Dear John,

Over the past years, Grassroots Leadership has successfully prepared for and responded to crises, from reuniting women detained at the notorious T. Don Hutto detention center with their children, to responding to ICE raids in our community, to working with communities as they navigate the criminal legal system. And John, we have never been able to do this without your support. 

In the first few weeks following the COVID-19 pandemic declaration, we surveyed our more than 150 members directly impacted by the immigration and criminal legal systems.  More than 100 people stated they had immediate needs they needed support with.

As a response, we created a small rapid assistance fund from our emergency funds to provide over 50 individuals with an average assistance amount of $250 over the past month and recently worked with the City of Austin to create a local fund.  However, the need from the communities we serve is much more urgent and vast than our current systems allow us to fulfill. 

Please make a donation to support our solidarity fund for undocumented people, currently detained and incarcerated folks, and formerly incarcerated people. 100% of donations to this fund will be donated in cash assistance to people in need in Texas.

Many of our members are not citizens, are currently and formerly incarcerated, and are people who survive in the cash economy. Many of them will be excluded from the federal stimulus. While many people in Austin will be eligible for the local economic relief fund, that relief is not expected to be fully functional for several weeks. This also leaves out our members in Houston and in the counties surrounding Austin where much of our membership has moved because of rising costs. 

By donating, here's how you would be able to support families in need:

🧼 $20 - 4 bars of soap at T. Don Hutto

📞 $35 - Jail calling card

🍞 $50 - Jail commissary for 2 people 

🧻$100 - Household goods for 3 families

🥙$500 - Groceries for 2 families

🏘$1,200 - Rent support for 3 families

🌅$5,000 - Emergency bond payment

We know that our work is not yet done. While our fundraising efforts continue, we will keep working hard and fight towards decarceration in our communities as well as change the systems and policies in place that criminalize and harm our communities. 

Thanks for helping us take care of our communities during this time. We hope you’re well.

In solidarity,
Annette Price and Claudia Muñoz Acting Co-Executive Directors