Announcement from the Executive Director

Hello friends, allies, partners, and everyone who has shown up for me and Apiary,

A little over five years ago, a coffee and a cocktail with a long-time ally and friend changed my life. Sitting in a now-departed Brooklyn bar, Odile Schalit and I first talked about creating a space specifically for practical support organizations in a quickly shifting abortion access landscape. A few months later, Diana Parker-Kafka joined the conversation and we became co-founders of what is now Apiary for Practical Support.

We, as an organization and as a movement, have weathered a lot in those years. The COVID epidemic, the murder of George Floyd, Texas enacting SB-8, the end of Roe v. Wade, the destruction of Gaza, the re-election of Donald Trump. Change has been the one constant.

And internally, much has also changed. In 2021, Tessa Benson joined me as co-builder and together we created shared spaces for our community, worked to identify ways to grow, and built a team. Flash forward to 2024, we’ve had four people—Sara, Ayé, Naduah, and Jordan—focused on building out our programs and Kymberlie holding our operations and finance, lending their technical support to the community, and contractors to help fill in the gaps. 

We’ve also had transitions. Last year, Tessa moved on and last month, our Hivemind Manager, Naduah, left for an incredible new position.  Politically, the winds have continued to shift and change, and the abortion access movement has along with it.

And so it is time for one more transition: at the end of January, I am stepping down from my role as Executive Director to make space for the next iteration of Apiary. I am so proud of the organization this idea has become. I am so proud of the team that we have built, of the services we have been able to offer, of the power of this community. Now, it’s time for a new chapter for the organization as it continues to grow to meet the shifts and changes of the abortion access movement.

When we started this project, we had one core value: to show up for a community that sorely needed reinforcements. The world didn’t know about practical support, and so many of the groups building these services felt like they were making it up as they went. This year, we conducted our first ever community survey and one response particularly struck me:

“Apiary is a part of all of our work.”

My goal was always to create something that made the work of practical support easier for the people on the ground, that felt meaningful and instructive, and made them feel like we have their back. I’m proud to know that that is exactly the legacy we have built.

One thing is absolutely clear: we are not going anywhere. This fight is far from over and neither are we. In fact, we will be stronger, more resilient, more responsive to our community. Apiary was founded on the power of community and collaboration, and it’s that foundation that will allow us to meet whatever comes next.

Thank you to everyone who helped this organization become what it is. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Apiary and for this movement. Onward!

Marisa Falcon
Executive Director