Concrete Ways to Help Suggestion Thread

[Lalaith]

As per Dave's suggestion, I am starting this thread for anyone to offer up concrete suggestions on how to help those in need, particularly those who will be most affected by a Trump presidency/Republican Congress.

Here is one thing I did today:

http://momastery.com/blog/2016/11/09/match-day/

It may be too late to get in on the action because these opportunities are filled quickly! However, the organization itself is worth looking into.

https://togetherrising.org/

They periodically have special projects; past projects have included raising funds to help refugees and quick projects with $25 spending caps for "love flash mob" needs (like a van for a disabled person, service dogs for those in need, cancer research, providing material needs to single mothers in abusive situations, etc.). There's always something new going on, some of it domestic and some of it international. The Compassion Collective includes Brené Brown, Cheryl Strayed, Rob Bell and Elizabeth Gilbert (and Glennon Doyle Melton). Another great project they have ongoing is to help homeless youths in America, recognizing that many of those young people are LGBQT.

I suspect that Glennon and the rest will have their ears open for how to help others specifically post-Trump.


The Standing Rock Camp is accepting donations to help in their fight against the oil pipeline. http://sacredstonecamp.org/supply-list/ This is one way to tangibly help our Native Americans. (I don't know that Trump has ever said anything against them, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had. Certainly, they have gotten a crappy deal out of this whole America experiment.)

If you don't care about the pipeline or you think it's actually a good idea, then the Navajo Water Project is another way to help Native Americans by helping them obtain safe, clean water. https://navajowaterproject.org/


So what else? Trump has demeaned women, minorities, immigrants, and the disabled. He is a threat to LGBQT rights. Who else?

We can't do anything now about him being president, but we can look for ways to help each other. Maybe that will bring healing to some of the division in this country. Maybe.

I don't know. At the very least, we can do some good to others.

[Dave_LF]

Thanks for this. I hope to come up with some ideas of my own after work. It's not quite correct to say I live in the sticks, but it's not quite incorrect either, and there seems to be a certain lack of charitable organizations in the vicinity. Which is a bit surprising given the level of need, but I suppose that just goes to show the system was already failing many people badly.

[Inanna]

Since Christie cut funding to NJ's planned parenthood I've been giving them a monthly donation. I was actually planning to stop that - because, well, expenses. But now I won't.


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[Dave_LF]

B found this:
http://jezebel.com/a-list-of-pro-women- ... 1788752078

[Lalaith]

That's a great list, Dave! Thank B for us! There are a couple of sexual assault organizations on there that especially speak to me.

And, Inanna, I think that's great.



(I'm sorry the thread title is so clunky. I couldn't think of anything else off the top of my head.)

[Cerin]

(post moved to election thread)

[Lalaith]

(Thank you, Cerin. I appreciate you doing that.)

[Inanna]

Yes, I think sexual assault, harassment and that entire gamut of..... things is what I feel might need the most help. I will look into that.


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[yovargas]

My oldest and closest friend is a Haitian immigrant here in the US for many years on a visa. He's been wanting for some time to file the paper work to start the process to residency but it's expensive and he has next to no money. I plan on just saying f*ck it and loan him whatever money he needs asap. I don't think there's any reason to think he would be specifically targeted but it's not worth the risk of waiting now that we'll have an unstable madman for a leader.

[Lalaith]

yovi, I think that is a brilliant and lovely thing for you to do!

[Jude]

yov, would it be possible to start a GoFundMe for him and share the link here? Some of us could chip in a few bucks...

[axordil]

I'm with Jude.

[Lalaith]

Same here!

[Inanna]

Me too.


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[yovargas]

It's a very kind offer. He may not be comfortable taking money from strangers but it's worth asking.

[Frelga]

That's a good idea, Jude.

[Frelga]

Jezebel has a list here http://jezebel.com/a-list-of-pro-women- ... 1788752078

I understand that pro-choice organizations may not be everyone's thing, but there are plenty of other suggestions.

[Jude]

It's a very kind offer. He may not be comfortable taking money from strangers but it's worth asking.

Maybe not, but would he object to you organizing it and setting it up?

[narya]

Kiva.org for micro-financing all over the world, and in the USA. I've been doing it for years, as a way to empower others. Seamstresses, guinea pig farmers, furniture makers, taco truck vendors, whomever you find inspired to help.

Call your local 211 and find out who is helping out with your favorite issue (helping the homeless, immigrants, non-English speakers, disabled, mentally ill, imprisoned, hungry, LGBT, runaway/throwaway, trafficked, illiterate, furry, etc.). Then call those organizations and ask them what they need the most, be it fund raising support, volunteer hours, lobbying your elected officials, or whatever.

[Dave_LF]

Thank you for these suggestions (and keep them coming). I have a few inquiries out there, and am just waiting to hear back--I'm hoping the delay is because these organizations are being flooded with requests right now. And I think that's a reasonable hope, because I've been watching all sorts of people independently come to the conclusion that this is what we need to do. That is a hopeful sign. It may be that I was simply too young or too disconnected to notice at the time (no Facebook back then), but I don't remember seeing that sort of reaction during the Bush years.