Donations
Each month at Papillon Press, we choose an organization or cause to donate to, sometimes repeating. We believe it is important to support local and international causes, and we try to focus on ones that are either related to us or have large impact. Below is the list of places we've donated to.
Mission STL
Affordable Christmas is a holiday event that allows families from under-resourced communities to provide Christmas for their children. Families can shop for gifts at drastically reduced prices in our virtual and in-person stores.
Warm Welcome Home Project/Home Sweet Home
We partnered with Union Studio and donated to their "Warm Welcome Home Project",an "initiative that invites our customers to buy select items from our shop at a greatly reduced price. These items are donated to our community organization partners who serve our neighbors starting new homes, including immigrants, refugees, those escaping domestic violence and people transitioning out of homelessness." Items are the donated to Home Sweet Home, a 501(c)(3) organization connecting nonprofit partners in the St. Louis region with donated furniture and household items. "We help clients from partner organizations transition to their new living situations with much-needed furnishings and basics, providing a sense of ownership and a source of stability at this crucial time."
Native American Rights Fund
Since 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has "provided legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide who might otherwise have gone without adequate representation."
Kundiman
For National Poetry Month, we chose to donate to Kundiman, a non-profit dedicated to "Nurturing generations of writers and readers of Asian American Literature". In the last few weeks, we've seen too much violence toward AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) people in the US. Kundiman creates a safe, affirming, and rigorous space for writers to create and explore their history and legacy. I have always loved the work of one of their fellows, Sarah Kay, and find her work in poetry to be inspiring and important, as well as perfectly romantic.
At Papillon Press, we always want to encourage people's creativity through writing, drawing, or making anything in our notebooks, so we're using this month to put some of our financial resources toward this purpose.
Jamaa Birth Village
Jamaa Birth Village is a 501c3 non-profit Maternal Health organization located in Ferguson, Missouri serving the greater St. Louis metro area. Through its comprehensive and first of its kind "Equal Access Midwifery Clinic", Jamaa Birth Village provides culturally based traditional and evidence based Midwifery + Doula care, Perinatal Mental Health Care, Holistic Therapy, Spa Services, Childbirth Education and so much more! Since 2015 we have supported 500+ families with perinatal care. Their goal is to lower prematurity and the infant & maternal mortality/morbidity rates that are significantly higher for Black women through community led and woman centered care.
Good Goods Auction
In November 2020, Papillon Press donated prints to Good Goods Auction, which partners with artists for a monthly auction to raise funds for different causes. November's causes were environmentally related. The link below brings you to their Instagram, where they do most of the auctioning.
Forai
Forai, Inc., is a 501(c)3 organization partnering with local (St. Louis, MO) refugee and immigrant women to enable the realization of economic, educational, and social goals through training and peer support, and by expanding market opportunities for artisans. Papillon Press donated prints for a silent auction to raise money for Forai in October, 2020, and linens in 2021.
WMCAT
WMCAT (West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology) has been active in the West Michigan community for years, providing training and education centered around art and technology. Art is a huge part of many kids' and adults' lives, but is often overlooked in educational structures. WMCAT seeks to link art and science, and "curate a place where teens and adults can elevate their voices and leverage their lived experiences to choose their own unique opportunity pathways".
Lebanese Red Cross
Early in August, a blast erupted in the port city of Beirut, Lebanon. It killed over 100 people, injured thousands, and destroyed huge amounts of property and livelihoods. The Lebanese Red Cross is working to remedy the situation as best they can, in as timely a manner as possible.
"A place of hope, healing, and renewal."
Women all around the country and world struggle from violence, domestic and otherwise. The YWCA has been working hard for decades to provide leadership programs and resources for girls and women who have experienced many forms of violence.
Black Lives Matter
Across the nation and the world peoples' lives have been affected over and over by systemic racism and the violence it leaves behind. George Floyd is yet another victim of police brutality and this perverse system. In honor of his family, life, and those who stand for what he stood for and are fighting to make this world a better place, Papillon Press in donating 10% of all business sales to Black owned businesses affected by the fallouts of the recent protests.
Our goal is to do our best to stand in solidarity with those most affected by systemic racism and to help honor the memory of George Floyd, his family, and others affected by police brutality and the violence of systemic racism.
Who we donate specifically to may change, but our donation will be based on this resource list of businesses in need:
COVID-19
During April and May, we donated a percentage of sales to Kids' Food Basket, a local org dedicated to providing meals to kids in need. COVID-19 has made it challenging for them to operate at full capacity, but they are always taking donations. We were able to raise over $150!