In a pre-apocalyptic world, I set aside a bit of money to get out of the house each week. I wrote in a coffee shop just to reconnect with humanity for a little while. And I met a friend for lunch to shake the rust off the ol' social skills. I doubt my $20 was a make-it-or-break-it investment in my community, but my $20 along with everyone else's kept our social centers thriving and supported more jobs than I think any of us realized at the time. That was February 2020. This is now: Now, friends whose sole income was based off of conventions, book signings, school & library talks, food service, gift shopping, entertainment, and other socially interactive portions of the economy are looking at their bank accounts with genuine fear. Paycheck-to-paycheck just ended for a good many people. To that end, I've put together this list of things I'm doing to support folks who are staring down some rough times ahead. I'm transferring that $20/week that once went to maintaining my sanity to contributing $20/week to prop up my neighbors and friends. What can we do for the price of a coffee break and a lunch? community support checklist: $20/weekMarch 2, 2020: Supporting Elders Our elder population faces the biggest threat from covid. To that end, I donated one coffee break to Meals on Wheels to help support folks who most need to stay isolated during this epidemic. March 9, 2020: Supporting Those Already Threatened by Hunger Those facing poverty are also greatly threatened by a lack of income during this epidemic. Therefore, I sent one coffee break to Oregon Food Bank. March 16, 2020: Supporting Authors This week's coffee break went to my fellow authors, especially the independents. Many of these folks rely on speaking fees, signings, and teaching at schools/ conventions to supplement their online sales. (Very folks I know could survive solely off royalties.) I will list a few folks below, but please know that the creative community is vast and desperately in need of your support right now. Most ebooks are $5 or less. I purchased 4 with my coffee break money. March 23, 2020: Supporting Hillsboro's Relief Organizations A new week, a newer stay-home order from the governor's office. Our local government has been trying to create programs to support local residents. The Hillsboro Community Relief Fund is managed by the Hillsboro Community Foundation, the same foundation which manages the arts endowment for the Hillsboro Cultural Arts Council which I serve on. This money will go to local relief organizations. A brief search will bring up a similar fund in your area. March 30, 2020: Supporting Local Artists During these suppression efforts many local artists have lost their income. Performing artists, visual artists, literary artists, and more. Beyond losing access to their audiences, the supplemental income sources such as supporting schools and libraries in creative learning opportunities are also no longer available. The Regional Arts and Culture Council--which provided grants to support the publication and audio production of books 5, 6, and 8 of my THE GATES OF AURONA series (THANK YOU AGAIN!)--has now created The RACC Relief Fund to offset the almost $9 million in lost arts revenue in our region. Artists can apply for up to $500 in support money. This week's coffee money goes to with a huge heart to my many arts friends. Thank you for all that you do to make our lives more meaningful and to keep our economy thriving. I will continue to add to this checklist as the weeks pass. I hope you will share in the comments ways you've worked to support your community during these frightening times.
Love to you all, Tonya PS - Yes, the books are affiliate links and I may make a few pennies (literally) if you use my link to support one of those authors.
2 Comments
Tonya Macalino
3/24/2020 05:29:15 pm
Absolutely, and thank YOU for all that you do!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Details
The Story of Place
|