BAY AREA – HELP A MOTHER OUT
Invites you to a morning of food and friendship…
4th ANNUAL BENEFIT TEA
Emcee ~ Kristen Sze, ABC7 News Anchor
Community Impact Honoree: Earth Baby the Compostable Diaper Service
Saturday, March 22, 2014
10am – Noon
Mark Hopkins Intercontinental
San Francisco, CA
{Babes in arms are welcome!}
For sponsorship opportunities or to RSVP, contact:
anna@helpamotherout.org or 415-938-6667
In Glendale, a city near Los Angeles, the MomsLA.com blog community held their annual holiday party at Moonlight Rollerway last Sunday. As part of the festivities, guests were invited to bring donations of diapers or cash to benefit nearby emergency homeless shelter Ascencia, where there is, among others, a pregnant woman who is expected to deliver soon.
And they responded in force! In return donors were given raffle tickets to enter to win a variety of prizes donated by some wonderful donors.
It wasn’t the prizes they were going for, it was their natural generosity. We collected 1,788 diapers, several boxes of wipes, and $120 in cash so we could purchase even more diapers!
They’re so lovely.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t get excited when they won, though…
Here is E. with the mac daddy first prize – a Razor Electric Scooter!
Other prizes included a Wii console with additional games, KidTrax ride-on toys for toddlers, gift baskets from General Mills, signed copies of Randi Zuckerberg’s Dot Complicated, a $50 gift certificate to Moonlight Rollerway, and a year’s subscription to Audiobooks.com!
Julia looks forward to activating!
The highlight of the party (besides the diaper haul, for me) was seeing everyone’s happy faces on the roller rink. When is the last time you skated?
Thanks to MomsLA.com for partnering with us on this drive! Here’s a video they made about the event:
In the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, we have placed a new drop bin at the Play Destination in Agoura Hills. Now there is another place where you can take those diapers that don’t fit your baby, or diapers and new wipes that you have collected to help needy families in our area.
The Play Destination is a spacious indoor playground for children 6 and under with ample comfortable seating for parents. I’ve gone there with my own children on those super-hot summer days when outdoor play can actually be hazardous. The kids love the variety of activities they can choose from – toys, climbing, air hockey, and even a bounce house.
The Play Destination also hosts private parties and offers educational classes for families.
Our newly minted diaper drop bin is right inside the front doors. The Play Destination is located on Canwood in Agoura Hills near Sit’N’Sleep.
28501 Canwood Street, Suite 3E
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(818) 292-8644
My youngest son was 9 months old when we started HAMO – talk about timing. Tired of Great Recession news, and with a little Oprah inspiration, a friend and I decided to take action in our community after learning that diapers were forgotten in the safety net. With your help we’ve been able to move mountains and change lives of women and children living in the margins of our society. On #GivingTuesday I’m sharing “Sheila’s” story with you.
Sheila was referred to one of our community partners after she found herself pregnant and homeless. Having grown up in foster care, she has no family support. Sheila began to see Lucy, a social worker from the department of public health. During one of their very first visits together, Lucy brought diapers for Sheila’s newborn baby “Michael.” As Lucy told me, “Those diapers sealed the deal, and showed her that she could trust me. Those diapers brought her hope when she had none.” Since those first visits, the pair have continued to work together and Sheila has accomplished so much. She was able to secure transitional housing and works the evening shift at Walmart, while her partner cares for the baby. She still has a tremendous hill to climb. But just about every other week she can look forward to Lucy knocking on her door, bringing hope in a little package.
In the coming year our goals include helping more moms like Sheila. Here are a few ways you can help us on #GivingTuesday through December 31st:
Access to diapers impacts big things: Mothers are less prone to depression, young children feel clean and dry, and social workers are provided with a valuable gateway towards cultivating deeper relationships with clients.
Friends, thank you for living your values and supporting our work. Ninety-percent of our support comes from individuals like you. Thanks for doing good with us.
Gratefully yours,
Lisa Truong, on behalf of the entire HAMO crew
Thanksgiving is next week and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to thank our community for all of your support. So we made this short 2 minute video just for you.
Thank-a-thon 2013 from Help A Mother Out on Vimeo.
Thanks for being part of our community!
– Lisa T., on behalf the HAMO Crew
@Facebook | Give | Let Good Grow 2013
p.s. Check back with us soon to learn about the many ways you can help mothers this holiday season!
In honor of Infant Loss and Remembrance Day I wanted to share a story that came to us last year from Liz at the Junior Gym. JG has hosted a donation bin for our families since shortly after we started HAMO.
Hi Lisa,
I just wanted to email you to let you know about a recent diaper donation that came through Jr Gym. A couple came in with hundreds of diapers to drop off. I wasn’t there, but Justin said he could sense their sadness as soon as he saw them. They told him that their baby had passed away which was why they had so many diapers to donate. It was very important to them that we pass on to HAMO who the diapers were from. So, that’s what I’m doing. His name was baby Jordan and he was only a few months old.
Life is truly a mystery.
– Liz, Junior Gym
Because we never got to properly thank Jordan’s parents for their gift directly, I wanted to share their story today to honor their sweet baby. We are blessed to have been touched by Jordan’s life and we know those diapers meant a lot to the mom and baby who ultimately received them.
It was about time that we revised the toolkit since the old one was from way back when we first started. We’re learned a lot since then and put those best practices into this handy diaper drive toolkit. Use the toolkit to host a drive for HAMO, or for a diaper bank in your own area.
Click here to get the toolkit.
You will find simple step by step plans, flyers and charts, sample letters to get others involved, and more. Let us know what you think?
We are excited to attend an upcoming discussion, sponsored by our colleagues at LA Diaper Drive and the National Diaper Bank Network, with a panel of experts on the effects of child poverty. This is an great step towards spreading awareness of the needs of low-income moms and children.
LOS ANGELES – A panel featuring experts from law, health care and social services will examine how often children’s basic needs go unmet and the long-term consequences of that deficit, on Tuesday, September 10, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the UCLA School of Nursing, Factor Building, Moseley Auditorium.
One in five American children is growing up in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Research has repeatedly documented health and educational disadvantages that follow these children for a lifetime. “Extreme poverty,” individuals living on $2 per day, has grown to engulf 1.65 million households, according to the National Poverty Center.
The panelists will include:
Megan Aubrey: vice president of development at Children’s Institute, Inc., a non-profit serving more than 20,000 vulnerable children and families in Los Angeles County and a agency that distributes diapers with LA Diaper Drive.
Jessica Bartholow: a legislative advocate at the Western Center on Law and Poverty with over a decade of experience in anti-poverty organizing, advocacy and program development at the local, state and national level.
Joanne Goldblum: executive director of the National Diaper Network, which supports community-based organizations nationwide that provide diapers to the 30 percent of low-income families who cannot afford them.
Angela Hudson: assistant professor of nursing at UCLA where she teaches maternity-newborn nursing. Her research focuses on prevention and health promotion with at-risk youth.
This event is co-sponsored by LA Diaper Drive, The National Diaper Bank Network and the UCLA School of Nursing.
Magic 92.5 and Xavier The X-Man are having their 11thAnnual Cruise for the Cause on Saturday, August 17th. This Car Show and concert will be held at the Otay Ranch Town Center in Chula Vista from 10am to 4pm.
Enjoy a car show, concerts, a kid’s zone, makeovers, and more!
Come to this awesome free event for a great cause – helping save lives and kids with cancer!
Pachuca cosmetics is a cool makeup line inspired by the art of Latino culture and is all about confident women expressing a state of mind. They will have a pinup hair and makeup booth! Pachuca is generously donating their proceeds to HAMO.
Proceeds from event t-shirt sales will also benefit HAMO’s work in the San Diego community. Big thanks to friends Alicia and Xavier for supporting our local families with their t-shirt sales for the 5th year in a row!
Help support HAMO and other agencies at this fun event!
A recent study published by Pediatrics finds that 30% of mothers (from a sample of almost 900 in the New Haven, CT area) struggle to afford an adequate supply of clean diapers for their babies.
This is not news to us, of course. We are always accepting donations big and small, but our supply is never enough. There are so many people in need that it is difficult to keep up.
A key message in the article is that diaper need can be used to measure risk to infants’ health, and suggests that physicians may screen families by asking about diaper need and then referring them to local diaper banks or distribution networks.
For families who are financially struggling, health care professionals and researchers should recognize not only food and housing but also diapers as basic needs.
This study represents a milestone in the national movement to address diaper need. There have been countless studies that have addressed hunger and children’s nutrition. We think this issue is just as crucial and invite you to join us in helping the women and children we serve.
Do you want to change lives? Join us and make a gift today.
While the study is valuable for its ability to bring attention to diaper need, let us not forget that the issue is not just a statistic. There are real people suffering from this problem. Watch this short video about a brave young mom who got the boost she needed with the help of diaper donations from YOU.
Jasmine from Help A Mother Out on Vimeo.
Our co-founder Lisa Truong appeared on the KTVU evening news today to talk about diaper need in light of the Pediatrics magazine study announcement. We are grateful for the chance to address the work we do for a wider audience. Thank you to everyone who has come to this site today looking for more information about our mission.
If you need help getting diapers, contact one of our partner agencies near you, or dial 2-1-1 to find out about local services.
How can you help?
If you believe that children deserve to have their basic needs met, then we need you on our team.
Get to know us: we invite you to get to know more about our work. You can start by reading up on the Real Stories from moms who have been helped through our diaper program.
Donate: make the change by helping us get diapers into the hands of moms and young children. Your investment helps empower families and enables us to continue our program. Click here to donate online.
Start a fundraiser: Are you ready to do something greater than yourself? Do you want to amplify your impact by raising mission critical funds for the cause? Learn more about hosting an online fundraiser.
Bring us diapers: we accept new and opened packs of disposable diapers at drop locations in many areas. Click here and scroll down to see where your closest one is.
Host a diaper drive: there is bound to be a service organization in your community that works directly with people who need diapers. Rally your friends, neighbors, and family to donate diapers or funds by holding your own diaper drive.
Join our mission to change lives one diaper at a time.
In honor of Father’s Day, we want to share a moving testimonial from a father.
Curt’s story was highlighted at our annual Let Good Grow event by Phoebe Rubin. Phoebe is a volunteer at our partner agency, the Bayview Mission, a ministry of Grace Cathederal in San Francisco.
Here is what Phoebe shared with us:
I am a mother and the idea of running out of diapers horrifies me. That’s why I’ve volunteered at the baby ministry at Bayview Mission in San Francisco for the last four years.
I’ve given out diapers hundreds of diapers to families, and I know that access to diapers can mean the difference between having food, medicine and shelter—and not having those things.
I’m want to tell you about one family in particular. Curt is in his early 40’s and takes care of his baby Mia full time. Before his accident, Curt was a college-educated artist who made large metal sculptures and did construction work to pay the bills. Not anymore. Curt’s leg was badly injured when he fell from a 3rd story window at work. Surgery on Curt’s leg was botched, and his request for a second surgery was denied. Now, walking is a challenge for Curt. He lives on disability. One of the few times he goes out each week is when he comes to the ministry to pick up diapers and baby food for Mia.
Knowing Curt has made me grateful for my health, and the health of my family. That’s because Curt told me: that he never, in all of his life, dreamed that he would lose his health. Curt grew up in a middle-class family. He never imagined himself disabled, needing help, instead of working and creating his art. I bet many of you can hardly imagine that either.
About 3.5 years ago, Help a Mother Out started bringing diapers to our ministry. To us volunteers, being able to help families like Curt’s felt like winning the lottery. I have to admit that I look forward to seeing Curt roll up in his car each week with Mia. He is such a well-informed and fun person. Every week I learn something new from him about local politics or current events.
Curt would say that diapers from Help a Mother Out have made it possible for him to buy things his family could not survive without. Instead of worrying about how to buy diapers, Curt can concentrate on parenting Mia. And that investment is paying off big time. Mia is a happy well taken care of baby.
Because of HAMO, Curt can do what he needs to do for his family—and his own health–rather than worrying about diapers. One day a few weeks back, after providing diapers for Curt dozens of times, there was a day when we ran out. The need is so enormous that, even though HAMO works around the clock, they can’t always provide diapers for every baby. I had to go out to Curt’s car and turn him away. He took the news calmly, but I wondered what was going through his mind, facing the week without HAMO’s help. As I turned to go back inside, my heart felt heavy. At that moment, it struck me what an enormous thing a diaper really is, and what a difference it can make in a life. I’m happy to say that I gave Curt a bundle of diapers this week, thanks to HAMO. Curt thanked me, and I thank HAMO for making lives like Curt’s, and his baby Mia’s, easier.
Curt’s story reminds us to be grateful for what we do have while encouraging us to remember that there are those who encounter unexpectedly difficult challenges in life.
As you honor the fathers in your life, we want to thank you for all that you do for dads like Curt.
How will you celebrate Father’s Day?
Has your dad ever embarrassed you? Check out this funny video and song tribute for Father’s Day about all those silly things dads do. You are not alone:)
Did you know that 23% of children in the US are living in poverty?
So over 16.837 million children under 18 years old live in families with annual income below $22,811 in 2011.
Based on analysis of the US Census, the Annie E. Casey foundation has posted statistics by state for 2007-2011 on their data center.
Looking at how California measures up to the other states:
These stats indicate the need for heightened awareness of income disparities. Food and diaper deserts are increasingly found in low-income neighborhoods. Continued efforts to address inequalities of access to basic needs are essential for the large (and growing) number of children and families living in poverty.
How does your state stack up? Are you surprised?
Clover By Clover’s generous support of our 3rd Annual Benefit Tea last month certainly made our meaningful celebration that much more so. Thank you!
Clover by Clover is a service that helps you take back the birthday party. Or the holiday. Or the graduation. Or the [insert celebration]. Take it back from the 1,000-piece toys that your relatives insist on giving the children. Take it back from the cheap plastic crap you already have too much of! Take it back from having your kids get more stuff that may quickly get broken, outgrown, or tossed into the “donate” pile.
Now you can set up a fundraiser for any special occasion that will benefit a worthy cause. Clover By Clover helps you facilitate it, and you can specify the cause and the amount that will be sent to them.
For example – for your son’s 9th birthday, instead of gifts, you ask friends and family to make a donation to the Clover By Clover page you set up to benefit, say, Help a Mother Out, or one of their other fine charity partners. At the end of the donation period, he has raised $400. He keeps a percentage of that money to spend or save, and the other part goes to the charity.
Founders Erin Aliaga and Betsy Ellis Chung started Clover By Clover because they thought that the latter scenario was preferable to “seeing stacks of toys at parties for children who really didn’t need (or even want) more.” They wanted to “make gifts more meaningful and celebrations more thoughtful.”
We would like to give thanks to a special partner agency: APA Family Services in SF. They are a valued community partner and provide essential support services to Asian/Pacific Islander children and families in need.
We interviewed Lena Yu, Program Coordinator for Chinatown center-based programs. Lena started off as a volunteer at APA while she was studying Community Development within the Asian American Studies program at SF State University. After graduation she decided to take the opportunity to stay with APA because she fell in love with the warm and caring staff and wanted to continue to see the happy faces of the children she got to work with.
Why is APA’s mission important to you?
Growing up in a traditional first generation family, there were times when my family struggled and I felt like there was no one that understood what I was going through. APA’s mission and work touches on this and works hand in hand with struggling families to build a good foundation in order for this to happen.
What are some of the unique cultural challenges for the Asian community?
Asian families struggle just like any other family in America, but it can be especially hard to reach Asian families because of the taboo and stereotypes due to culture, traditional values and a lack of understanding in this new country. The immigrant parents often carry over practices such as physical punishment, verbal threats, and emotional abuse. Parents are often under stress and turn to parenting styles they grew up with.
Another cultural challenge is of course the language barriers that families face. Not being able to communicate your needs is something that can leave parents feeling helpless and hopeless. Having someone, like APA to hold their hand and help guide them makes the journey less scary.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Watching the families grow and have a great time at our center. Many mothers that come into the center are often new immigrants and have very few friends and support. Many become great friends outside of the center and that is the best feeling for me.
Watching young children graduate from our parent-child groups and entering preschool and kindergarten makes me feel like a proud parent as well, especially when they come and visit us many years later.
How do you view HAMO’s role in APA’s vision?
HAMO has been partners with APA since 2010 when diaper banks were being closed down due to lack of funding and staffing. Diapers have been a main concern and working with HAMO we hope to continue to provide this essential resource to families and help alleviate some of the stresses they face. Our monthly diaper distribution, thanks to HAMO’s kind donations, has really helped us reach out to isolated families that are hidden and do not know where to turn for help.
Is there something you would want the SF community to know?
In the nooks and crannies of beautiful San Francisco, there are struggling families trying to survive and live day to day. It is important to remember how fortunate one is when others around them are facing constant trials. Giving someone strength and hope is one of the greatest gifts any one person can give to another.
The 3rd Annual Benefit Tea in support of Help a Mother Out happened on Saturday, May 11, at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel on Nob Hill in San Francisco. It was a beautiful spring day with just a touch of fog left clinging to the edges of the amazing view from The Top of the Mark – the restaurant on the highest floor of the hotel that welcomes visitors to glimpse out the windows for a photo op.
But the best view of all was the sea of faces of the guests gathered around the tables in the Peacock Room where HAMO supporters showed up in person to enjoy each other’s company and listen to how they have helped the mission grow, and how they can continue to do so. The program, emceed by KABC 7’s Kristen Sze, opened with Kirsten Patel reading a piece called “The Club,” an excerpt from the Listen To Your Mother show that partnered with HAMO for a productive and beneficial Mother’s Day weekend.
Time to eat and sip some tea followed, with mingling and chatting and meeting new people.
Our table hosts created lovely table decorations and favors
The program continued with testimonials from HAMO beneficiaries via the new documentary featuring three brave women – Jasmine, Kim, and Abaynesh – and a speech from a worker at a partner shelter. Co-founder and executive director Lisa Truong spoke about guilt, and how government agencies routinely call her for diapers because HAMO is one of the only games in town when it comes to family support for diapers. And then HAMO board member Catherine Hazelton, visibly pregnant and a picture of motherhood, introduced the pledge cards and the newest way of supporting HAMO, the multi-year angel. Donors can now select to give one, five, or ten thousand dollars a year for five years – a wonderful option especially if there is an employer who gives matching funds.
Several amazing guests at the tea stood up to announce their intent to donate at one of those levels. In the end, the pledges bested last year’s total, and got us nearly half way to our 2013 fundraising goal! At this rate, we’re moving from “shoestring to sustainability,” which will allow us to help more people.
The most powerful thing about the tea was that all those people came, donated at whatever level they chose, and took away the power of the mission.
Let good grow.
Thank you to our event volunteers from partner agency WDDC, as well as our event sponsors including Alyssa Brennan, Clover by Clover, Earth Baby, Lucy’s Cookies, KidsintheHouse.com, Plum Organics, UrbanSitter.com, and Skincare by Feleciai.
A kind act happened recently at a Walmart in Loveland.
While a young couple was counting their money to see if they had enough to pay for diapers for their young daughter, another couple who were strangers offered to pay for them. The strangers paid for the diapers and everything in the cart, explaining that people have helped them and they were just paying it forward.
This random act of kindness and help from strangers prompted the young couple to share this story with the local news in hopes of spreading the word. A simple gesture can mean so much to other people, so let’s pay it forward!
Have you paid it forward? Or experienced a pay it forward moment?
It’s National Women’s Health Week!The goal is to empower women to make their health a priority.
MomsRising, a mom-run organization focused on addressing critical issues for women, mothers and families through grassroots action, is celebrating by playing Healthy Moms BINGO.
You can download your own card and share with friends!
The game encourages us women to do the following 5 healthy steps:
What a fun way to to get healthy!…and maybe win a prize!
For all those mothers out there, ever wondered if your guy really understood labor pain?…and if they could handle it? Check out this video to find out!
Hilarious video! Guess men wouldn’t trade places with women