Month: March 2021

Love in the Time of Coronavirus—One Year In

~ stand4welcome ~ Leave a comment

One year in, and coronavirus is still with us. One year in, I’m hopeful to receive a vaccination soon! One year in, I received another stimulus deposit in my bank account, the biggest one yet. And one year in, I’ve revised this giving list with updated vetting and more organizations that serve immigrants, especially along the border.

Did you know that undocumented immigrants—people who pay sales tax, property tax, and often even income tax (using an ITIN or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number rather than a social security number) don’t receive any stimulus money? These are people that often work in housekeeping, food service, construction, landscaping, and other vulnerable fields. Many of them have lost their jobs and their incomes because of the coronavirus, and are precisely the people that need economic aid, relief, and security. In 2017 undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $27.2 billion in taxes! (https://americasvoice.org/blog/immigration-101-immigrant-taxes/) But they’re not eligible to ever receive Social Security, unemployment benefits, Medicaid, or stimulus relief. So what does loving my neighbor in this time look like?

If you, like me, don’t strictly need all of the latest stimulus money, please consider donating some or all of it to the people who need it most, to feed their families and pay rent and utilities. I offer here several suggestions of organizations that would be grateful to steward your gift in order to help those who need it most, regardless of immigration status. The organizations are listed by geographical region and by services offered.

Rest assured that donating your stimulus money to undocumented immigrants and others in need will have a direct positive effect on the economy, as these neighbors spend the money locally on necessities such as groceries, utilities, and rent. What is aid, relief, and security to these friends quickly becomes stimulus to the economy for all of us. Please, give generously and share widely.

Colorado

Border States (CA, AZ, TX)

Other Regions

Nationwide

Emergency Relief / Direct Humanitarian Aid / Social Services

Legal Services

Bond Funds