RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update November 24, 2020
Quote of the Week
“Even though it seems late, Congress should not give up on controlling the spread of the virus and should make battling COVID-19 their No. 1 priority.”
– RESULTS Dallas volunteer Zhonghui Liu in a November 22 letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News
Table of Contents
RESULTS wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
U.S. and Global Poverty Campaigns Update
Got Ten Minutes? Use Thanksgiving media to push for COVID relief
As the nation celebrates Thanksgiving on Thursday, it will be like no holiday in recent memory. Families will gather, albeit in smaller groups, amidst a global pandemic that has upended lives around the globe. For many, COVID-19 is a great inconvenience and we long for a return to more familiar routines.
But for countless millions of people in the U.S. and abroad, the return to some semblance of normalcy is even more distant. In new data from the U.S. Census, 56 percent of U.S. households with children are “not very confident” they will be able to food for the next four weeks (see data tables here). And according to a September poll, 86 percent of Latino households with children, 66 percent of Black households with children, and 51 percent of White households with children reported serious financial problems during the pandemic (e.g. depleting savings, trouble paying bills, unable to afford medical care). A separate poll found that 55 percent of Native American households also were facing significant money issues.
Moreover, projections from the World Food Program are that global hunger will double, and The Lancet has indicated thousands of infants will suffer or die of severe malnutrition. Due to reduced healthcare services, an estimated 80 million children are at risk of vaccine-preventable disease, according to the WHO, Gavi, and UNICEF. AIDS, TB, and malaria cases and deaths are projected to rise to levels we haven’t seen in a long time, according to estimates by the WHO and Stop TB.
For these people, many of whom were already struggling before the outbreak, their lives are sliding from desperation to despair each day. But much of this hardship can easily be avoided. That is a cause for both outrage and hope. Congress has the power to relieve needless suffering by passing a strong, robust COVID-19 relief bill that provides low-income families the resources they need to get through this crisis.
Members of Congress are home this week for the holiday. Use local media to tell them in no uncertain terms that when they return to Washington next week, you expect them to work tirelessly to pass a new COVID relief bill that priorities hunger, homelessness, and health.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to submit your own letters to the editor demanding Congress pass a COVID-19 bill that provides much need economic relief to those who need it most. Be sure to mention members of Congress by name, particularly Senate Republicans, urging them to pass a bill as soon as possible. Use our updated LTE templates to send your letters today:
- SNAP: Write a letter to the editor urging Congress to include a 15 percent boost in the maximum SNAP benefit do that hungry families can put food on the table this holiday season and beyond (you can also write a letter on housing assistance).
- Global Response: Write a letter to the editor calling on Congress to pass an emergency COVID-19 bill that helps those struggling from the pandemic in lower-income countries.
RESULTS Announcements
Give to the 2020 VTF Fundraising Campaign. It’s not too late to participate in the 2020 Virtual Thanksgiving Feast, running through the end of this week. Join other advocates across the country in an online peer-to-peer fundraiser to celebrate 40 years of RESULTS advocacy and to help fund our next chapter. If you can’t participate as a fundraiser, consider donating to another group’s event. Visit https://results.org/vtf to find campaign resources and ways to donate. Contact Mea Geizhals with any questions.
First 100 Days Campaign. We’re excited to help set a bold agenda against poverty in 2021. We’re not waiting around to see what policymakers decide to do in next year – we’re going to help shape what they do. For our 2021 First 100 Days campaign, that means meeting with every single Senate office and three quarters of House offices. An ambitious but achievable goal, especially with the best advocates around. We’ll have more details in the weeks to come but get started now by registering for our First 100 Days Kickoff Event on February 6.
Do group roadmaps in December. To get 2021 started off with zeal, please set a date in December to complete your 2021 Group Roadmaps (perhaps after the December 5 national webinar). The meeting should focus on celebrating recent victories, agreeing on leadership roles for your group, and making goals for banner year of advocacy. Start now by reading our 2021 Roadmap Guide and completing your Individual Planning Form before you meet next month (find them on our Outreach and Planning page under “My group wants to make our plans”). Online forms to complete your 2021 Roadmaps will be sent to groups next week. If you have questions, please contact Jos Linn.
RESULTS is hiring! RESULTS is seeking a highly motivated individual to fill the newly created position of Grassroots Impact Associate. If you are interested, please check out the job posting on our website.
Sign up for the RESULTS Fellowship. A few more spots remain in the 2021 RESULTS Fellowship class for emerging leaders age 20-30. For information on the program and how to apply, contact Yolanda Gordon.
Check out our new RESULTS video. Got 60 seconds? Take a look at this great new promotional video for RESULTS!
Receive action alerts via text. If you’d like to receive RESULTS alerts via text, please text RESULTS to 50457 to sign up.
Upcoming Events
Congressional schedule. Members of Congress are at home. Submit your remote meeting requests today.
Now through Friday, November 27. Virtual Thanksgiving Feast online fundraiser. Visit https://results.org/vtf for more information. Contact Mea Geizhals with any questions.
Thursday, November 26-Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving holiday break. All RESULTS offices closed.
Saturday, December 5: RESULTS National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828. You can also join by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828. Please register for the webinar to receive the password to login.
Tuesday, December 8: New Advocate Orientation, 12:00 pm ET. Sign up online.
Monday, December 14: Global Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 and 8:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/464361707 or, by phone, (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 464361707.
Tuesday, December 15: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 and 8:00 pm ET. For information on how to join, please contact Jos Linn.
Wednesday, December 16: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Sign up online.
Grassroots Resources
Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
To update volunteer info (e.g. subscribe to the Weekly Update or action alerts, add new advocate information, update an existing advocate’s information or preferences), use our Volunteer Information Form.
Find actions and volunteer resources on our Current Volunteers page, including our anti-oppression resources.
Remember to please report your recent grassroots successes in lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach activities.
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Lindsay Saunders at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports. Including our new special edition 2019 Annual Report.
RESULTS Staff directory.