Tis the season to be jolly and generous, Utah. Nothing quite beats the feeling of letting someone know you care and making them feel valued, whether that be through gifts, kind words, or selfless actions. It’s no surprise that the holiday season is a time people think to give back to their community. As part of the Utah cannabis community, we recognize how important it is to stand beside our people. This holiday season, we ask you to stand with us in our endeavors to brighten the lives of those less fortunate than us.
Listen, we know money is especially tight for all of us around the holidays. Maybe a monetary donation isn’t in the cards for you. Don’t worry, you can still make someone’s holiday season very special. Last Prisoner Project, founded in 2019 by Steve DeAngelo, believes strongly that no person should remain incarcerated due to cannabis-related offenses. (So do we!) These are our people. We use cannabis every day, safely and legally, while many remain locked up behind bars for the same thing. It’s the least we could do to send them some well wishes and good vibes this holiday season. That’s why we’ve decided to participate in their Holiday Letter Drive.
Last Prisoner Project provides a list of incarcerated individuals with photos and a bit about their stories for you to choose from. These people will miss Christmas with their families this year — maybe not for the first time — so send them a warm hug with your words to remind them that they are loved and valued. Drop them a quick line to let them know you’re fighting for them, catch them up on trending pop culture, or share a story or two. More information, rules & standards for letter-writing can be found here — make sure you read through them! We’d hate for your letter to not reach your pen pal for a violation of these rules. Heads up: Each parcel mailed to an inmate will be opened and reviewed by law enforcement before delivery to the recipient. Who knows? You may meet a lifelong friend through this program — find your pen pal here.
Winters in Utah are unmatched, am I right? Flurries of world-renowned soft, powdery snow cover the mountains and valleys every year and for anywhere from 2 – 6 months, we’re living in a snow globe. So beautiful, in fact, that most of us forget how threatening and unwelcome the chill of winter can be to the unsheltered and homeless folks in our communities. Let’s change that together this holiday season.
Through January 31, 2022, KindlyMD is partnering with our friends at Salt Lake Open Air Coalition to provide necessary winter-survival items to unsheltered folks in need. Our winter goods drive has already begun — you can find donation boxes in each of our clinics along the Wasatch Front (from Ogden to Provo) right now, even! We’ll be accepting tarps, tents, sleeping bags, heating supplies, first aid supplies, coats, shoes/boots, and blankets throughout December and January, with Salt Lake Open Air Coalition making regular pickups and distributions of the items. Nothing brings warm, holiday feeling quite like giving to others less fortunate than you. To sweeten an already pretty sweet deal (Hello, warm fuzzies!), we’ll even give you a $25 discount on your next KindlyMD visit for donating one or more of the items listed above (discount cannot be stacked with other promotions, promotion is now expired). I call that a win/winter goods drive.
If you are in a place to give back financially, consider giving someone the gift of feeling better. KindlyMD is proud to announce the launch of a charity program — Uplift — designed to help low-income patients in need receive Medical Cannabis treatment. We believe that safe access to cannabis should be readily available to all. We’re doing what we can to make that happen.
As a new initiative, Uplift aims to subsidize the costs of Medical Card evaluations through KindlyMD and product through our co-sponsors WholesomeCo, Beehive Farmacy, Zion Medicinal, and Deseret Wellness, for ten or more qualified patients per month. No one should be left to suffer due to low-income. That’s why we are now accepting donations from the community, of any amount, to put directly toward Medical Cannabis evaluation costs for patients in need. What’s more, UTTHC and our four co-sponsors will each match these donations, magnifying every dollar contributed by 6x. That means it only takes a donation of a little over $40 to help someone in poverty receive their first Medical Cannabis Card and their first nine months of potentially life-changing plant-based treatment.
Have you been waiting to get your Med Card due to lack of funds? You can apply to become an Uplift patient starting December 20, 2021. Presently, Uplift can sponsor those who earn less than 138% of the poverty threshold and/or have a terminal medical condition. To qualify as an Uplift patient, an applicant must:
We hope to expand the requirements for Uplift in the future to provide access to more prospective patients in need. When the application process opens, you can apply to be an Uplift patient here. Approved Uplift patients will choose the amount they are able to put toward their Medical Cannabis evaluation, from $0 – $150. Should you have additional questions or concerns, call our outreach line at 385-388-8550.
Whether you choose to participate in our endeavors, others, or none at all, we challenge you to spread a good word and keep spirits bright this season. When the new year comes, with all its’ resolutions and goals, we’ll be here to help you feel better. Schedule an appointment to get your Medical Card today. Have a happy holiday season from KindlyMD and UtahMarijuana.org.
