Health Brigade

06/03/2026

Care is Resistance. Sometimes resistance looks like a box of familiar food delivered with care.

Right now, many immigrant families in our community are making impossible choices. With increased ICE activity creating fear and uncertainty, some families are avoiding grocery stores and public spaces altogether, making it even harder to access the food they need.

We refuse to look away.

That’s why we’re launching the first Care Team project: community-built food boxes for Latine and Afghan immigrant patients and families at Health Brigade.

These aren’t just food boxes. They’re a reminder that our neighbors are not alone. They’re an act of solidarity. A way to say: we see you, we care about you, and we will show up for each other.

You don’t need special skills or a lot of time to make a difference. Gather some friends, coworkers, family members, or neighbors and build a culturally appropriate food box. We’ll provide the guidance—you provide the care.

In moments like these, community is not a feeling. It’s something we do.

Want to build a box? Check the link in our bio or visit careisresistance.org to get started.

06/02/2026

Feeling overwhelmed? Looking for healthier ways to cope with stress?

Join us on Tuesday afternoons for a free group focused on stress management, self-care, and building healthier coping skills in a supportive environment.

📅 Tuesdays, June 9 – July 21
⏰ 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
📍 In person at Health Brigade or online
✅ No registration required
✅ Open to the public

Whether you're managing everyday stress, trying to make more time for yourself, or looking for alternatives to smoking as a way to cope, you're welcome to join us.

Stress less. Breathe more. Connect.

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

Solito

"I was reading Solito. That's what launched it.

It's about a 9-year-old kid from El Salvador who immigrates here by himself, without any family. He meets a lot of people on the way that become like second family, but he's very scared. It's told from the perspective of this, like, innocent 9-year-old child.

Throughout the journey he's like, 'I'm excited. I'm going on an adventure,' not knowing the reality of what that adventure entails. You kind of see the hardships throughout the book. I cried like every chapter or something. It's like the reality for so many kids is that you stay with your grandparents, your parents are in America, and then having to immigrate by yourself, you know?

I remember being on this trip in El Salvador reading about this little Salvadorian kid and remembering my friend from high school. I was like, 'Damn, you immigrated here when you were a kid by yourself. This book is you. That's crazy.'
He came to the United States when he was like 8 years old. Everybody was fleeing El Salvador at that time, like his family was fleeing violence because the gangs were taking over his town.

When I got back from the trip, I texted him and said, 'Hey, I got you something.' It was the coffee from his town.

When he came over and smelled it, he got kind of emotional because he was like, 'Damn, this smells just how I remember it. This is exactly what I used to have every morning before going to school with my grandma.'

A few weeks later he texted me and said, 'Yeah, it took me all the way back. You know, that was the best coffee I've ever had. I just can't believe I got that again.'
It's like for a moment, he was back home, you know?"

Photos by Patience Salgado /
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Every act of care holds a story. Through the Care is Resistance Storytelling Project, 10 local photographers are helping us document stories of care across our community and at Health Brigade. You can also share your own story on our CiR website- check the link in our profile!

05/22/2026

Dziko
"I just hope that our participants know that we really do care about the way that we serve them and the way we care about them. That we really do care about them. You are not a screw up because you’re dealing with some stuff. I just wish people knew that. So I think we try to tell people that a lot. A lot of people walk up to us and say ‘I’m f*cking up, I know y'all are disappointed.’
Actually I’m not, I’m super happy to see you. Because a lot of people we can’t reach- their phone may be disconnected or they may not be on a specific side of town so we don’t usually see them, and then when we see them it’s like ‘oh my God, we’ve been thinking about you!’

So I wish that people knew that there are people who care about them, who love them, and care about their wellbeing. We really do care if they have wound care, menstrual products and socks, because we do. I know it sounds so corny but this is really what we do every day.

There are so many people we have lost. We feel that loss every time we go to Church Hill or Southside. There’s a participant who says 'Miss Dziko, can I have a dollar, can I have a cigarette, can I have a piece of candy, can I have that purse when you don’t want to use it anymore?'

When you show up with that purse and they’re like 'Oh you remember Miss Dziko, you remembered my birthday!' That just trumps all the quarterly reports we have to do and the deliverables and all that stuff."

Dziko Singleton, R-CPRS, BHT, SUD Ed. Counselor
Comprehensive Harm Reduction Program Coordinator

Health Brigade's Comprehensive Harm Reduction Program has 6,000+ participants enrolled and is the largest in the state of Virginia serving 250+ people weekly in three locations around Richmond.
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Every act of care holds a story. Through the Care Is Resistance Storytelling Project, 10 local photographers are helping us document stories of care across our community and at Health Brigade. You can also share your own story on our CiR website!
📷: Patience Salgado

05/20/2026

Care is Resistance means meeting people where they are with dignity, compassion, and care that refuses to give up on anyone.

Health Brigade’s comprehensive harm reduction program began in 2018 as Richmond’s first syringe exchange service program, starting with just 11 participants. What began as a small act of community care has grown into a vital, citywide effort rooted in trust, safety, and survival.

Today, our harm reduction team provides mobile services across multiple Richmond neighborhoods, bringing supplies, wound care, referrals, education, and judgment-free support directly into community.

And honestly? We’re proud of that. Proud of every mile traveled, every person welcomed without judgment, every relationship built over time, and every life touched along the way.

Care is action. Care is solidarity. Care is resistance.

05/19/2026

🎨 The Art Brigade is back for its 35th exhibition! Join us for an evening celebrating the powerful work of Yoan Tsvetanov & Simeon Stamenov — a father-and-son showcase exploring creativity, memory, movement, and expression through bold contemporary art.

🗓 Thursday, May 28, 2026
⏰ 5:30–7 PM
🎤 Artist presentation at 6 PM
📍 Health Brigade — 1010 North Thompson Street, Richmond, VA

Free admission, refreshments, and artwork available for sale.

This exhibition is a celebration of art, legacy, and community.

05/18/2026

Belinda

“I am from Richmond and I am retired, so I volunteer here at Matchbox Mutual Aid. If someone wants to know Richmond, I can show them around. I ride the bus. I don’t drive. So I can help them get around on the bus schedule.

Richmond is home. There’s a lot of art and culture. There are a lot of good people here – a lot of caring people. I’ve just been getting over cancer. I love Massey Cancer Center. I love the VCU area. There are a lot of things to do here.

What brings me joy? Living here with my friends and my family. Talking to you brings me joy. This place here (Matchbox Mutual Aid) brings me joy. We help people that are hungry have food to eat and be able to feed their families. I am giving back to the community what the community gave me when I was down on my luck. Everybody needs a little helping hand when they are down on their luck.

Kindness is being grateful, being humble, and having gratitude. They say: “The meek shall inherit the earth.” It means being humble – showing your gratitude more than your pride. Be proud of what you’ve become, not where you’re at. It means being kind to yourself.”

Photos by Phuong Tran /
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Every act of care holds a story. Through the Care Is Resistance Storytelling Project, 10 local photographers are helping us document stories of care across our community and at Health Brigade. You can also share your own story on our CiR website!

Thank you to for being an important part of Richmond’s mutual aid network and the homebase for , an initiative combatting food insecurity in the Richmond area. There are currently 14 fridges in the city, each providing 24/7 access to food.

04/24/2026

We’re hiring! 💊

Health Brigade is looking for a part-time, temporary (3-month) Pharmacy Technician to join our medical clinic team. This role is at the heart of patient care—supporting medication access programs that directly improve the health and well-being of our community.

Our ideal candidate will coordinate medication assistance programs, work closely with patients, and help manage the screening, processing, and dispensing of essential medications—all while collaborating with dedicated staff and volunteers.

If you’re passionate about making healthcare more accessible and being part of a mission-driven team, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today or share with someone who might be a great fit!