No Sale.

“I went without food for two days, and I had to pawn a necklace to buy diapers, because my daughter’s needs come first. Without Help a Mother Out, I would sell my belongings to buy diapers.”
— Maya, mother of a 12-month-old

With your help, moms like Maya can care for their kids without having to make choices like this. Please consider sending a message of hope to our families with your gift today. In doing so you’re joining the HAMO family, working to sustain a much needed safety net in the year to come. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to our families.

New Drop Bin Locations!

Just in time for our Mother’s Day Call To Action  – we have two new drop bin locations in the Los Angeles area and one in the Bay Area. At all three locations they will now proudly accept your donations of diapers – in new unopened or opened packages – and wipes in our big old drop bin.

Los Angeles

 

Books and Cookies

2230 Main Street

Santa Monica, CA 90405

(424) 238-5752

http://booksandcookiesla.com/

—

Zookies

4510 Forman Avenue

Toluca Lake, CA

 (818) 404-9185

Zookies on Facebook

—

Bay Area

Recess {Donate through May 31st}

470 Carolina Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

(415) 701-7529

http://recessurbanrecreation.com/Recess_Urban_Recreation/welcome.html

Here is a list of what we accept and all the other ways and places to help.

Mother’s Day Call to Action

Update 5/31/12: Thank you to everyone who joined our Mother’s Day campaign! Together with online donors and supporters who attended our 2nd Annual Benefit Tea, we reached our campaign goal. We are incredibly grateful to all of you who donated funds, hosted a fundraiser or diaper drive, or donated diapers through our wishlist or in person. We could not have done this without you and your community support never ceases to amaze us. From the bottom of our hearts, we are deeply thankful to each of you.

Mother’s Day 2012 may be over, but our work throughout the year continues! Our grassroots organization ALWAYS is in need help with fundraisers, drives, and other kinds of support. So please don’t be a stranger to us! Learn how to get involved and check back soon for fresh content!

~ Gratefully,

The HAMO Crew

Babies need diapers. Help a Mother Out This Mother’s Day – Sunday, May 13.

Our goal for the 2012 Mother’s Day Campaign is to raise $30,000 in online donations in order to accelerate our impact. We need your help during April and May. Take action and support the campaign for diapers:

Can you imagine not having enough diapers for your baby?  Did you know that diapers are not covered under safety net programs like food stamps or WIC, and that one in three families in the U.S. struggle to buy diapers for their children? For many families in crisis this can mean being forced to choose between buying diapers or other basic needs like shelter, food, and medicine. Learn about diaper need >

Imagine if instead of Mother’s Day brunch, flowers, and presents, you asked your family and friends to join you to help other mothers who are not so fortunate. What if you pledged to give up the gifts and started a fundraiser to address diaper need instead? Or, simply donate make a gift in honor of a mom you love?

Help a Mother Out, is working to help improve the lives of mothers, children, and families, one diaper at a time. With your help, we are striving to raise $30,000 during this campaign. This will support our program to raise awareness about diaper need and change national policies. It will allow us to continue distributing diapers to our 22 partner agencies. We’ve nearly reached one million diapers. Please help us surpass one million and be part of our 2012 Mother’s Day Campaign to end the need for diapers.

WHY DIAPERS?

 

A family’s access to a reliable supply of

clean diapers leads to >

 

Healthy Communities

NO INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS

Dirty diapers on the move can make us sick and spread
hepatitis A, viral meningitis, and severe bacterial diarrheas.

Frequent Diaper Changes

HEALTHY & HAPPY BABIES

Kids don’t have painful diaper rash, fever, loss of appetite or vomiting, herpes, staphylococci, urinary tract infections, jaundice or renal failure. Clean diapers make the whole family smile.

Opportunity to Thrive

PARTICIPATION IN EARLY CARE & EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Parents need to work. Kids need to learn. A supply of clean diapers are required to attend most childcare programs.

 

Baby needs backup >

You can’t buy diapers with food stamps or get them through WIC (Women, Infants and Children). Yep, it’s true – public assistance programs don’t cover diapers. And, when food pantries are asked what kind of donations are needed, diapers are always a top request.

22% of all children under five years old in the U.S. live in poverty and one out of every three families struggle to afford diapers. Families in need make tight choices with their money. Imagine having to choose between food, medicine, or diapers — a terrible option, yet an all-too-common one.

If a family can’t afford diapers, a baby may spend extended periods of time in the same soiled diaper. The need is so great that diapers are sometimes re-used after they have been soiled. Babies in dirty diapers suffer. It can lead to serious health problems for them and disease outbreaks for entire communities.

Diapers cost an average of $75 to $100 per month and that’s a lot of dough to drop for the 46.2 million people living in poverty in the U.S. That’s a grand total of $2,850 to diaper one child with regular changes. Many low-income shoppers also have to frequent drug stores or urban convenience stores resulting in higher costs than big box stores or online retailers.

Every baby deserves a clean diaper >

The severe health and social consequences for babies and families who do not have access to diapers is a bum deal. Lack of enough diapers can lead to a whole mountain of problems for families in need: unhappy babies, unhealthy communities, under-educated toddlers, and under-employed adults. Something so basic as a diaper can actually have a big impact on a family’s ability to become financially self-sufficient.

Jackie

“I am really thankful for these diapers. I am not making a lot of money for me and my daughter. Times are very hard right now. These diapers are helping me out of a lot. I would probably have to use a towel or something else as a diaper.”
— Jackie, mom to 11 month old baby girl

Mary Ann

“I really don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have these extra diapers. It’s helping me because my child won’t have diaper rashes by having to keep on the same diaper for hours. Thank you so much.”
— Mary Ann, homeless mom of two

Small Things = Big Impact

The other day I had the opportunity to speak with a social worker, whom I will call Shannon. She visits clients in their home and works closely with caregivers – many of them isolated new mothers who are just learning the basics in caring for their baby. Shannon told me she couldn’t count how many times her clients’ eyes welled up with tears, after she knocked on their door, holding a pack of diapers.  I wish you could have heard Shannon — talking about the families she serves and about how something as small as diapers can have such a great impact in the daily life of a family in need.

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” ~ Mother Teresa

The power of small is alive and well. When we started Help A Mother Out, we took $100 of our own money and coupled it with countless small acts from a great number of people (including you) and it turned into something greater than we ever expected.  This week we hit the 900K diaper distribution mark. It’s really hard to believe that so many small acts of kindness can add up to nearly one million diapers. And here we are.

We are so incredibly grateful to be the conduit of the community’s kindness and we’re very much looking forward to continuing to grow Help A Mother Out; one diaper at a time, one family at a time.

Want to do something small? Start here:

1) Take the pledge to Help A Mother Out

It costs you nothing, but by taking the pledge, you are saying yes to the power of small and taking a stand when it comes to diaper need. We are only strong in numbers and we’d love to count your pledge in.

2) Help us get the word out

In the beginning, we had nothing but a blog and the desire to tell all of our friends about this project. If it wasn’t for the power of good old fashioned word of mouth, we would not be here today. You can help by telling your friends about diaper need. Start here by sharing this infographic.

3) Commit to hosting (or participating in) a fundraiser or diaper drive

Small amounts add up big, and we would be honored with your help to run our programs. Just a few ideas culled from previous supporters:

  1. Kelly hosts a popular clothing swap amongst her friends every year. A few years ago she decided to charge a small cover ($20) and each year raises $300 on our behalf.
  2. Xavier, hosts a free car show every year. Last year his team sold special issue t-shirts with the proceeds benefiting great causes – one of them being Help A Mother Out.
  3. Allie decided to commemorate her baby boy’s first Valentine’s Day by hosting a diaper drive on our behalf. She got out the word to all her friends and family and simply asked them to donate diapers in his honor. She raised 7K diapers!

If each of us commits to doing a little, we can add up to something great.

What are your ideas for doing something small?

Photo via National Archives on Flickr.

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Who We Serve

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Since inception we’ve distributed diapers to a number of organizations in California and elsewhere in the U.S.  Between January, 2011 and January, 2012 we served families through the following agencies. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this happen! Special thanks go to our friends at Huggies Every Little Bottom and St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County. 

Southern California

  • Ascencia (LA County)
  • Building a Generation (Inland Empire)
  • LA Diaper Drive (LA County)
  • Salvation Army,East Los Angeles Community Center (LA County)
  • Bayside Community Center (San Diego County)

Northern California

Alameda & Contra Costa Counties

  • Brighter Beginnings
  • Center for the Vulnerable Child (Children’s Hospital of Oakland)
  • Oakland Early Head Start
  • St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County (West Oakland Women’s Center)
  • Operation Shower
  • Prenatal Care Guidance (PCG), a program of the Contra Costa Public Health Dept.
  • Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center (WDDC)

Monterey County

  • Monterey County Association of Families Caring for Children

San Francisco County

  • Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP)
  • Bayview Mission
  • APA Family Support Services (APA)

San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties

  • Baby Basics of the Peninsula
  • Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford (Social Services)
  • Star Vista (formerly YFES)
  • Creation Home Ministries
  • West Valley Community Services
  • City Team Ministries, San Jose
  • EHC Lifebuilders

7 Amazing Martin Luther King Quotes

If I am a disciple to any prophet, it would have to be to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here are seven quotes that I keep coming back to that summarize for me why the work we do at Help A Mother Out is relevant to economic justice. What’s your favorite MLK Jr. quote? Feel free to add yours below.

  • “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring .”
  • “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”
  • “There is nothing new about poverty. What is new is that we now have the techniques and the resources to get rid of poverty. The real question is whether we have the will.”
  • ‎”History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
  • “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
  • “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. “
  • “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Lily

“Just this passed Friday a “Lily” called me in distress because she had 3 diapers left with no money and no way of getting any diapers. She is on unemployment, which is running out soon. She has very limited support. The father of the baby also been laid off from work and is barely getting by. Lily was so grateful to be able to get diapers. By me being able to give her some diapers it buys her some time and saves her money.”
— Phyllis, Community Health Specialist

Stanislaus County Community Diaper Drive

We’re all about spreading diaper love.  Do you know anyone who lives in Stanislaus County? Local mom Robi-Ann is hosting a diaper drive this Saturday and needs your help spreading the word to locals.

 

Stanislaus County Community Diaper Drive:

Location: 320 9th Street (corner of 9th & D streets) Modesto, CA 95351

Date: December 10th, 2011

Time:  9am-3pm

Download the local flyer

****

My name is Robi-Ann Doyle, and I’m currently a graduate student at California State University, Stanislaus in the Master’s of Social Work program. I was a Bay Area resident from 1995-2003, and I’m an alumi of San Francisco State University as well. I’m hosting a community diaper drive as part of my graduate program completion. My graduate department requires that students either write a Master’s thesis, or produce a graduate project. I developed the project and proposed it to the CSU Review Board, who accepted my proposal.  As this is my first time organizing a community event, I have limited this drive to a one-day event on December 10th, 2011. I’m partnering with the Modesto Salvation Army, who has donated their space as a drop-off location for the drive. I’ve been working on promotion for the last two weeks.

I’m also a new mother; my son is 13 months old. After having my son, I started to appreciate the struggles mothers and caretakers go through to support their children. I also started researching the issue of diaper need, and decided that it was a cause I wanted to support. I’m excited to host this diaper drive as I believe it is the first of it’s kind in Stanislaus County. We do not have a diaper bank here, and my future goal is to continue hosting diaper drives, in the hopes that I may one day receive a grant to start a diaper bank in Stanislaus County.

Arkansas Transplants Seeking a Better Future

“Larry, his wife and infant son recently relocated from Arkansas because of poverty and hoping to find a better future in San Francisco. The family was staying in an emergency hotel for more than 3 weeks and was completely out of funds when they found us. They were so grateful to get receive an emergency supply of much needed diapers.”
— Alma, Community Health Worker

Helping families like Larry’s takes real community resources 365 days out of the year. We cannot do this important work without you. Please consider sending a message of hope to our families with your gifttoday. In doing so you’re joining the HAMO family, working to sustain a much needed safety net in the year to come. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to our families.

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Viviana’s Story

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“Viviana was too ashamed to drop her child off to daycare without diapers, therefore would have missed school to remain home with her child. Thank goodness for Help A Mother Out, the Family Advocate was able to make an emergency drop-off to Viviana. She didn’t have to miss school and was able to take her child to daycare with clean diapers.”
— Cynthia, Program Director, Brighter Beginnings, First 5 Resource Center

With your help, moms like Viviana are on the road to self sufficiency. Please consider sending a message of hope to our families with your gift today. In doing so you’re joining the HAMO family, working to sustain a much needed safety net in the year to come. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to our families.

Do Good: Holiday e-Cards

Make it a reality:  Send a holiday message of hope to your loved ones by helping children thrive.

What’s on your holiday shopping list this year? You know, for that certain loved one who is notorious for being hard to shop for? Is there someone special who would be honored to have you help a mother out in their name? Or maybe you are just tired to buying too many scented candles?

I cannot think of a better way to honor your favorite mom, new baby, daughter, son, grandma, mother-in-law, aunt, dad, grandpa, client, colleague, sister in law, BFF, in laws, and uncle – with a gift that pays it forward to help children in need.

You win because you get to send a truly meaningful gift that helps a tiny human being. Your loved one wins because they get to see just how generous and thoughtful you are, by making a difference in their name. The families we serve win because we will be able to continue helping tiny human beings and their caregivers.

Our Holiday e-Cards are ready for you. Note: The image above of the cute baby here is just that. Doesn’t reflect our e-Cards.

Want to send one? With your gift to Help A Mother Out, we’ll send your honoree a swell holiday inspired e-Card. Three steps to making a difference:

1) Make your gift here:

2) Tell us where to delivery your e-Card:

  1. Fill out your honoree’s email address in the Dedication/Acknowledgement section. Email address for delivery purposes only, and will not be used for anything else.
  2. Send a personal (brief) message to your honoree. We will use a generic holiday greeting, should you choose not to send a personal greeting.
  3. Note e-Card type (example: Christmas, Hanukkah, Seasons Greetings)

3) We send your e-Card before 12/25/11:

Here is an example of a Christmas card. Swell, right?

You win, your honoree wins, we win! AND most importantly, the babies win!

Go on, what are you waiting for?

Photo credit of the cute Santa Baby via Creative Commons Amanda’s Adventures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandasadventures/4156832686/

Join Diaper Action Week Nov 14-18 #DiaperAct

It’s hard for many of us to imagine, but not being able to afford enough diapers can be a real barrier to working families who have limited childcare options. The #DiaperAct asks for NO additional federal funds, but would make a practical difference in the lives of many working families.

Help us send a clear message to members of Congress that the #DiaperAct is real change from the bottom up! This week we are asking friends to help us reach 25K petition signatures. Thank you for join us!

Just the Facts, Ma’am:

  • The DIAPER Act asks for NO additional federal funding
  • Lack of diapers can result in (1) major health consequences and (2) a barrier to employment
  • If Congress enacts the DIAPER ACT, eligible child care centers would have the flexibility and choice to provide diapers (disposable or cloth) to their neediest clients.

Here is just one example of why we need this legislation passed.

Join Diaper Action Week:

– Sign our online petition, if you have not already
– POST on your blog during the week of November 14-18
– USE the tools we have on our site, including the petition widget, talking points, and helpful information
– URGE your readers to click the widget and sign the petition
– LINK up to the hub post below

TWEET or post on FACEBOOK during Diaper Action Week to call attention to our campaign, using #DiaperAct. Mobile users: click here for our mobile friendly petition.

How To Help #hamo

If you knew that you could help a struggling family provide basic necessities for their children, would you? Here are three ways you can make an impact this holiday season.

Dear Friends,

With less than two months left for 2011 we are in the process of making plans for 2012. Our board meets at the end of this month to solidify our 2012 goals, which I’m personally very excited about. HAMO is growing up! We have all of YOU to thank for helping us accomplish so much since March, 2009 – when we weren’t even thinking about starting anything other than a small diaper drive.

It’s been a jam packed year getting diapers to families who need them (nearly 750K diapers  since inception!), and getting our feet wet with advocacy work that is equally important to addressing diaper need. There is so much more work to be done in order to enable us to continue making an impact.

In the coming weeks we will be rolling out our year-end giving campaign, but we know that many of you are already asking us what you can do to help us ring in 2012 with a big bang. Here are some ideas for you …

1) Make plans for a year end gift

Help us “keep the lights on,” so to speak by sending your monetary gift before December 31st. Your year end gift will make your accountant happy, and we guarantee you will feel like a fairy godmother (or father) after you invest in making real difference with our families. Also, check with your employer to see if they will match your gift! We also have swell and festive e-cards we can send to your honoree! Click the blue button for more information.
 
2) Host or participate in a diaper drive

Yes, toys and food are wonderful to donate and we have nothing but love for our local food bank and Toys for Tots efforts. When you are at the big box store, stop by the baby aisle and pick up a pack or case of diapers for HAMO, or your local diaper bank, food bank, or pantry. When you shop online, order diapers to be sent to your doorstep! Or to our doorstep! One of our favorite volunteers, Sara, will be hosting her 3rd annual diaper drive/holiday party this year and we cannot tell you how much joy and hope this brings to our families. And her guests really look forward to a fun night. Start a tradition! Here are some tools you can use.

3) Donate a photo to support the #DiaperAct

We are still collecting photos to add to our Flickr pool. Consider adding your #DiaperAct photo to our collection. Make Aunt Gladys hold the sign for the photo op. Make a sign, snap the photo, and fill our inbox with love by sending us your digital photo (info@helpamotherout.org).

We would not be able to accomplish this crucial work without your continued partnership. Thank you so much for continuing to make a difference with our families!

Photo via Creative Commons 2.0:  rumpleteaser

Women Veterans, Long Neglected

In honor of Veterans Day, we are publishing a guest post by veteran and advocate Dottie Guy. Thank you to Dottie and all of our veterans for your service.

This year on Veterans Day, the focus is on a demographic of vets that have long been neglected: women veterans.

As a member of the Army National Guard, I went to Iraq in 2003 and prior to that, I was deployed for Homeland Security immediately after the attacks on September 11, 2001.  My job was military police and it was an experience that I will never forget.

War has changed quite a bit. Women are now on the front lines and we perform duties that we never would be allowed to perform just a short time ago.

I always felt that being a woman in the military meant I had to be stronger. I felt the need to hold my own in this boys club. I ran injured, I took a lot of crap from men who didn’t think I would be able to hack it, and I kept quiet about my pain because I didn’t want to come across as weak.

I am no longer in the military, but I have carried this mentality with me. I have to deal with a system that is ill-equipped to handle the record numbers of women veterans that are coming home from Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts that the military in involved in. The rate of military sexual trauma (MST) for women is disproportionally high (according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1 in 5 women responded “yes” when screened for MST) and deeply troublesome…and only a fraction gets reported or treated.

We also have to deal with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other combat-related mental health disorders in unique ways. In talking to mental health specialists, they find that women don’t report this as often because a lot of times, they of the feeling that we often put on a front and internalize our very real issues. The word “crazy” is often thrown around about women in emotional states and I feel that we aren’t taken as seriously. In the midst of a panic attack, I had a psychologist tell me “Imagine what I would be like without medication.” I promptly walked out of her office.

There are a lot of other issues that face women and all other vets such as unemployment (it’s currently at 12.1%), suicide (32 veterans attempt suicide daily. 18 succeed), and homelessness. There is a lot to be desired of our treatment of vets. Women vets are coming home to system that is ill equipped to handle them.

Fortunately, these issues are being addressed. The VA has a special clinic for women veterans. More people are being made aware of our issues and struggles. There is more work to be done, but this is a push in the right direction.

For more information on veteran’s issues (with details on the unique issues that women face), please visit Operation Recovery.

Dottie Guy is currently serving on the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Commission. She was in the Army and served in Iraq in 2003. She is passionate about veterans issues; she wants to ensure that they get the treatment and care that they earned.

Dottie is also a photographer. She has shown her work in throughout the United States and is a Getty Images contributor.

When she isn’t out taking photos or helping veterans, Dottie can be found enjoying fried chicken, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Tom Jones.

Veterans Day posters via Iraq Veterans Against the War.