Friend, Our nation is facing two pandemics – COVID-19 and anti-blackness and white supremacy. Many of you have been on the front lines of our response to both by protesting for Black lives, urging governments to make deep systemic changes, distributing food and financial relief to communities hit hardest by COVID-19 and job losses, and ministering to those among us feeling weary and worn down by grief, anger, fear, and desperation. Thank you to all of you who are showing up, supporting the movement for Black lives, and caring for those hit hardest by both pandemics. We are so grateful to our clergy, volunteers, and grassroots leaders that continue to push for nothing less than justice. We are entering another pivotal moment in our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the financial protections that have sustained families through the pandemic are expected to expire in July. Eviction moratoriums across the country are ending, and people are faced with finding ways to pay back months of rent. COVID-19 unemployment ends at the end of this month, and families who received stimulus checks spent them long ago to keep their households afloat. We are reminded that many in our communities continue to be faced with the choice of going back to unsafe workplaces or supporting their loved ones. We are asking our network to continue to support those that are economically vulnerable across the country. In May, we launched a campaign to support immigrant families left out of COVID-19 relief packages. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we were able to receive a $10,000 matching gift this week, and our network of affiliate groups have raised over $100,000 to support immigrant families facing disproportionate economic impact from the pandemic. We are so grateful to our network for helping fuel resilience in immigrant communities across the country. The money we have raised has been an incredible resource for families struggling to have enough food on the table and pay rent. If you didn’t have the opportunity to give yet, please join our network of support! |