As depressing as it has been to learn that one American clothing manufacturer after another is now defunct, it’s also been a great experience to discover and support those manufacturers that are still here and making great products. If you can help source any of the above items, we’d certainly love the help. Let us know what you find in the comments, or drop us a line at fdlmembers DOT gmail DOT com.

During the holiday season, it gets really depressing to hear conventional wisdom demanding ever-increasing levels of austerity from those who can least afford it.  The Occupy Wall Street movement has been a beacon of hope to many of us, and it has been a truly remarkable experience to work together with liaisons across the country not only to get supplies to them, but to do so in a way that expresses our values and develops a model of economic sustainability.

If I’ve been a bit AWOL from the front page lately, it’s because everyone at the FDL Membership Program has been workingnon-stop to secure OccupySupply goods and training members to be liaisons to distribute them. Glenn Greenwald has a great piece up on OccupySupply this morning, featuring Ryan Cook in his OccupySupply shack (with great photos by Jon Walker).

Over the past week, I have been organizing what is being called my “OccupySupply Shop.” I have neatly organized all the supplies that have come in, minus around 250 blankets, that just won’t fit anywhere. Those are getting shipped out quickly.

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes for the past few weeks with FDL members on the OccupySupply program. So far the FDL Membership Program has raised $83,583.88 and spent $42,833.96 on supplies, and we are proud to report that union made hats, scarves and socks are now on their way to 40 Occupations across the country.

The Firedoglake Membership Program’s #OccupySupply fund just received our first shipment of cold weather supplies for occupations across the country. With a lot of hard work and determination, we were able to purchase 5000 pieces of clothing for extreme cold weather, made in the USA by union workers. Simply amazing.

Now we’re looking for leaders to help us get it all out there.

Kevin is on a tour of Occupation sites in the Midwest. He’ll be visiting the sites, talking to and interviewing occupiers, and getting a feel for where they are and what they need. He’ll also be delivering needed supplies using funds donated to FDL’s OccupySupply fund.