Dear family and friends,

Linda and Anna here. We are neighbors and friends, and both avid gardeners. A couple of months ago, we both needed help in our gardens, and we wanted to find someone good — not a stranger from Facebook, or an exploitative company. So we reached out to Village Institute and asked if they knew any community members looking for gardening work.

The good folks at the Village Institute put us in touch with a family. We’ll call them “Family T.” The adults in Family T helped with our garden projects, and over the past few months we have gotten to know them. They are hard-working, kind, gracious, funny, persevering, and upstanding, and they are extraordinary parents. They are doing everything in their power to give their three children a good life.

Family T has faced many setbacks in recent months, most a result of cruel policies coming out of Washington. Because of these setbacks, they have fallen behind on rent. Family T has already pursued many avenues for possible support, but these are challenging times, and rental assistance programs are stretched thin. What’s left is… Us! Community! Can we help this lovely family stay housed??

One of the adults in family T is starting a new job that will make it possible for the family to get back on their feet in 1-2 months. They currently have $300 for August rent. We are raising the remainder of their August and September rental payments.

Monthly rent, including late fees, is $1,564. Two months (August and September), minus $300, = $2,828. Processing fees for donations made by credit cards is 2.9% (standard across platforms). Accounting for that, we are setting a goal of $2,910. If we can raise more, we will donate anything above $2910 to the Village Institute to support other newcomer families.

Please help us if you can. Let’s do this!!

With love,

Linda and Anna