Dear Aileen’s fam,
It’s May and we wanted to update you about how Aileen’s is continuing to support our women and our communities.
Since the lockdown began mid-March, we noticed that many services for communities experiencing homelessness and poverty have shut down. For example, there used to be a van parked near our space every week operated by a faith-based group that provided food and resources to our folks but no longer. In response, we decided to take over their location and now our staff and peer leaders are there twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) providing food, clothes, supplies, and more. Please see our social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) for some photos!
We also temporarily extended our services to anyone who needs them (as opposed to just women who engage in sex trade) as the community needs were far greater than ever before. COVID-19 isn’t the only emergency faced by this population, as access to food, clean water, public restrooms, showers, laundry, place to rest, etc. have become sparse. We can’t replace everything that is missing, but we are doing what we can.
We have received a couple of grants as well as generous donations from our friends and family, but we often run out of things to give out during first hour or less, so your continued support is desperately needed at this time. Most desired items are: food, good clothes, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, tarps, hygiene items, gift cards to grocery stores. Please see our complete and updated wishlist.
We of course appreciate $$$ donations. For monthly donations, go to Patreon; One-time donations can be made via GoFundMe. If you need a donation receipt for tax purposes, we need to process it differently so please contact us.
Please take care of yourself and our community and let’s live through this together.