We find ourselves in a global crisis. While many of us are in great need of support, there are others who are now being presented with opportunities to show up for their fellow humans in a big way. Right now, so many people are suffering from loss of employment, financial instability that directly affects their ability to pay rent and feed their families; there are marginalized populations who already experience instability in times of "normalcy" whose suffering is now compounded; there are unjust responses to this crisis which keep others from receiving the support that they need.
Though we are "all in this together" we are not all experiencing this crisis equally, and it's now more important than ever to be of service in any way we can, no matter how small. So much of what is happening right now is beyond our control. But if you are someone who is surviving this pandemic with a measure of ease, or who has resources that you are willing and able to share, now is the time to step up and be a humanitarian; if we do this, there's a better chance that our future will be a place where all of us can thrive.
Austin: Local Giving Opportunities
AISD Crisis Support Fund
Donations will help expand food services to provide weekend packs so families can have food security beyond daily weekday meals. The donations will also support health programs and remote learning for students.
Central Texas Food Bank
The best way to help our neighbors in need is by making a monetary donation. This gives CTFB the flexibility to purchase exactly what they need for this situation. Thanks to their purchasing power, they can stretch a $1 donation to provide four meals for families in need!
Connections
As donations of food, clothing and other supplies can’t be accepted right now, monetary contributions will provide basic necessities to homeless, abused and at-risk youth in 17 counties, including Bastrop.
Just COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund
In the wake of COVID-19, JUST’s community of female entrepreneurs, many of them single parents, are unable to generate income. It goes without saying that a housekeeper is unable to do her job from the comfort of her home. Just as food vendors, catering providers and hairdressers cannot earn a living without clients.
Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund
Contributions go to individual food-and-beverage workers in crisis.
Support for Marginalized Groups
Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 relief fund
The SLC Air Protectors would like to request your support in this pressing matter. The Navajo Nation consists of around 300,000 people and is currently facing an especially bad outbreak of COVID-19 within their communities. They and the Hopi nation are in need of medical supplies, food, and monetary help to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We humbly ask for your assistance in this matter by supporting our Fundraiser. 100% of these donations will go towards food supplies, medical supplies, and transportation of all donations to the Navajo/Hopi Nation.
PNWA’s Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund
Native American communities need your help with the delivery of food, water, toilet paper, and other basics. Shortages exist every day on the reservations and supplies are needed now more than ever due to the coronavirus pandemic. Together, we will not leave Native Americans behind during the COVID-19 crisis.
Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund
At a national level, National Day Laborer Organizing Network has set up a fund to specifically allocate cash donations to worker leaders, organizers, and volunteers who have already contracted the coronavirus, as well as undocumented laborers over 60 and/or with disabilities and medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to the virus.
Rent Relief for Immigrants
Undocumented communities are one of the communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In addition, the language barrier has been making access to information on COVID-19 difficult to actually understand and be reached by those community members who do not speak or read english. Fundraising is one of the many ways that together as a community we can directly address and build bridges of support during these urgent times.
Support Migrant Women Farmers
Justice for Migrant Women and other farmworker-serving organizations are raising immediate funds to help keep farmworker families safe from COVID-19 as they work to feed us.
Support Undocu Black Workers
"Some of us are caregivers to our elders or parents of young ones. The lack of healthcare or childcare resources afforded to our communities leaves folks in limbo and in a constant state of stress."
— Muleba Sumbwe, Alive and Well Facilitator, UndocuBlack Network
Cash Isn't the Only Way to Give
In America, there is a dire shortage in blood supply now that blood banks are largely shut down. Though patients battling coronavirus are unlikely to need blood transfusions, hospitals rely on blood donations to treat those who do—whether it’s for a complicated birth, a patient with massive blood loss as the result of a traumatic car accident, or someone who is set to receive a critical organ transplant in the midst of the epidemic.
- Donate blood: You can find out the nearest location to safely donate blood using this tracker.
- Donate plasma: Another way to contribute is if you’ve been infected with coronavirus fully recovered, donating your convalescent plasma is especially helpful right now in investigational treatment efforts. You can sign up today and one day, it’s possible that your plasma could play a role in developing the cure to make us all safer.