~ Mary Ann, homeless mom of two

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)
• 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)

• 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

Local Foster Family Association Receives 15,000 Diapers to Serve Monterey County Foster Children and Families in Need.

Bay Area Organization Appeals to Monterey Community to Help Raise

15,000 More Diapers by Mother’s Day.

Salinas, CA – The Monterey County Association of Families Caring for Children (MCAFCC) and Bay Area-based non profit, Help A Mother Out, have partnered together to get much needed diapers to local children in need. On Saturday, January 21, 2012, together with local volunteers, Susan Derichsweiler, of Salinas, drove a large truck up the Bay Area to accept a donation of 15,000 Huggies diapers, on behalf of foster children and families in need served through the MCAFCC.

“We serve between 400-600 children under the age of five, per year. For quite some time we have been unable to fill a common request from emergency foster care families. That request is for diapers,” says Derichsweiler, MCAFCC President. “Children entering the foster care system do so abruptly, many times leaving their home with only the clothes on their backs. This wonderful donation will help us serve our tiniest clients when they are most in need.”

Lisa Truong, Help A Mother Out’s co-founder and executive director, says “We are very pleased to be partnering with MCAFCC to get diapers to Monterey County’s needy children. Diapers are rarely donated to organizations like the MCAFCC, who serve our most vulnerable children.”

“We made this grant because we know that diapers are a critical, yet unmet need in Monterey County. The truth is, MCAFCC will need more help from the local community in order to serve their families throughout this year. That is why we are issuing a public appeal to the residents of Monterey County to help “match” our gift and raise 15,000 more diapers. This is an easy and fun way to make a direct impact in the life of a vulnerable child. Whether you are a caring individual, business owner, or a faith-based group, please consider hosting or participating in a diaper drive to benefit MCAFCC before this Mother’s Day, which is May 13^th.”

Donations of diapers and baby wipes are currently being accepted at the MCAFCC offices, located at HartnellCollege, 411 Central Ave G15, Salinas, Ca 93901. Donations by check (memo line: “diapers”) can be sent to: MCAFCC,P. O. Box 2283, 93902.  

About the MCAFCC: The Monterey County Association of Families Caring for Children is a dynamic organization of resource families, foster parents, relative caregivers, near-kin and community members who have a common interest the welfare of Monterey County’s children.

About Help A Mother Out: Help A Mother Out, a project of Community Initiatives, is a nationally-recognized non profit dedicated to increasing access to diapers for families in need. Our flagship “diaper bank” is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, having distributed diapers and other hygiene supplies to over 22 agencies in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano counties. Our vision is a day when every baby has an adequate supply of diapers. Visit us on the web and learn how to start your own diaper drive: www.helpamotherout.org. Contact: lisa at helpamotherout dotorg.

“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.

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.”

Infographic: No Butt Left Behind

What to do next:

1. Take the pledge
2. Share this post on your blog and social networks (click the second icon, located  directly above in the gray section).
3. When sharing on Twitter, remember to tag us @helpamotherout #hamo so we can tweet thank you.

~ Phyllis, Community Health Specialist

A mother whose child did not yet have medical insurance had to use the last of her money to pay for medicine. This left her without money for diapers so we gave her a few days supply. Those diapers made all the difference.

~ Peggy, Social Worker

Dear Friends,

Before I co-founded Help A Mother Out (HAMO) I was a stay at home mom, focused on raising my two young children (then ages 9 months and 3 years old). I remember poring over countless parenting books and blogs, and fretting about whether my kids were getting enough sleep, nutrition, and intellectually stimulating experiences. And while I wasn’t keenly aware of it then, I now know that my husband and I are extremely blessed to be able to provide the most basic needs for our kids.

On a day in February 2009, after viewing the Oprah Winfrey show about how the Great Recession was impacting struggling families, I knew I had to do something to help. My first thought was to host a children’s clothing drive, but after reaching out to a handful of social service agencies, I learned about diaper need. The thought of a young child spending the entire day in the same diaper just broke my heart. I quickly learned that reliable access to diapers is the cornerstone for healthy babies, healthy communities, and a family’s ability to thrive.

Everyday I am grateful that HAMO gets to do something about this problem. Everyday I am in awe that a home grown project with a start up investment of $100, could help so many struggling families, as well as inspire action in many others (including many of you!). Together we have done a lot of good. Nearly 750K diapers have been distributed through our network of partners, including homeless centers, family resource centers, public health departments, and food pantries. Equally important, we have raised awareness and advocated for needy families. And, we’ve accomplished all of this on a tiny budget.

We are proud of our accomplishments, but the truth is our organization has a lot of work ahead of us. Our vision is a day when every baby has an adequate supply of diapers, and for every agency we have been able to help, we have had to turn two away due to lack of resources. Advocating for and getting diapers to families in need takes real financial resources. We are inviting you to “adopt” Help A Mother Out this holiday season.

For us to do our crucial work we need funds to pay for general operating and program expenses. You may think that your gift of $30, $50, $100, or any amount that is meaningful to you, may be just a drop in the bucket, but in reality, your help is actually what makes this whole operation possible. Since we started Help A Mother Out, 85-percent of monetary gifts collected have come from individuals like you.

Thank you for helping us to help more mothers, children, and caregivers in 2012.

Wishing you and your family peace, joy and abundance,

Lisa Truong, co-founder, executive director

On behalf of the entire Help A Mother Out family and network

p.s. We are pleased and very grateful to announce between November and December 31st, our friends at Huggies Every Little Bottom will match your monetary gift for unrestricted funds, with an in kind diaper donation – up to 300K diapers. Your timing doesn’t get any better to help. Thank you for your generosity and believing in our work.