As you know, congress FINALLY came to an agreement to help those in need.
This year has been a horrible year for millions and millions of people. The unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April which was the highest since the government began collecting data in 1948. Let that soak in a little bit… 14.7%. It is absolutely gut wrenching to know so many people who want and need to work are out of work. Have you been watching the news and seeing the long lines for people to get food to put on their plates? It is just so sad especially now during the holidays.
Instagram is a place that good comes from it and also some bad. Some people definitely are still stuck in their ways and are going with their daily lives with their daily “struggles” and not sharing how bad it is out there. Trust me, I am 100% guilty of doing the same but I also do not have a social following or platform to share the message. I am not asking for celebrities or influencers to post a swipe up feature to donate to a local food bank and then 30 mins later post a LV Neverfull giveaway. I am asking for genuine content and conversations about what we can do to help. There have been celebrities and influencers with a voice who are doing just that and I applaud them. They are using their platform to good use and if we all get behind that we can actually make a difference here. If you follow Barstool Sports, they are putting together a pretty cool fundraiser for small business restaurants that have been hit extremely hard during the pandemic. They have raised over$3M!! You can criticize barstool sports as much as you want but they are actually doing something to make a difference and how can you argue that?
Ashley Hesseltine from GGE posted on her IG stories on Monday and has done so before about ways you can help. Whenever influencers do something to give back I always send them a quick message of gratitude. For the most part I would say they either don’t respond or just send me 3 hearts but Ashley actually responded and posted what I had to say.
I feel extremely passionate about this topic and I think you should all challenge yourselves to do the same. I grew up in a household where you work your ass off to earn a living and not rely on the government to help you do so. Since the pandemic I really have changed my mindset and realized how bad it is out there and how people have to rely on the government to survive and that is completely okay. Let me say I never had any issues with people who worked hard in their job and needed to rely on the gov’t for extra funds but more so the people that just expected it to come to them. I fully understand my privilege here but let me tell you I feel for these people and want to help and this is why I am writing about it.
When we received the stimulus checks in March/April I thought it was great to get extra money. I was fortunate to still have my current job that allowed me to work from home and life wasn’t bad at all. Extra money? Sure, I love it! That mindset quickly changed after I just kept reading more and more about people struggling to get food on their plates, stay in their homes without being evicted, and kids needing to do at home learning when their parents weren’t able to give them the time to teach them. I decided I wanted to give all my money away to local restaurants in NYC as they have been extremely hit during the pandemic. It would bring me so much joy to see the happiness on their faces when I gave them a significant tip and I know that money, even though it is small, can make such a difference to that worker and their family if they have one.
Since we are in this situation again, I really encourage you all, if you can, to find either a restaurant or a charity that is specifically helping people affected by COVID to give your earnings to. When I sent this in my message to Ashley, I really meant it, if you are in the same exact financial position as you were last year, you do not need that money. I promise you don’t. Ask yourself the tough question of do I need another work from home lounge set OR can I put this money to actual use and make someones day, month, maybe even year? Everyone in this country deserves a fair shot to things and even though I am not a firm believer of taking away money from people who earned it to others, I encourage you to be able to make that decision on your own and do it in your heart to do some good. To me I am so grateful to say that this pandemic was an inconvenience to me but to millions of people it changed their life and their financial position. I do not have the right to complain about this pandemic but I do have the right to do some good around here.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo
