The new year is underway and with it comes a new period of growth for Hometown Action. We talked to hundreds of people across Alabama about our vision to build sustainable communities, concentrating in small towns and rural areas, where all residents can thrive.

Thanks to your support, we exceeded our goal of raising $20,000 by the end of 2017!

That means we now have a full-time, paid staff person doing on-the-ground organizing in small towns around the state. We’ve established a headquarters in Montevallo, a community of around 6,500 people in south Shelby County and are developing new leaders committed to bringing our vision to their hometowns.

We have an ambitious goal of building regional chapters throughout the state and already have volunteer leaders laying the groundwork for these chapters in central Alabama and the River Region.

Each chapter will be run by its members and develop issue campaigns important to the communities they serve. When we come together as a collective, we can tackle big issues whether it’s education, addiction, voting rights, or something else.

So what’s next?

Hometown Action is a community organization and we can’t succeed without community support. Here’s how you can help.

• Donate - To keep paying our organizer and cover the basic costs of running an organization, we need to raise at least $5,000 each month. The best way to help is to become a monthly sustaining member. But if that’s not right for you, a one-time contribution will go a long way.
• Host a meeting - Are you excited about Hometown Action and want to help spread the word? Host a house meeting by gathering your friends to learn more. Click the link to sign up. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the whole process.
• Volunteer - Do you have a special skill like web design or digital media? Want to get to know your community by joining a canvass or phone bank? There’s lots of ways to volunteer, just click the link and let us know how you want to help.

There’s a lot at stake in our communities. Corporate interests are shuttering our downtowns and siphoning profits out of state while providing only low-wage jobs to local residents. Politicians in Montgomery are gearing up for an election year where they’ll make big promises to working families, but vote in favor of the special interests lining their pockets.

We know residents offer the best solutions to local problems. Together we can build multiracial working class power to take back our communities.