Not Invisible Community Fund

Through my work, I've met many wonderful undocumented people across the country who proudly and diligently do low-wage work, many of them day laborers, housekeepers, deli work, deliveries, construction, and they're out of jobs because of the pandemic. THEY HAVE NO SAFETY NET. NO HEALTH INSURANCE. LITTLE TO NO SAVINGS. My friend J. has been fundraising through her friends, and I've been fundraising through my friends and through my networks. You have all been so kind. We've been dispensing the money to help out-of-work immigrants with groceries, rent, essentials. We've not only helped undocumented people but first-gen, low-income students who financially support their families and cannot do it alone. So far we have saved two penniless single-mom families from going to loan sharks to make rent, bought two affordable computers for children to do online schooling, and are covering weekly grocery stipends for several families.  WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN DO MORE. I hope people still contribute to the Venmo (@kcornejov)  because many of the people Venmo, but some Zelle (or someone in their family does), and GoFundMe can help me have funds to do that.

I will also use some of these funds to make donations to worker centers because they know how to help the collective and the community.

I do not believe it is appropriate for me to communicate specific details of my undocumented family's relief at receiving help, it is a betrayal of their trust in me. I will not feed a dynamic of charity-giving that requires a manifestation of pain for the giver to feel rewarded. Just know that on several occasions, the women I have shared Community Funds with have cried, once to the point of not being able to utter one word, twice to the point of saying this reinforced their belief that there was a God. 

Sharing what we have reinforces my belief that to be human is to have the capacity for empathy. And I hope you can all help me take care of the most vulnerable among us.