“Our liberation is all connected,” says Sophia Iannacchione Ricci, Co-Director and Co-Founder of Black Thistle Street Aid. “...having a humanizing moment that touches into a person's humanity is one of the things we are best at—and it goes a long way. It sounds really simple, but it is actually really profound.”
Black Thistle Street Aid (BTSA) is a small but mighty team offering mobile, street-based medical care to unhoused individuals in Eugene and beyond. Their work is direct, relational, and grounded in radical trust and compassion. Whether it’s tending wounds, distributing first aid kits, or simply calling someone by their name, BTSA shows what it means to meet people exactly where they are.
Each month through Peace & Chai, we support grassroots organizations working at the heart of our community to create connection, equity, and peace. Our team member, Portia DiGioia, nominated Black Thistle Street Aid to be a recipient of Peace & Chai this month.
Peace & Chai Impact:
- We were able to contribute 1,200 cups of chai to Black Thistle Street Aid’s outreach team. Some was provided as individual pouches that can be passed out, while the rest will be brewed in larger batches at clinics and during street outreach, offering warmth and comfort on cold days. Alongside chai, we also contributed $250 to help sustain their outreach efforts.
![Blue Lotus Chai team member, Portia DiGioia: "[Black Thistle Street Aid does] amazing and desperately needed work to help our most vulnerable community members receive resources and medical care that they can’t normally access..."](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0602/5468/3369/files/3_7f338aa6-a024-4feb-a149-dc28023e37c0.png?v=1756936311)
We got the chance to talk to Sophia and learn more about what goes into the outreach that Black Thistle Street Aid does.
What does a typical day of outreach look like for you and your team?
“Black Thistle is a small team of volunteers, and each day/week/month and season looks so different! Our primary way of engaging people is via foot-based outreach. We pack bags and walk or hike into spots where we know folks are most likely to be. This can be anywhere from downtown, down river banks, or up railroad tracks. Because we have a lot of pre-existing long-standing relationships with the different individuals and communities of folks on the streets, we have a general idea of where folks are or will be. We start the morning by checking in on where we will be going, and then pack accordingly. We usually have one team that includes an herbalist, a nurse, and a physician, plus someone available as a resource navigator. On non-outreach days, we field calls and inquiries for folks about what they need—dropping in on people to provide follow-up from anything to wound care, medical supplies, or more engagement around particular resource needs, etc.”
What kind of care or support do you provide that people might not expect from a street outreach team?
“Our mission is medical care, but we meet medical needs by meeting other types of needs. One of our biggest ways of meeting needs is via harm reduction supply distribution. But also, sometimes working to support people in getting their other needs met is crucial to meeting their medical needs. This can be really difficult when the reality of living on the streets is criminalized, and there are not actually many appropriate or viable shelter options.
We also have a really strong relationship with Our Community Birth Center, so we are able to get reproductive health-related needs met easily; everything from pregnancy care to STI testing and gender affirming care. It often comes as a surprise that there are pregnant folks on the streets as well. Something that also comes as a surprise is the amount of wound care we do. Living without running water or a place to lie down exacerbates wounds that would otherwise heal easily. Our wound care team provides incredibly versatile and outstanding care.
Sophia continued to explain that "because Black Thistle’s care is medical-focused," they often witness how gaps in the healthcare and social systems impact those with chronic conditions. Black Thistle Street Aid's commitment to holistic outreach reflects a broader understanding: when we support people’s immediate needs with dignity and consistency, we’re contributing to something much larger—health justice, compassion, and the belief that everyone deserves to feel safe, seen, and cared for. "Our liberation is all connected,” says, Sophia.
(L-R) Portia DiGioia, Blue Lotus Chai, Leigh Galbrait, Black Thistle Street Aid's wound care nurse, and Mika Tuesday-Wagner Blue Lotus Chai
How do you build trust with the people you serve—and why is that so important in this work?
“In a society that others folks who live in the margins, building trust is crucial for actually being able to build relationships and provide care. Additionally, because the healthcare industry has been so harmful to so many, we understand the extra bridge we need to cross in order to get people the care they need and deserve.
The first part of building trust is by literally meeting people where they are at, removing as many barriers as possible to care. Then following up and following through when we say we are going to. We also really value that our team has so much lived experience across the board in many realms—and that we won't be shaken by anything anyone shares or by the reality anyone is living in.
Showing up genuinely and following through goes a long way. We value having a team of individuals who are doing the work on themselves as well as the work in the world. Deeply understanding that lives, realities, relationships, addiction, etc., are all complex, and we all have survival needs that we all work to get met. How we show up matters, and mostly it matters in how we are able to build trust with folks.”
“Can you share a moment or a story that really sticks with you from your outreach?”
“There are so many moments that reflect the heart of the work we do. We are constantly told that we 'save lives' or 'are the only ones folks can trust,' but one that sticks out to me always is a moment on outreach when we stopped by a tent to check on some folks.
One of our team members greeted the young woman in the tent by name and asked how she was doing as she looked her in the eye. The young woman was shocked and taken aback that we remembered her name, and then she began to immediately open up. So many folks on the streets are constantly dehumanized, so having a humanizing moment that touches into a person's humanity is one of the things we are best at and goes a long way. It sounds really simple, but it is actually really profound.”
How You Can Support Black Thistle Street Aid
"We are a small team of volunteers, and because of the nature of our work, we don't frequently take on new volunteers. We give out a lot of first aid kits, so invite folks to have first aid kit-making parties with their people to then donate to us (there are really great directions on our website of what a first aid kit looks like).
Financial donations spread far, and every donation goes right back into the folks we serve—from snacks and food we hand out on outreach, to hotel vouchers for medical respite stays. We post frequently on our social media different opportunities and things we are up to so folks can follow us on there to stay informed about what's happening!" says Sophia.
What Your Donation Makes Possible
|
$25 |
Provides 20 first aid kits for street outreach |
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$50 |
Covers a tent & sleeping bag for someone in need |
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$100 |
Funds hygiene, food, and basic needs for someone in medical recuperation |
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$250 |
Supports ongoing monthly outreach services |
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$500 |
Provides a 5-night hotel stay for someone recovering from a medical crisis |
Every cup of chai you drink helps Blue Lotus Chai support grassroots care like Black Thistle Street Aid. Thank you for being part of Peace & Chai.