Bake Sale for Western Mass Asylum Support Network

The Western Mass Asylum Support Network (WMASN) is a volunteer-run mutual aid initiative that provides local asylum seekers with the resources, information, community and supports they need to transition to and thrive in American society. Since our founding in 2019, WMASN has supported around 100 asylum seekers, including 30 who we helped gain freedom from ICE detention.

Through direct financial aid, political and cultural education, individual and institutional advocacy, we ensure that our new neighbors can navigate their asylum processes from a place of increased safety and well-being. We also support members in moving forward with their own immigration processes when they cannot afford or secure an attorney.

Language access (interpreters and translation) is one of the biggest barriers faced by asylum seekers in the U.S., who usually don’t speak English as their first language (or at all). Misunderstanding certain contexts, like information about their rights or their immigration applications, could be a matter of life or death for them.

This is why WMASN strives to hire qualified interpreters for our monthly Know Your Rights trainings and for our Pro Se Project, which inform and empower asylum seekers to understand the immigration system and take charge of their own immigration cases. Our trainings are free and open to the public, but interpreter costs can add up quickly. We often need simultaneous interpretation for multiple languages (most frequently Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Arabic), and that can put our production costs at upwards of $450 per event.

We can’t keep up with these expenses without your support. Will you help us make our programs equitable and accessible for all asylum seekers?

For a limited time this month, we’ll be offering an assortment of baked goods in appreciation of donors who contribute to our fundraising drive. The treats are being baked by a slate of incredibly talented community bakers who have generously volunteered their time for this cause. We wanted to make sure that these home-baked delights reflect the warm, welcoming communities that we are trying to dream into being — so we’ll have plenty of vegan, gluten-free and nut-free options available, too!

We are hoping to raise $6300 — enough to cover interpreter costs for the rest of the year, i.e. monthly KYR trainings ($450 x10) and estimated 10 Pro Se Project sessions ($180 x10).

Suggested donation amounts are indicated on the order form, which will remain open from 3/15 to 3/25. Please chip in more if you’re able!

Orders will be available for pickup in Northampton on 3/29 and 3/30.

Donations to this campaign are tax-deductible and will be processed by WMASN’s fiscal sponsor, Peace Development Fund.