Weekly Call To Action - August 21, 2022

Quote of the Week:

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something is worth doing no matter how it turns out. –Vaclav Havel, Czech dissident, writer and statesman.

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​Electoral Actions:

Get Out the Vote in CD8

​
​Review the CD8 Postcard FAQs sent to us from WA Indivisible 8.

Action: Hand write postcards to encourage voters in CD8 to vote by using the following procedure.

1. Email [email protected] to request postcards.
2. Tell us how many bundles of 100 you want to write to be mailed on Oct 25 and where you want to pick them up, in Lacey or NE Olympia.
3. Instructions, cards, script will be handed out in bundles of 100. 
4. Enlist your friends, family & neighbors.
5. Ask if you need stamps, we have some to give out.

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Thursday Postcard Parties

The GOTV Writing Team is also hosting outdoor postcard writing parties every Thursday from August 25 until October 20, from 10:00 A.M. to Noon. 

RSVP for the Thursday Postcard Parties here. Please give name, phone number, email and date(s) you would like to attend so we can keep you informed of possible changes. 

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Federal Actions:

Urge Congress to Swiftly 
Pass the Bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act

(Photo by Lukas Schulze/Getty Images file photo)

Background: A year after fall of Kabul, Afghan evacuees face uncertainty in U.S.

August 15th marks the one year anniversary of the fall of Kabul. Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, more than 75,000 at-risk Afghans were welcomed into the United States via “humanitarian parole,” a temporary immigration status typically only granted for 1 or 2 years to provide safety for people under threat. 

The bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act has recently been introduced to both the House and the Senate as a means for Afghan evacuees to receive lawful permanent residence, taking the same legal route as they could have as refugees. It would provide safety, opportunities and the ability to stay in the U.S. This factsheet explains in detail how the process would work and points out the precedents that have occurred after previous conflicts that the US has been involved in.

Without this bill, tens of thousands of recently arrived Afghans will have to find an existing immigration pathway to remain lawful once their parole expires. 

Action: Please contact your Members of congress and urge them to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act when Congress returns in September.

Option A: Take this copy/paste action in Take Action Network (TAN) Urge Congress to Swiftly Pass the Bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act

Option B: Contact your Congressperson.

• Senator Patty Murray, Phone: 253-572-3636 or Contact Form 
• Senator Maria Cantwell, Phone: 253-572-2281 or Contact Form 

• Marilyn Strickland, Phone: 202-225-9740 or Contact Form 
  • Email all three MOCs at once using Democracy.io. 

Script: My name is ______________  and I am your constituent from __________. I urge you to support the swift passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act (S.4787 / H.R.8685) when Congress returns in September — and to hold the administration accountable to continue welcoming Afghans who were left behind in Afghanistan and other host countries. 

Since the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, more than 75,000 at-risk Afghans were welcomed into the United States under a temporary immigration status providing them only one or two years of safety. The  Afghan Adjustment Act provides a roadmap to permanent status for Afghans. These at-risk Afghans deserve greater stability and safety, just as Congress has provided for similar vulnerable evacuated populations in the past.  My community welcomes Afghan refugees, and I urge you to do the same. 

Thank you.

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Support Donation of Surplus Food Bill

In 2020, more than 38 million people, including 6.1 million children, in the United States were food insecure. Meanwhile, in the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. 

One of the ways to help people who are struggling to feed themselves and their families is by the re- distribution of healthy surplus food. Since 1996, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act has encouraged companies to donate their surplus food to nonprofits. However, many provisions of the Emerson Act are still unclear, so donors remain afraid of legal liability. The Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 would address the current limitations of the Emerson Act and is a critical step towards increasing the amount of surplus food that is donated.

This bill would have the following effects:

1. Direct USDA to clarify key terms and conditions within the Emerson Act to raise awareness and reduce fear of retribution.
2. Broaden protections to include more types of food donations, including items sold at low cost and donations offered from food businesses directly to end recipients.
3. Expand the federal enhanced tax deduction for food donation. 

The Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 has bicameral, bipartisan support.

Action: Contact Members of Congress and ask them to support the Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 (S.3281/HR.6251)

Option A: Take this copy/paste action in Take Action Network (TAN) Ask your Members of Congress to support a bill that facilitates the donation of surplus food

Option B: Contact your Congressperson.

• Senator Patty Murray, Phone: 253-572-3636 or Contact Form 
• Senator Maria Cantwell, Phone: 253-572-2281 or Contact Form 

• Marilyn Strickland, Phone: 202-225-9740 or Contact Form 
  • Email all three MOCs at once using Democracy.io. 

Script: Hello, my name is ___________ and I live in Olympia. I am asking you to support the Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 (S.3281/HR.6251), which would expand the liability protections provided by current law in important ways. It would clarify some provisions of the existing legislation (the Emerson Act of 1996), which leaves donors unsure about possible liability.

As of 2020, as many as 38 million people in the USA lived in a food-insecure household. This includes 6.1 million children and represents 1 in 8 of the population. Given the ravages that the pandemic and inflation have wrought on peoples’ ability to feed their families, this legislation would improve donors and other organizations’ capacity to redistribute healthy surplus food to those who are in need. While food donation is not the silver bullet to ending food insecurity, where surplus food is available, it should be used to meet people’s food needs.

Thank you.

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​Have You Scheduled These Events?

“Keep It Blue in 2022” Picnic

Keep in Blue in 2022 is our first all-member event since 2020 and our chance to meet, eat, and mobilize for the midterms! 

• Saturday, August 27, 11am-1pm under the shady picnic shed at the Olympia Regional Learning Academy on 2400 15th Ave SE
• Bring a picnic lunch; we’ll serve iced tea, lemonade and cake!
• Find out how you can help Keep it Blue in 2022!
• Take home a campaign yard sign!

RSVP to let us know how much cake we need! Family and friends welcome; just let us know! [email protected] ​

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Drinks and Democracy

Next Saturday (August 27th),  OI-Co-Founder Lisa Ornstein invites Olympia Indivisible members to her cozy back patio in SE Olympia for a Drinks and Democracy Happy Hour! From 5:30 to 6:30pm, come enjoy a signature house drink on a democratic theme. Non-alcoholic beverages will be on hand as well. 

Come raise a glass of cheer, catch up with your fellow Indivisiblers, unwind, and build our fellowship. 

Please note that you must be vaccinated and boosted for COVID in order to attend. These events are about spreading good cheer, not germs! 

For details and address, RSVP to [email protected]. 

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You Might Also Like to Attend:

Gun Violence Protection
Candidate Forum

Thurston Gun Sense, a gun violence prevention (GVP) advocacy group, is hosting a virtual GVP Candidate Forum on September 13, 2022 @ 5:30 PM. 

Thurston Gun Sense works to prevent gun violence by engaging gun-owners and non-gun-owners in Thurston County and beyond. The group hands out gun locks at community events and educates students and parents about safe firearm storage. They also advocate for responsible legislation to prevent gun violence. 

Candidates from both parties in Legislative Districts 2, 22, 35 are invited to attend and share their vision for gun violence prevention. 

Action: Members of the public are invited to attend and engage with legislative candidates. Register here. For more information contact [email protected]. 

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​Youth Led "Teach In" 
Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan

Thurston Youth Climate Coalition (TYCC) will be leading a brief teach-in/ info session on the very basics of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP). TYCC aims to break down the plan into easy to understand everyday speech, and educate the public more broadly on the items in the TCMP so that we can all become more effective advocates for its implementation. Join the TYCC on Sunday, Aug 28th and spread the word!  

Where: Woodruff Park, 1500 Harrison Ave NW
When: Sunday, August 28th at 6:00pm