Hi! I’m Carrie and along with my husband Andrew, we make up Snail Mail. We met in college at Randolph Macon in Ashland, VA and have been inseparable since. After 7 years of marriage we have two dogs, Dixie and Paco, four hens, a 1940’s fixer upper, and so many memories made in between. Snail Mail has been an adventure from the beginning; starting on a passionate foot and not backing down since 2017.

Staring at a news story, I began to shudder at the thought of what came next…

It was 2017 when the first Travel Ban was issued. I stared at the television and it was like the Hoover Dam opened up inside my eyes. I felt every emotion all at one time: Sadness, anger, confusion, frustration, helplessness, everything. Honestly at that point, I wasn’t sure what “help” even meant and how I could provide it.

I had interned with ReEstablish Richmond, not knowing anything about refugees or the population of refugees in the Richmond area. Within the first few weeks of this internship, I had visited homes of newly resettled refugees, ridden (and taught) the city bus system with them, observed the intake process of those who had just arrived in the states the night before, and even ran child care for families while their mothers were taught the Virginia laws & safety measures of driving. Within those first few weeks, I had found a group of people who welcomed ME into their homes, offered ME their time, and even nourished ME with their food. Our refugee population here in Richmond had nurtured my heart in the smallest amount of time, and it was their kindness that spoke the loudest.

Fast forward to May 2017 and Andrew had an idea.

I had been making welcome home cards for our newly resettled neighbors and cards for all my loved one’s birthdays. So Andrew had an idea for me: why not make cards, sell them, and use them as a platform for advocacy for our refugee and migrant neighbors? Thankfully, ReEstablish Richmond hopped on board to this wild idea and we vowed to give them a portion of our profits for the next 4 months.

Since then we have secured community partnerships with 5 non-profit organizations, have donated thousands to designated funds, and have painted well over 30,000 cards..all by hand. We took a leap of faith and turned our frustration into action. Thank you to those who support our art, who support our mission, and who support our communities.