A crisis approaching the scale of Hurricane Katrina is happening across the state of Texas right now.
In response to the crisis, we are providing emergency grant support to three community-led organizations working to protect mothers and their families as they struggle to make their way back from the devastation of the events. These groups are bringing help to mothers and families who need it most, from cooking and delivering food and clean water, to securing and distributing diapers and formula, to helping families make rent payments to avoid eviction.
We know that when crises hit, the burden is not equally shared.
We know that across the United States, Black and Indigenous women are 2-3 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth related causes than their white counterparts. And we’ve seen, for more than a year now, the disproportionate and deadly impact COVID has had on BIPOC communities.
The impact of this storm’s trajectory was no different.
Please consider joining us in supporting our partners on the ground who are actively helping families in Texas rebound:
The Shades of Blue Project in Houston, TX
In the aftermath of Texas’ winter storm, Shades of Blue quickly mobilized to support community members after learning that traditional aid support was not meeting people’s needs. Other organizations restricted assistance to a handful of zip codes or were donating groceries that need to be refrigerated to people who have nowhere to stay and no refrigerator to store food, and others offered meals, but people didn’t have gas money to drive to pick them up. To support pregnant and childbearing individuals and families during this time, Shades of Blue is distributing essential pregnancy and baby items and visa gift cards to allow people the flexibility to cover their most critical needs, including food, water, gas, and shelter.
Support their efforts here:
- Via Paypal:
- Via Cash App: $someonelikeme
Sueños Sin Fronteras de Tejas (SSFTX) in San Antonio, TX
Sueños Sin Fronteras de Tejas (SSFTX) is a Latinx, Women of Color-led collective that works to increase better health and healing outcomes for immigrant and undocumented women and their families in South Texas through community-driven programming and advocacy. After the storm in Texas left thousands without electricity, water, and heat, information about resources quickly became available, but this information was mostly circulating the web and in English, limiting access to many families and communities in need. The SSFTX team responded by launching a support hotline to provide an access point for immigrant and undocumented women and families to receive help navigating and connecting with resources, and on a case-by-case basis, is providing monetary assistance and material goods as well as referrals to help individuals access health care and support services.
Support their efforts here:
Mama Sana / Communities of Color United in Austin, TX
Mama Sana Vibrant Woman is an Austin-based collective of Black and Brown mamas that provides culturally resonant and quality prenatal and postnatal care to mothers in Austin, Texas. Because of their nimble work structure, Mama Sana was able to pivot their mobilizing efforts almost immediately after the storm hit. With hours, they mobilized volunteers to provide direct relief to the hardest hit families–largely low-resourced Black and Brown communities. Through the crisis, the collective cooked meals around the clock and drove them to families in need, creating shifts and spreadsheets to ensure all mothers had groceries and baby essentials like diapers, and ensuring on an item-by-item basis that no family went without. In the aftermath, they are distributing water and also increasing their direct payments to aid families with bills and rent, which many will be unable to pay due to loss of ability to work during the crisis.