Shandiin Herrera was sheltering-in-place at her home in the Navajo Nation in March as the coronavirus swept through the country, when she got a call from her mentor, asking for help.
Her mentor, former Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch, asked the 23-year-old activist to join her in a COVID-19 relief effort for Navajo citizens so that they could safely quarantine at home during the pandemic.
Herrera, who lives in Monument Valley, Utah, a small rural community of less than 1,000 people, jumped at the chance to pitch in. She said outreach programming from the Navajo Nation government can miss smaller populations of Navajo citizens, like those in Monument Valley, and she wanted to help bridge those gaps.
“The reason why I immediately stepped out to be a part of the COVID relief effort [was] because I knew that if I didn't do it, my community would not be included,” said Herrera.
Herrera joined her mentor in working for the Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund. The effort was first launched as a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for two weeks of food and supply care packages so that Navajo citizens could safely quarantine.
By the end of its first day in March, the fund had raised $5,000.
Over the ensuing months, Herrera helped Branch with community work, like food supply distribution.
“I definitely have learned so much about community work and organizing, and especially working with different, really diverse groups of people,” said Herrera.
The organization provides relief to roughly 30,000 households by delivering food, potable water, cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment. Since March, the organization has raised nearly $5 million, according to its website.