Dear Reader,

My association with NCR began in 1967, when I published my first article as a freshman at the University of Notre Dame. In addition to writing freelance pieces from time to time over the years, I served on the NCR board from 1998 to 2004. But it was only last year that I became an employee, as the editor of our new climate site, EarthBeat.

One of the perks of joining the staff was an NCR business card, a communications tool not in much use these days as we all work from the confines of our homes. But I'd like to share with you what it says on the back of my card -- and the card of all NCR staff members:

That mission has never been more important than it is now, amid a global pandemic that has killed more than 250,000 and is undercutting the capacity of organizations everywhere to serve the people who rely on them.

To continue living up to that mission, we need your help.

As the editor of EarthBeat, I know firsthand what a difference you can make. As much as care for our common home has become one of the most compelling moral challenges of our times, devoting substantial staff to the topic simply would not have been possible if our supporters had not stepped up.

I want to thank not only EarthBeat funders (most of whom are listed here) but everyone who has contributed, one way or another, to keep NCR's mission at the forefront of what we do.

As you probably know, the business models of news organizations have been turned upside down by the internet. And now upside down all over again by the pandemic. With advertising revenues down substantially as a result of the pandemic, our reliance on reader contributions is greater than ever.

Unlike many news sites on the web, NCR and EarthBeat provide our coverage without charge. You'll find no paywall blocking your access to any of our reporting, analysis and reflections. Just as we're all in this pandemic together, we're all in the church together. We don't want to wall you out of anything we do.

James Dailey, who wrote one of our commentary pieces for Earth Day on April 22, concluded it like this: "Among the lessons that COVID-19 holds for the climate movement, I draw particular encouragement from this one: Collective action, morally driven and done at the scale of the problem is not only possible, it may be the only thing that can make a difference."

With that in mind, my request today is twofold: To those of you who are already contributing, please continue to do so. And to those of you who have not yet chipped in, please do so now.