This morning, Friday, Sept. 1st, we are launching the very 1st St. Louis relief effort for Hurricane Harvey, working closely with Houston churches and synagogues alongside Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee who have requested our help for specific items BELOW.

12 years ago we organized the 1st St. Louis relief effort for Hurricane Katrina, answering a Baton Rouge church’s cry for help who suddenly had over 200 survivors and families who walked from New Orleans with nothing.

Today we are answering Houston’s call for help —let’s show them this is what we do.

Please help by donating, bringing items, volunteering at these sites to collect & pack trucks, sharing this with every network you have.  

Donate right now HERE.  

DROP OFF LOCATIONS:  SATURDAY Sept 2 Noon through MONDAY Sept 4 6pm (we will be manning this locations around the clock and packing trucks until they are filled)

~Central Reform Congregation: 5020 Waterman Blvd, St. Louis 63108

~Westside Missionary Baptist Church: 2677 Dunn Road, St. Louis, 63136

~New Horizons 7th Day Christian Church:  206 Emerling Drive, St. Louis 63121

~Bethesda Temple Church: 5401 JA Johnson Lane, St. Louis, 63136

Specific Items Needed (ONLY THESE WILL BE ACCEPTED):

Cleaning Items –Wet vacs, plastic bins for debris, rolls of heavy contractor trash bags, chlorine bleach, disinfectants, Dawn dishwashing liquid, N95 or better masks for mold remediation, work gloves, rubber dishwashing gloves, latex gloves, Pinesol, paper towels, hand sanitizer, Lysol sanitizing wipes, packing tape & dispensers, packing boxes – all sizes, newsprint sheet packing paper (20 x 30), bubble wrap, Sharpies, Duck Tape, box and rotating fans

Personal care Items – diapers, formula, baby products, detergent, non-perishable food, pantry kept food, adult mosquito spray, fungicides, allergy medicine, personal hygiene items (NEW ONLY), first aid supplies, PediaSure, pediatric medicines of all kinds, adult reading glasses, Orajel (both adult and child).

Gift Cards – Target, Amazon, Home Depot

School Supplies – Backpacks with elementary school supplies (for Jewish day schools who lost everything)

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS FIGHT in MISSOURI CONTINUES

First, a big thank you to the hundreds of you who signed the recent ProgressWomen petition to the Missouri Demcratic Party – your voices from 146 zip codes throughout Missouri were extremely vital.

After joint op-ed’s in the St. Louis American by MDP Chair Stephen Webber and myself recently, I am confident your message of protecting reproductive rights was heard loud and clear.

THEN THIS HAPPENED

Steve Kraske, a columnist with the Kansas City Star, had this published today in the print edition:

Struggling Missouri Democratic Party can’t afford to impose an abortion litmus test

With only comments from males, including a gun rights pro-life term-limited former State Senator and Sen. Bernie Sanders, he made it clear that the Democratic Party everywhere needs to throw reproductive rights out the window —-so rural Democrats can win.

Without knowing or caring about the consequences of these punitive extreme pro-life bills, particularly on rural women and physicians in their districts.

Mr. Kraske knows my work in gun violence prevention.  He especially knows that using firearm terminology to make his point about my commitment to reproductive rights is in very poor taste.

I urge you, both male and female, respond by writing your own Letter to the Editor —SUBMIT IT HERE.  Your voices continue to make a difference. I am replying myself.

BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT

We can’t lose sight as this battle to protect reproductive rights is waged throughout the country —that the real villain is GOP extremists, like Missouri Governor Greitens, who advance numerous punitive abortion & reproductive healthcare bills each year.

We know their eventual goal is to overturn Roe v Wade and use their evangelical base to keep in power, regardless of effects on real women’s lives.

THEY are who we need to oppose —as we encourage & educate each other to step up and vote these extremists out.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1.  Write your response to the Kansas City Star AND your local newspaper.  Be vocal.  Stand up for the women in your life to freely access constitutionally protected birth control AND abortion care if needed.  Tell elected officials to stay out of women’s doctors offices.

2.  Share this widely.

3.  Follow the lead of our favorite progressive faith leaders and make your own video, speaking up for what is right – “What it Really Means to be Pro-Life Missouri.”: Rev. Deborah Kraus, Rabbi Andrea Goldstein, Rev. Karen Anderson, Rabbi Susan Talve and Rev. Traci Blackmon.

4.  Join me at the “Women’s Rights: 40 Years in the Making”event – Saturday, September 9th in Sedalia.

    10am to 2pm, Liberty Park, 1500 West 3rd Street, Sedalia

 A united meeting of the Rural, Women’s, and Progressive caucuses of the Democratic party of Missouri to engage in an open and constructive conversation on Women’s Rights, Women’s Healthcare, and Human Rights forty years in the making. I will be there. RSVP HERE