Some people are donating their stimulus checks to help immigrant families that don’t qualify for the assistance, and the money is being welcomed by the many charities trying to help.
A GoFundMe page encouraging people to donate their stimulus checks to help immigrant families was organized by a D.C. man in conjunction with the group Sanctuary DMV.
More than $400,000 had been raised by 5 p.m. Thursday.
Comments from donors are touching.
Coronavirus Cases in DC, Maryland and Virginia
COVID-19 cases by population in D.C. and by county in Maryland and Virginia
Source: DC, MD and VA Health Departments
Credit: Anisa Holmes / NBC Washington
One wrote, “I feel as though immigrants are just as much, if not more deserving than I am of economic relief, especially during this time. At this point, I am in the position where I am able to help.”
Another said, “Immigrants serve our country with their labor and deserve our help in their times of need.”
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Organizations that help people dealing with homelessness, or near homelessness, also are hard hit.
“The donations, right now, of stimulus checks would be helpful to us because the men and women that we serve are some of the folks that are being hardest hit by this crisis,” said Brian Carome of Street Sense Media.
Street Sense, which creates content to provide economic opportunities for the homeless while getting their voices heard, said it has had to lay off more than 150 vendors. It is currently being published online only.
“You know, the folks we work with were hurting before this came along,” Carome said.
Others have chosen to spend their stimulus checks at local restaurants, trying to keep as many staff as possible employed by doing delivery and takeout.
