The holidays are upon us, and many of us are getting creative and practicing flexibility to connect from a distance with family in new ways because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the pandemic hasn’t just challenged the way we celebrate; it’s also turned up the pressure on families whose health and paychecks have been devastated by the pandemic and who need relief NOW. You can make a real difference with the actions below.

From sharing your own COVID-19 stories, to writing letters to the editor with our easy tool, to calling Congress, these actions now will immediately dial up the pressure on lawmakers to remind them the clock is ticking on passing urgently needed COVID-19 relief!

Keep scrolling down, because we’ve also got actions to protect kids from criminalization and to keep you in the loop with actions via our mobile list.

May your holidays be safe and healthy. Thank you for all you do.

-- Anita, Kristin, Sue Anne, Taylor, Elyssa, Beatriz, Jordan, and the rest of the MomsRising / MamásConPoder Team

How has your family been impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?

The pandemic is hitting us all hard, especially women who are losing jobs at record numbers.

Many emergency benefits, like emergency paid leave, expanded unemployment benefits, and others expire on Dec. 31st of this year. Starting next week, Congress will begin negotiations again on a year-end COVID package. We want to increase pressure on our elected officials and policy makers to provide immediate relief to our families. Sharing your personal experiences can make a HUGE difference in helping elected leaders understand why taking critical steps—extending and expanding emergency benefits including paid leave, unemployment insurance, and supporting childcare—are essential to the health and well-being of our communities.

Share with us how COVID-19 is impacting your employment, childcare, health, and ability to care and provide for your family.

Send a Letter to the Editor saying #ReliefCantWait!

Our families are hurting in this COVID economy. People continue to be out of work, we are struggling with child care centers and schools being closed, eviction protections are going away, and the number of COVID cases is rising around the country. After delaying for far too long, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues have one last chance this year to pass a vital COVID-relief package before key programs (unemployment benefits, emergency paid leave and sick days, eviction protections) expire at the end of the year.

We need YOU to speak out now!

Your U.S. Senators are very important in this fight. One of the most high impact, powerful things you can do right now is send a letter to the editor to your local paper calling on your elected leaders to do the right thing. It's very easy and we'll walk you through all the steps.

Save the Date: Join our #ReliefCantWait Call-In Day on December 2nd

The clock is ticking and if Congress doesn’t take immediate action, 12 million people will face an unemployment benefits cliff by the end of the year and millions more will lose their emergency paid leave, sick days, and eviction protections. We need our elected leaders to pass a robust, comprehensive COVID-relief package NOW!

Next week, Congress will return to Capitol Hill and this is our opportunity to put much-needed pressure on them to get to work to protect our families, front line workers, and the economy.

Join our COVID National Call-In Day on December 2nd by texting RELIEFNOW to 747464 and we’ll connect you directly to your U.S. Senator’s office. We’ll also be lifting this message up on social media using #ReliefCantWait. Join us and spread the word!

Take Action! 300,000 Kids under the age of 12 have been arrested!

School counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists are trained to support children, and in schools where these professionals are able to provide services we see improved attendance rates, better academic achievement, and higher graduation rates. These same schools also see lower rates of suspension, expulsion, and other disciplinary incidents. The data on this is clear. The presence of school-based mental health providers doesn't just improve outcomes for students, but also improves overall school safety.

The Counseling Not Criminalization Act is an important step in shifting resources away from practices that harm and push kids out of school into what helps students thrive, keeps schools safe, and ends the criminalization of kids in schools.

The time is NOW to stand for students and end the regular presence of law enforcement in schools. Sign on!

Have you joined our mobile list?

Have you signed up for our mobile action list? We send messages 1-2 times per week to our mobile list with our latest, and most important, actions. These messages allow you to quickly contact your representatives via a simple phone call.

Text MOMS to 747464 to join.