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Added by Jopie, at 01 January 2020
Description
About PassMyHat!
This idea was born out of a need to raise money for a family member incarcerated in a Federal Correctional Institute(FCI).
PassMyHat’s crowd funding portal has given family & friends a new opportunity to raise funds for their incarcerated loved one(s) while using a computer or mobile device. There is an entirely different economy inside prison walls. Each inmate has what’s called a commissary account. It acts as a bank account for the inmates while incarcerated. Now friends or family can start a campaign and raise money for their loved one’s commissary account.
Why We Do It.
As stated PassMyHat was an answer to a need. I needed to figure out how to raise funds for my brother currently serving time (love you bro!) at a Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) in California while keeping my cash needs in mind. I just had my first child so yeah kids are expensive.
My First Experience Sending Money to a Federal Prison:
I had not heard from my brother in over 6 months after he was arrested. Now I know my brother very well and when he goes silent I start to get worried. I called my nieces mother to ask if they had heard anything and they told me “He was sent to Federal Prison “.
7 months total go by with no word from him. Now I’m getting upset.
…… My cell goes off. It’s him!
“Hey bruh I need loot.”
Inside the only way to stay connected to the outside world is by Telephone (prices are outrageous) and written correspondence (mail). BOTH REQUIRE FUNDS TO USE.
No Money = No Communication
Here’s Where You Learn about Commissary Accounts:
“In 1930 the Department of Justice authorized and established a Commissary at each Federal Institution. The Commissary was created to provide a bank type account for inmate’s monies and for the procurement of articles not issued regularly as part of the institution administration. Funds deposited by family, friends, or other sources are stored in an inmate’s individual Commissary account, which is maintained by the Bureau of Prisons.” http://www.bop.gov/inmates/communications.jsp
Of course I am going to help him. He’s my brother and I love him. He happened to catch me on a good month so I was able to send him $300. This particular place $300 was the limit I could send.
Here’s the fun part. Have you ever walked in to a wire transfer store? It’s not a luxurious place to hand over your hard earned cash. Its operator is protected behind bullet proof glass, alarms, security, locking mechanisms to lock suspected thieves from leaving the building once entered, and the comfort level is below acceptable. A nice walk back to the car and I feel like I just got out of DMV and had to pay a fat fine.
So I sent my first transfer.
3 weeks later I get a second phone call.
“Hey bruh I need loot please.”
“What?“ Yeah it goes that quick. “Where did all that money go?”
The second request came at tougher month for me so it was not as hefty. I gave what I could. I knew he would be grateful for anything. Even the smallest contribution towards his commissary would help him. These were the questions that popped into my head.
Am I the only one sending him money?
Does anyone else know he’s locked up?
What if I can only afford $5 to give?
How can I bring my family and friends together to get him what he needs?
How PassMyHat's crowdfunding portal works:
What is crowdfunding? crowd·fund·ing
noun: crowdfunding; noun: crowd-funding
1.The practice of funding a project, venture, or cause by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.
"musicians, filmmakers, and artists have successfully raised funds and fostered awareness through crowdfunding"
What about inmates?
Can I use crowdfunding to raise money for my brother?
What do you mean there is nothing like this out there?
Now there is…
www.PassMyHat.com
PassMyHat
8502 E Chapman Ave. #241
Orange CA, 92869
a ConPay LLC
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