the North Main Laundromat in Blacksburg on select Laundry Love days). The primary community-building project is our new community space (no cafe but Mill Mountain Coffee is right downstairs) in the rear of 700 N Main St across from the Wax Studio & Brow Bar. Volunteers are always needed to help with community events and mutual aid efforts. Likewise donations are always needed to maintain operations. We are, and have always been, fully volunteer-run and operating almost entirely on grassroots donations, especially from our monthly supporters!
Our Values
In our experience, the best way to foster liberation is through creating and maintaining connections that allow the struggle against oppression to feel less driven by fear and more out of love for each other. Best stated by Adrienne Maree Brown: “do you understand that your quality of life and your survival are tied to how authentic and generous the connections are between you and the people and place you live with and in? Are you actively practicing generosity and vulnerability in order to make the connections between you and others clear, open, available, durable?”
We firmly believe that community building is the cornerstone to a sustainable future. The intention of this collective is to be a place where we model the world we want to build. We want our culture and structure to reflect our shared goal of liberation for all people. In all our work, we embrace the full humanity of one another through the recognition of our intrinsic rights such as housing, food, healthcare, bodily autonomy, belonging, pleasure, rest, clean drinking water, a healthy ecosystem, and more.
Brief Organizational History
The idea to start this nonprofit was born out of years of wanting to have a space in town that was accessible, collaborative, and accountable – a space that can be collaborative and fulfill needs that this area has long needed. After working in a space that operated similarly in late 2016, one of our founders saw that there was a need for a space in the new river valley that could be used to strengthen community ties. They started to hold open community meetings in October 2017 under the name “blacksburg community co-op initiative” -- these meetings amassed a group of people that were interested in molding this idea, sharing ideas of what this collective space could look like. In late January of 2018, the other two founders joined the drive to make this place a reality and through their motivation and determination, the Future Economy Collective was incorporated in July 2018. the future economy collective received our 501c3 status later that year. In early 2020, the Future Economy Collective founded Southpaw Cafe, surviving almost entirely off of grassroots donations alone.
None of this vision or survival would have ever happened without the community support of the new river valley. Well being for all is not a dream!
Our Community Projects
Community Space
FEC operates a community space, popularly known as Southpaw, by and for, the new river valley in southwest Virginia, located at 700 N Main St, Suite E, Blacksburg, VA, 24060 (by North Main St roundabout above and behind Mill Mountain Coffee, across the hall from the Wax Studio & Brow Bar). The space facilitates our mutual aid work, community-building, and overall capacity-building. The community space hosts community events, workshops, teach-ins, and more, run by and for the community and supported by our volunteers. Community groups that align with our values are able to use the space for low or no cost, or in exchange contributing volunteer hours or workshops. Perhaps most importantly, the space serves as a safe meeting space for grassroots organizing and for people and groups who face state repression and/or who are typically marginalized and excluded in our local communities, due to factors like racism, ableism, transmisogyny, heteropatriarchy, and other forms of prejudice, bigotry, and oppression.
All proceeds from any merchandise sales are directly invested back into the community, funding mutual aid programs, community projects, and more (such as stocking the community free fridge & pantry when food supplies are low).
When we sell stuff to support our work, sales operate according to a sliding scale! This means that people have the option to pay what they can for each item -- this helps us provide items at a lower cost so that more people may access them! If you have stable income, considerable savings, and/or minimal economic stress, we suggest you choose tier 2 or tier 3 prices.
Come help us finish setting up the new space so we can post cute pictures here! :)
Community Free Fridge & Pantry (and more)
The community free fridge & pantry (plus our warm clothing drawers and seed share) for the core of our mutual aid efforts. Volunteers and community members clean and stock the fridge & pantry. The fridge & pantry also receive donations from some local organizations and small businesses, such as the Agape Center, Our Daily Bread, and the Farmers’ Market Share the Spare Program. The community free fridge & pantry, warm clothing drawers, and seed share are now located at:
305 Washington St SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060
Parking access is located at the intersection of Clay St and Harrell St, where the parking lot is located. The most accessible path to the fridge & pantry is through this parking lot.
Distros and Cooking Series
We started a distro program to address the community need for basic essentials, like hygiene products, cleaning products, harm reduction supplies, and more. One Sunday a month, we distribute supplies behind the North Main Laundromat from 2-4pm. We choose times during which Glade Church in Blacksburg is serving the community via the local Laundry Love program. The program provides quarters for people to do their laundry, free of charge, no questions asked, in alignment with our values. Glade Church, community members, Laundry Love program users, and sometimes small businesses, like Abby’s (which allows us use the parking lot for our distros), usually provide additional supplies for the distros, making it all the more community-based.
One of our volunteers started a cooking series to utilize our membership to a local professional kitchen to cook meals for the FEC-operated community free fridge. Much of the ingredients are graciously donated by local small businesses such as Blacksburg Bagels. This program keeps families more consistently fed by providing fresh, home-cooked meals and filling a crucial supply chain gap.
Virtual Tool Library
We started a virtual tool library project so neighbors can build community and networks of sharing and neighborly care. This new mutual aid project facilitate the sharing of tools among the New River Valley community of southwest Virginia. List, share, and borrow power tools, large and small, and other kinds of tools as well!Do you have power tools or other tools lying around, basically unused you want to list and share on our website? Do you have projects and tasks that require tools you don't have, and want to borrow tools for free from your neighbors in the New River Valley? Are you saying you don't want to buy new power tools for perhaps a single use just to take up space in your home? Check out our new virtual tool lending library.
How to Plug In
There are so many different ways to support this mission as well as collaborate in this community space! If you are interested in volunteering, email us at [email protected] or come to a monthly volunteer orientation (stay tuned for our new volunteer orientation series in the new year)! To stay up to date on our activities, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on facebook and instagram.
Volunteer!
some of the current volunteer roles we have include:
planning events, workshops & concerts
prepping food with the kitchen crew
supporting the free fridge
collecting food and clothing donations
renovating and decorating the space
forming connections with community members and groups
designing and creating merchandise
finding and writing grants
organizing and documenting the library
orienting new volunteers
All volunteers roles can be as little or as big of time commitments as you'd like them to be!
Donate Items!
Some consistently needed and wanted donations include:
art (for our fundraising section)
books and zines for our community library
items for the community fridge, such as fresh and canned veggies, canned soups, canned beans, frozen and canned meats, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, shampoo/conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes
winter clothing like coats, scarves, and blankets
We are not currently accepting other clothing donations! Please do not drop off donations of items not listed here! If you have items that you think may be useful to us, feel free to contact us and ask first. The best place to contact us is over instagram @future_economy_collective or over email at [email protected]
Support Us on LiberaPay or Patreon
Support us with a recurring or one-time donation to financially support our mission and operations! All donations either support our day-to-day operations or are invested directly back into the community. We are all volunteers so no donations go towards salaries.
One-Time and Recurring Donations without Perks
Support us on Zeffy (Preferred donations platform) via one-time donations or recurring donations without receiving any perks. Zeffy is a proprietary platform and does not take a cut out of your donation nor does it charge us payment processing fees. Donors can choose to cover payment processing fees via additional donations, but that is not required.
Support us via PayPal @fecollective or [email protected] for one-time donations or recurring donations without receiving any perks. Paypal is a proprietary platform and does not take a cut out of your donation aside from processing fees.
Recurring Donations with Perks
Support us on Patreon if you want to support us with recurring donations and receive perks for different donation tiers. We try our best to stay on top of delivering on the perks. Patreon is a proprietary platform and takes a cut out of your donation, so less money funds our mission.
Support Local Disaster Response & Migrant Support
Support Holler to Holler which handles disaster mitigation & response and mutual aid locally & beyond via their venmo: @holler2holler OR (for recurring donations) via our fundraiser on Zeffy.
Check out their website to learn more!
Shop Our Online Store
Currently in development, but feel free to take a sneak peak ;)
Merch Online Store (in development)
Follow Us on Social Media
For Events and Other Updates:
Community Fridge Updates:
Contact Us
Unencrypted Email: [email protected]
Encrypted, More Secure Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1(540)200-8028
