Beyond the Basics: How Diapers Open Doors to Dignity

To highlight the work of our incredible partners, we’re running a series featuring the people behind the partnership that makes our work impactful. The following is based off of an interview with Ryan Gunder from Children’s Council in conversation with Dulcey Reiter.

The Path to Children’s Council

I started out working at Blue Bottle Coffee, which taught me how much I enjoy direct service and supporting people.

I knew I wanted to move into something more mission-driven, where the work had a deeper impact than just the day-to-day transactions. That’s what led me to Children’s Council. It was a chance to use those same people-focused skills to help improve people’s lives by helping them find stability and identifying opportunities to support them. It is definitely the right place to grow.  

What makes the job great

One of the parts I love about my job is that we are usually the first point of contact with families. I genuinely love helping people the moment they walk through our doors. A lot of families come in overwhelmed or unsure of what to expect, and being able to give them clarity, direction, and a sense of “you’re safe here” makes the work meaningful. You can literally see the weight lift off their shoulders when they leave with answers or support. 

I want every client to feel respected and understood from the moment they arrive. I hope that they see us as a space where they are treated with dignity and where their needs aren’t minimized. My hope is that they walk out feeling more stable than when they walked in. Even if there are some unique situations we aren’t able to fully assist with, my goal is to have everyone who walks out that door thinking, “I felt heard and understood.” 

How diapers make a difference

A lot of people first come in just for diapers, and that opens the door to conversations about childcare support, food programs, playgroups, resources to become a childcare provider themselves, and everything else we offer. The diapers help build trust because it meets an immediate, concrete need. From there, families start asking more questions and realizing there are other supports available.

I recently worked with a pregnant mom who arrived in near tears because she had no idea how she would be able to afford diapers once the baby arrived. When we gave her a box of diapers, she cried from relief. Moments like that stay with you. As soon as someone learns they can take home a box, you can see the fear drop off their face. 

The diaper program fills a critical survival gap. Without it, families would face impossible choices like buying food or buying diapers. The ability to provide diapers makes every interaction we have with clients easier because it takes away the real stress of being able to provide diapers for their families—and their babies.

Response to COVID-19: We’re here, you can help

Dear Friends,

The families Help a Mother Out serves will be disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus crisis. We are working with our community partners to anticipate and address the significant increase in diaper need, especially from families who do not receive any form of public assistance, including service employees and undocumented immigrants.

We need your help: Please donate now to ensure more families won’t have to go without diapers during this pandemic.

Each month, we order ONE full truckload (53-foot big rig) of diapers to meet our partners’ needs. For April’s delivery, we need to order TWO truckloads of diapers. Your support today will help ensure we can.

This moment is a reminder that we are all interconnected and interdependent. We sincerely wish you and yours well during this unprecedented time. Thank you for your continued support and friendship. 

In community,

Lisa Truong

Founder, Executive Director

On behalf of the staff, board and families we serve
 

P.S Sadly, due to COVID-19, we are cancelling our Annual Tea (April 25th). As a small but mighty organization, this cancellation is a very big deal to our bottom line. Plan B is in the works, more to come.

Honor a Mom You Love. Get Ready for Mother's Day and Give Hope.

Photo by Christie Hemm Klok.

Dear Friends,

I spend most of my time looking at the numbers, but I always stay focused on the larger goal, remembering why it is we do what we do. As a mother myself, I care deeply about baby and family well-being. This is the reason that I support Help a Mother Out and the reason I am reaching out to you today.

Mother’s Day is an incredibly special time for Help a Mother Out, as it marks the official founding date of this amazing organization, and this year is extra special as we celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Mother’s Day is May 12th, and I need your help to make this Mother’s Day incredibly successful.

• Donate now to double your donation. Every gift you give between now and Mother’s Day will be generously matched, dollar for dollar, up to $15,000, by the Harry L. and Helen M. Rust Charitable Foundation. This means that your gift will go twice as far in helping Bay Area families get access to a reliable supply of clean diapers.

• Your gift will be used wisely. As the Treasurer of the Board of Directors, I can assure you that we are good stewards of your money. Every dollar you give helps to improve baby and family well-being.

• Honor a mom you love. Make a donation in honor of a mom you love, and we’ll send her a swell card (snail mail or email).

• You can make an impact on the lives of Bay Area families. Clean diapers reduce the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, improve baby’s health and comfort, and enable baby’s participation in early care and education programs. Help a Mother Out is working towards a world in which every baby has access to clean diapers, and your gift matters.

As Mother’s Day approaches, I ask you to join me in supporting this wonderful organization. When you give a gift to Help a Mother Out, you are giving the greatest gift of all -- hope.

In Community,

Mitra Rezvan, on behalf of the HAMO Crew

Treasurer, Help a Mother Out Board of Directors

p.s. You can help spread the word by sharing this with your network. We need your help to make the generous $15,000 match!

Poverty Goes Hand in Hand with Stress for the Whole Family

California is upping its game to fight childhood trauma and toxic stress. Dr. Nadine Harris Burke, our first Surgeon General recently appointed by Gov. Newsom says, “Exposure to early adversity dramatically affects the developing brains and bodies of children.”

At Help a Mother Out, we know that access to diapers is a small thing that greatly alleviates a mother’s stress. Children are especially sensitive to stress because their brains and bodies are just developing.

Dr. Robert Block, Former President of American Academy of Pediatrics says, “Adverse childhood experiences are the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today.”

Research traces adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, to the later onset of physical and mental illness. Poverty and exposure to adversity can lead to a greatly increased chance of childhood trauma.

Learn more about the new efforts in the movement to combat ACEs in this article from California Healthline: California Looks To Lead Nation In Unraveling Childhood Trauma

And, see Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’ impassioned TED Talk below.

Thank you for helping us increase access to diapers for families in need. The impact of this small thing can be great.

SoCal: #BlogHer11 Virtual Diaper Drive #hamo

This coming week some of the team will be at BlogHer ’11.

In case you haven’t heard, we’re hosting a service project to coincide with the conference, in hopes of raising much needed diaper funds we’d like to raise to benefit our Southern California families. Specifically, we have three agencies located in San Diego, Inland Empire, and east Los Angeles, who are currently on the waiting list to receive diapers.

Whether you are attending the conference or not, you can help us make a difference.

Bonus: We’re giving away an iPad, generously donated by our friends at Momversation, to one lucky online donor. And as of this writing, your chances look really good to win!

How you can help:

Spread the word about our virtual diaper drive. Official rules and more good stuff can be found via our event page.

Your online gift of $10 or more enters you to our iPad giveaway contest. Go ahead, click the BLUE button and help a mother out!