Key Takeaways:

• Protect Vital Family Support: One year after major legislative budget rollbacks, join the fight to reverse catastrophic health care and food assistance cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

• Discover Craftivism & Mutual Aid: Attend the July 21, 2026, Organizing Zoom Meetup on using art for activism, and explore how to grow local solidarity through community gardens.

• Elevate Caregiver Voices: Apply for the RISERS Parent Leadership Program, share your real-world child care experiences, and take the 5-minute survey for the 1 Million Care Conversations campaign.

Welcome to the July Dispatch! Thank you for being a part of our growing, powerful Moms Next Door program!

What’s the Moms Next Door Dispatch? Each month, you’ll receive the Moms Next Door Dispatch — a monthly toolkit that will arrive in your inbox to provide you and your community with ideas on how to self-organize and take action, how to process and make sense of all that’s going on, AND how to remain calm, find joy in community, and recharge as we build a brighter future!

First Action: Grow Our Moms Next Door Village!

Got a friend who would love Moms Next Door? Community is meant to be shared! If you have a friend, neighbor, or fellow mom looking for supportive, grounded ways to connect and take action, invite them into the fold this month. Let's see if we can each bring one new friend into our community this summer!

• How to share: Forward this blog post, text them a link to our group, or invite them to the upcoming July Organizing Meetup.

5 Ways For You to Engage This Month

1. July Organizing Zoom Meetup

Join us on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, from 7:30-8:30 PM ET on Zoom for Moms Next Door Session #7 — 'Craftivism: How to Use Art for Activism, Protest, and Policy Change!' Sign up here

ICYMI: Over the last few months, we have hosted two incredible sessions with Living Room Conversations about how to bring your community together, one conversation at a time. Check out the recordings here: Part 1 & Part 2!

2. Action of the Month: Reverse Cuts to Health Care and Food Assistance

One Year Anniversary of the Big, Ugly Bill: Last summer, Congressional Republicans passed Trump’s Big, Ugly Bill, making the largest cuts to health care and food assistance in history to pay for tax giveaways for Trump and his billionaire buddies. One year later, families are left with less food on the table, less money in our household budgets, and less access to vital health care. We’re raising our voices. Take action >>

• Add Your Name: Tell Congress to reverse cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and lower costs for families!

• Share Your Story: We need families (like yours!) to share your experience to help lawmakers understand why taking action to restore funding to Medicaid and SNAP is so important. One year later: How have the Big, Ugly Bill's Medicaid and SNAP cuts impacted you and your family? Click here to share your experience with MomsRising (you can even do so anonymously)! 

• Join a Virtual Rally: RSVP to join a Virtual Rally on Wednesday, July 8, at 7:00 p.m. ET >>  

3. Fun, Joy & Power

• Your Voice is a Superpower: Apply for the RISERS Parent Leadership Program! Are you a parent or a caregiver who is looking to learn more about advocacy, brush up your leadership skills (brush up, because let’s face it, if you’re a mom you’re probably a leader, even if you don’t think so!), and get involved in fighting for family-friendly policies in your local community and in Washington, DC? The MomsRising RISERS Parent Leadership program application period is now open for the 2026-2027 year! Click here to learn more and get started (OR share this post with a friend who you think would make a great advocate for families!). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the application period will close August 20th, 11:59 PM PT.

• Take action to hold health care corporations accountable for high costs with Families USA’s Stop the Bleed Campaign! Sign up here to ask candidates in your area one question: “What will you do to hold health care corporations accountable for high costs? This volunteer toolkit includes sample letters, social content, and all you need to get started.

• Share your child care story! Have you experienced challenges accessing affordable child care in your area, had to deal with waitlists, had your child care center close, or been pushed out of the workforce due to child care? We want to hear from you! Child care is critical for us to be able to take care of our kids, and lawmakers need to hear from you! Parent stories like yours are really critical in helping members of Congress understand the struggles on access and affordability challenges that parents all over the country are experiencing. Share your child care story here.

• Be a part of 1 Million Care Conversations: We all give or receive care at some point — whether it's for a child, a parent, a neighbor, or ourselves. 1 Million Care Conversations is a space for people across the country to talk honestly about what care looks like in their lives, what’s working, what’s not, and start naming what we actually need. Will you join us and be one of the first million people to help shape a shared vision for care? Here’s the link to a 5-min survey to get started.

  • Want to help spread the word? Share this link with friends, neighbors, and family so they can weigh in too.

4. What We’re Reading This Month

For people wanting to start book groups for change or just looking for good books, here’s what’s in our July library: *When you meet up to talk about books, take a picture, post it on social media, and tag @MomsRising to show others that they aren’t alone!

• Non-fiction Pick: How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion by David McRaney — An exploration of the science behind our beliefs, offering practical insights on how to bridge divides and have more empathetic and connected conversations.

• Fiction Pick: The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin — A politically inspiring sci-fi classic that contrasts an anarchist world with a capitalist one, challenging us to imagine a completely different society.

Inspiring Picture Books to Read with Your Kiddos

We’ve got lots of great book ideas for the kiddos in your life this month! Here you go:

• Evette: The River and Me by Sharon Dennis Wyeth (Ages 7-12) — A young biracial girl works to clean up a local river and heal a family rift, discovering the power of community action.

• This Land by Ashley Fairbanks (Ages 4-8) — A primer on American land that honors the deep, foundational history of its Indigenous nations.

• I'm an American by Darshana Khiani (Ages 4-8) — A look at the vast expanse of cultures that exist in America and the many ways we define our shared identity.

• We Are Mighty: 12 Ordinary Americans Who Did the Next Needed Thing by Sharon McMahon (Ages 4-8) — An inspiring look at how everyday, ordinary citizens change the country for the better.

• Light for All by Margarita Engle (Ages 4-8) — Centered around the Statue of Liberty, this book highlights the stories of the thousands of immigrants who built America.

*Want to support your local bookstore? Use the Bookshop finder to locate bookstores near you and women, Black, AAPI, LGBTQIA+, Latine, and Indigenous-owned bookstores online.

5. Mutual Support Option

What is mutual aid? Different from charity — where resources usefully flow in one direction from donors to recipients — mutual aid is community-driven and reciprocal, built on community-based solidarity. And many parents and caregivers are already doing this (think: your local PTA, community gardens, or even kids’ birthday parties). In creating communities of love, we also want to turn them into communities of support, protection, and action to prepare for what’s ahead. Curious how to get started? Here’s how to create a mutual aid pod in your community!

Mutual Support Activity of the Month: Join a community garden (or start your own!)

What better way to soak up the summer sun than by getting your hands dirty with your kiddos and neighbors? Community gardens are incredible spaces for building mutual aid and local roots.

Want to get involved?

• Find a local plot: A quick online search or a peek at your city’s parks and recreation website is a great place to start looking for existing gardens near you.

• Start small: If you don't have a garden nearby, you can still spark a green revolution on your own block! Consider setting up a Little Free Seed Library or a cutting exchange box on your porch to share plant resources with neighbors.

• Grow your own community: Ready to dream bigger? Check out this wonderful step-by-step guide on how to start a community garden from scratch (with small options, too!).

Thank you for being here. We are looking forward to strengthening connections and community in refreshing, educational, and joyful ways with you in the coming months!

P.S. Missed the June dispatch and looking for more resources? Check it out on our blog.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is craftivism and how is it used in grassroots organizing?

Craftivism is a form of activism that blends craft and art with social or political causes. It allows advocates to use creative tools — such as banners, signs, and community art projects — as nonviolent, highly visual vehicles for protest, community engagement, and driving meaningful policy change.

How did recent legislative changes impact Medicaid and SNAP assistance?

Recent federal budget cuts reduced direct funding allocations for core social safety net initiatives, including Medicaid health care support and SNAP food assistance program options. Grassroots advocates argue these rollbacks place disproportionate economic burdens on local household budgets and restrict family security resources.

How do community gardens function as actionable examples of mutual aid?

Unlike traditional charity pipelines, community gardens serve as reciprocal solidarity spaces where local neighborhoods cultivate shared land, pool agricultural supplies, and distribute fresh food options equally. They build direct community reliance, sustainability, and localized safety pods.

This digital guide outlines the July 2026 Moms Next Door Dispatch toolkit, focusing on grassroots campaign strategies, craftivism events, mutual aid gardening initiatives, and children's literature to combat safety net funding cuts.