"As a community organizer in New York City, Sharifa Khan spends a lot of time visiting food distribution hubs, community gardens, and local shelters. While speaking with community members, she often encounters the same issue: people want to get involved in volunteering, but they're not sure where to start. So, Khan decided to make a tool to address that-and it couldn't have come at a more important moment."
"The website comes as the government shutdown has led to a pause in the SNAP food aid program, which provides food stamps to about one in eight Americans. This month, millions of low-income Americans have been left without the full benefits that usually help them afford basic necessities. Now that the shutdown has ended, SNAP funding is set to resume, although its still unclear how quickly recipients will receive their benefits."
"The dora.nyc page's UI, designed by Michalove, is organized under two main categories: space and time. On the top of the site is a map of NYC's five boroughs with markers for resources across the city. "Resources," in this case, are defined as any kind of aid with a permanent presence in the area. These markers are color-coded by category, like distributio"
Dora.nyc centralizes New York City mutual aid offerings into a single, user-friendly website that serves people seeking assistance and volunteers. The platform was built by Sharifa Khan, Cornell PhD student Johan Michalove, and the NYC Resource Library, combining community knowledge and digital tools. The site launched amid a pause in SNAP benefits, offering clearer visibility of local food, housing, and immigration aid during a time of heightened need. The interface organizes resources by space and time, featuring a borough map with color-coded markers for permanently present services. The creators envision the concept as replicable for other urban areas.
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