Frontera Fund is in the midst of its 9th Fund-A-Thon, and they are in dire need of your support. With the many attacks on abortion access and decreasing donations due to rising costs of living, it’s more important now than ever to support safe, accessible reproductive healthcare, including access to abortion.
Cathy Torres, the Organizing Manager for Frontera Fund, shares, “Abortion access is so difficult and abysmal for many Texans because of all of the areas of restriction. (…) Abortion is expensive in Texas. (…) An abortion costs upwards of $200 to thousands of dollars in addition to gas or purchasing a flight or a hotel stay. Sometimes, it’s all of the above, plus childcare, meals, lost wages, etc. At Frontera Fund, we are able to alleviate that very steep cost that is the reality for people needing an abortion outside of Texas. That’s why we exist– to alleviate that barrier to care.”
While it might feel like donating to abortion funds is a waste of resources with a total abortion ban in Texas, this could not be further from the truth. There are still other states within the U.S. with varying gestational limits for abortions, so providing needed travel support ensures Texans are still able to access safe abortions when traveling out-of-state.
To help raise essential funds, the National Network of Abortion Funds hosts an annual Fund-A-Thon season in which community members come together to raise money for about 100 abortion funds across the nation. Abortion funds are locally-organized, independent organizations that deeply understand their community’s needs.
As the only abortion fund in the Rio Grande Valley, Frontera Fund knows what type of support community members living in border communities need to overcome obstacles and access vital healthcare services. Cathy Torres and Aileen Garza, a former volunteer turned board member, organized their first Bowl-A-Thon in 2017, which was a national initiative launched by the National Network of Abortion Funds in 2010. Community members came together to enjoy a fun game of bowling while fundraising to “strike” down barriers to abortion access. Many supporters also donated baked goods, which were sold at local farmers’ markets and UTRGV’s Environmental Awareness Club meetings. This annual fundraiser continued through the COVID-19 pandemic, opening up virtual fundraising opportunities and led the national campaign to be rebranded as a Fund-A-Thon.
Over the past nine years, Frontera Fund has focused on bringing together the community to not only raise abortion funds but to raise awareness on the importance of reproductive healthcare and destigmatize abortion. Torres shares, “It’s important to have these types of moments in work that can be so heavy. We need levity; we need community building. We need sunshine and rainbows in this work. Because abortion access is not a dirty word. (…) It shouldn’t be so grim. It’s a part of life and a celebration.”
Frontera Fund Puts the Fun in Fundraising
This year’s campaign kicked off with a raffle for a stay at an East Austin Airbnb (the raffle closes on May 31, with the winner announced on June 2) and with Cathy’s birthday campaign in early April. Shortly after, Frontera Fund hosted their Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, in collaboration with Wild Willow Tattoo Studio, a woman-owned and operated studio in McAllen, on April 25 at Love Letter Coffee Co.
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Frontera Fund’s Bake-A-Thon Tattoo Flash Day, hosted by Love Letter Coffee, was on April 25. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos.
From sourdough loaves to brown butter chocolate cookies with pecans to vegan pop tarts, among many other pastries, this year’s Bake-A-Thon helped replenish the community’s spirit during such a critical fundraising period. It brought long-time and first-time supporters together to join the cause, including two Brownsville-based community organizers, Vicente Martinez, Jr., and Valeria Caballero.
Martinez has supported reproductive justice efforts for more than a decade and is a seasoned baker and founder of RGV Riquisimo and co-founder of the RGV Queer Run Club. He has baked in support of various organizations, including South Texans for Reproductive Justice and previous Fund-A-Thons for Frontera Fund.
“The work that [Frontera Fund] has been doing for the past 10+ years has been really important for our community. Just because abortion was legal before, it doesn’t mean that it was accessible,” shares Martinez.
Martinez strongly believes that the power of collective action, kindness, and empathy will help build each other up. He adds, “People recognize that our government has shown us again and again that they’re not here to help or provide real, systemic change that our community needs. (…) So they’re coming together. (…) It’s beautiful to build community.”Valeria Caballero, Field Organizer for Ground Game Texas, Just Recovery Outreach Coordinator for South Texas Environmental Justice Network, and a passionate community advocate, participated in this year’s campaign for the first time and is excited to continue supporting Frontera Fund. As someone who enjoys baking and building community, she shares, “I wish there were more fundraisers like this that [merge] people ‘s hobbies and creativity with fundraising for something that’s really important.”
Many different sweets were sold at this year’s Bake-A-Thon, including cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread, and vegan pop-tarts. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Many different sweets were sold at this year’s Bake-A-Thon, including cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread, and vegan pop-tarts. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Many different sweets were sold at this year’s Bake-A-Thon, including cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread, and vegan pop-tarts. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Many different sweets were sold at this year’s Bake-A-Thon, including cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread, and vegan pop-tarts. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos. 
Many different sweets were sold at this year’s Bake-A-Thon, including cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread, and vegan pop-tarts. Photo courtesy of Sammy Jo Cienfuegos.
This year, Frontera Fund included Wild Willow Tattoo Studio in their fundraising efforts, and while some of the tattoo artists are not new to community organizing, this new addition brought in a new crowd of supporters, raising over $1,000.
Jessica Garza, an artist at Wild Willow Tattoo, is not new to fundraising for Frontera Fund and is even raffling a tattoo worth $300 for this year’s Fund-A-Thon, which she has done every year since their inception.“Frontera Fund is so important to me. I’ve always believed everyone deserves a choice and they fight for that every single day. They are the hardest working, and most passionate group and have helped more women than I can count. They deserve their flowers, and I’ll continue to support any way I can,” shares Garza.
More Ways to Support
If you weren’t able to make it to this year’s Bake-A-Thon and you still want to join the fun, you’re in luck. The annual Fund-A-Thon Dance Party: Pop Divas for Abortion, hosted by McAllen-based drag queen Saruh Tea, will be held on May 30 at Santa Diabla, a premier LGBTQ+ nightclub in McAllen.
Saruh Tea participated in the Dance Party back in 2022 and hosted Frontera Fund’s 10-year anniversary gala this past December; she is no stranger to showing up for a cause she feels so strongly about.
Saruh Tea is an avid supporter of the cause and believes that everyone should be able to access the care that they need. She also believes in the power of community and having a good time, sharing, “We will always lift each other up. Some people don’t have that support system. (…) Sometimes their lights are getting dim; coming together will always bring them back up and get them back to the light that they need.”
She hopes that people will join her for the Dance Party, where you can enjoy a drag performance from local artists and music by pop divas, including but not limited to Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Zara Larsson, and Ariana Grande.
If people aren’t able to make it to the Dance Party, do not fret. There are still more ways to support. You can still donate to Frontera Fund’s Fund-A-Thon online and purchase raffle tickets for the ACL Airbnb and a tattoo from Jessica Garza. Frontera Fund even has new merch for sale; all purchases directly support their efforts to fund abortion care.
Community members are also encouraged to share Frontera Fund’s events and resources with friends to help spread the word. It’s time to spread the good word of abortion.
When Frontera Fund began their annual springtime campaign, their fundraising goal was $5,000. Since then, it has quintupled to $25,000. As of May 11, a total of $13,063 has been raised.
During a time when it might feel easy to feel powerless, Frontera Fund’s Fund-A-Thon is a chance to rekindle our spirits by eating some sweets, getting a tattoo we’ve been dreaming about, and dancing our hearts out–all in the name of supporting abortion care.
For more information on ways to support Frontera Fund, please visit their website or Instagram page.
