I first met Alexandra Lynch at Street Prophets, where she was the resident Wiccan and wrote lovely poetry for the solstices and equinoxes. Some of you may also know her from Kosability, since she has several chronic problems.
I hadn't seen her around for a while, so when I saw her name recently, I sent her a kosmail asking how she was (while asking her to write something for the Netroots Nation Sunday Service). This was her answer:
I haven't been on as much. We have the internet and phone shut off, and they shut off our water yesterday. We are waiting for the gas and the electricity to be shut off any day. We are now spending our days at my father-in-law's and going home to sleep, The only income we have is from my plasma donations. With that, I figure I can pay off the ghastly water bill (There was a leak, which we found and fixed) in about seven months, if I don't buy any frivolous luxuries like cat litter or tampons in the meantime. I am just keeping on keeping on, you know? Bear will hear back in a couple days about a job; $9/hr, but I don't know what hours or anything like that yet, but the yard is four blocks from our house, so the commute costs drop significantly. So I am praying hard. Prayers are appreciated from others.
I know the generosity of this community first hand, and asked if she had thought of asking for help here. She replied that she didn't feel she could write asking for help, but wouldn't mind if someone else asked for her.
I tried to think of someone who might do it better than I could, but didn't want to ask - isn't it strange what we find it hard to ask for?
This is the list of bills that she sent me:
$200 for phone and internet, and $1400 for combined city utilities, (That's that water leak I mentioned, and the republican administration in this city will NOT give us any leeway.) I think the gas is $500ish, but will have to go home and look at the bill tonight. It WOULD hit us on the bill where they reckon up any overages from the budget billing over the winter, of course.
Things have been tight, but I was going to wait to really say too much about it until it got really bad. I think it's finally at really really bad.
It would be wonderful if we could manage all of this, or at least be able to get water and electric turned back on, and perhaps the phone/internet bill as well. No contribution is too small - I have received donations of $2 or $3 with deep gratitude myself, as have others. Of course, no one will object to large donations either. :)
Alexandra does not have PayPal. It would be a big help if someone could act as her proxy. If snail mail is preferred or necessary, send me a kosmail and I will send her address to you.
Thanks to all who read this and respond.