Charity Spotlight: HELPING MAMAS

Editor: Callan

MEET HELPING MAMAS

Helping Mamas is the baby supply bank of Georgia, and a small but mighty team of four, whose mission is to connect with mamas needing help. They coordinate with over 150 partner agencies to serve low-income women, teens, and children aged newborn to 12 years old throughout Georgia.

Helping Mamas provides access to essential baby items including diapers, wipes, car seats, Pack-N-Plays, and other items to low-income families, as well as period products to menstruators experiencing period poverty. In 2020 alone, Helping Mamas served over 65,000 families and children. They distributed almost 2 million essential items and launched their On the Go program with their first Helping Mamas van!

Did You Know?

• Many public assistance programs like WIC and SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) do not allow the purchase of essential baby items.
• 1 in 3 women in the US must choose between purchasing food or diapers for their child each month.
• 1 in 4 menstruators miss a week of school or work due to lack of access to period products.

ONGOING COMMITMENT TO THEIR COMMUNITY

During the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, many agencies and nonprofits were unable to remain open or had to extremely reduce their outreach. Helping Mamas remained in operation and switched to an online ordering system to continue to serve their partner agencies when families were in the most need.

Diaper needs increased significantly during this time, almost four times as high as the previous months. To address this highly increased need, Helping Mamas added over 30 new partner agencies and increased the number of families served per agency. In total during the summer of 2020, Helping Mamas served over 21,000 families and distributed almost half a million diapers to their community.

REACHING THEIR 2021 GOAL

Each year, Helping Mamas attempts to expand their capacity to serve as they continue to grow as a nonprofit and a community. In 2019, Helping Mamas served 30,000 families and children and in 2020, they served over 65,000 individuals. In 2021, they are striving to serve at least 70,000 children and families and distribute over 2 million essential items.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Volunteering:

Volunteers can sign up on their website at https://helpingmamas.org/participate/. Socially distant weekend and weekday volunteering opportunities are held at their office in Norcross, GA. Volunteers help process community donations and restock their warehouse.

Volunteers and corporate sponsors can also participate in their On the Go distribution. Volunteers can attend these community events to assist in distributing diapers and other items to families in need, and corporate groups can sponsor these events.

Donations:

All donations made to Helping Mamas are used to either purchase essential items, restock their warehouse, grow their organization, or fund large purchases such as their Helping Mamas van. They have several ways to donate to their mission:

• Visit their Amazon baby registry to purchase essential items for their community.
• Visit their donation page to donate funds through MightyCause page.
• Learn about their “Helping Mama of the Year” campaign and nominate $10 to vote.
• Or browse their merchandise to give back while getting something for yourself.