The Bay Area Diaper Bank Has Closed Its Doors

As previously reported, The Bay Area Diaper Bank recently closed due to lack of funding. If you think you might be interested in taking over the diaper bank, we can put you in touch with the right folks. Email us info (at) helpamotherout (dotorg).

With permission we are repubishing this communication written by Todd Madigan, Director of Development and Communications at  Sacred Heart Community Service. Like all of the agencies we are working with, SHCS is seeing a huge uptick in the amount of families in crisis. Food or diapers: which would you choose?

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After her second visit in as many days, the social worker made the following entry in her case notes:“The eight-month old is still wearing the same diaper she had on when I visited yesterday morning.”

Julia’s family was struggling. The two jobs she worked provided enough money for rent, but left her strained for the rest of her needs. She wanted so desperately to provide a good life for her two girls, but things were getting more difficult.

Eventually she started receiving food stamps, and on one of her first trips to the grocery store, having just paid rent, she placed her items onto the checkout counter, relieved that her girls would be taken care of for another week. The clerk scanned each item, and after totaling everything, Julia slid her EBT card, thankful that she had calculated so precisely.

Standing at the register with a long line behind her was when Julia was told that food stamps do not cover diapers—they are not a basic need.

The closure of the Bay Area Diaper Bank has struck at the heart of our community’s most vulnerable families. The average cost of diapers for one child is $100 per month, an expense that is simply impossible for most of those we serve. This is all the more troubling when we recall that infants who are not changed frequently enough—with the resultant skin irritation and consequent fussing—are more likely to be abused.

Over the past year, the Diaper Bank has provided a quarter million diapers to some 20 agencies, but its last delivery was this month, coinciding with Mother’s Day. Please consider helping us provide this critical service.

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Thank you Cubes & Crayons for Helping a Mother Out! Most recently, we sponsored a diaper drive atCubes & Crayons, Silicon Valley campus, benefiting SHCS. C&C members were able to raise about 2500 diapers! Would your group like to try and beat C&C’s record?

We can help YOU host a diaper drive for SHCS .* Simply email us info (at) helpamotherout (dotorg). We have a diaper drive toolkit we can give you with easy steps on how you can raise diapers. If you think you would like to help today with a few easy clicks and the cost of a modest dinner out, consider purchasing a case of diapers or wipes off their Amazon.com wishlist. It ships direct to SHCS and is tax deductible. Check out our FAQ if you have more questions.

*In addition to SHCS, we can help you host a diaper drive for any one of the agencies we are working with throughout California. Check out our partners – the people who are doing direct work with families in crisis. We can help you reach out to one in your own community. Come join us!

What Not to Donate

photo by tangobaby *Note: bourbon is for scale purposes only.

We appreciate all of your donations, we really do, but while sorting supplies we found some things in our drop bins that are, shall we say, somewhat less than useful. Things like ancient, stained baby dolls and stuffed animals.

photo by tangobaby

And matches. Medical supplies (e.g., syringes, gauze, suture scissors). Broken umbrellas. 3-D glasses. Aromatic candles. Random books. Backpacks containing the remains of someone’s lunch. Unwrapped toothbrushes. Soiled clothing. Unwashed clothing. Swim diapers. Decorative bowls. Half-filled Nalgene bottles and half-filled peri bottles. Old baby bottles made with BPA plastics. Open, leaking, and nearly empty bottles of shampoo, lotion, and conditioner.


Although I must admit, the surgical gloves came in handy when sorting through some of these items, so thanks for those.

By contrast, here are some things that would be great to drop off:

  • Diapers! Especially in larger sizes (3 and up), in open or sealed packages.
  • Pull-ups
  • Baby wipes
  • Tampons and pads
  • Costco-sized packs of toothpaste and toothbrushes
  • Unopened, unleaky bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion — both travel and full size
  • Unopened baby care items (diaper cream, ointments, saline drops)
  • Unopened and unexpired infant formula
  • Brand-new socks and underwear for kids

A good rule of thumb for those who are considering donating items is to ask yourself, “Would I want to be given this?” If the answer is ewww, then please deposit the items in the trash instead. HAMO’s all-volunteer crew thanks you!

15,000 Diapers!

I think it’s safe to say that our May Diaper Donation Drive was a smashing success: In one month, our supporters donated 15,000 diapers to families in need, plus thousands of travel-sized toiletries and baby wipes. For reference, the photo above shows about 1,500 diapers collected just from drop bins at Natural Resources and SadieDey’s Cafe. Ten times that number is a veritable mountain of diapers. Thanks to the ease of Amazon wishlists, generous folks from around the country were able to participate by simply pointing, clicking, and donating diapers directly to the agency of their choice. In San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, busy parents took time out of their days to drop off diapers and other supplies at collection bins that were frequently overflowing.


Toothpaste, by tangobaby.

We at Help A Mother Out have been awed and overwhelmed by the response to what began as a modest Mother’s Day donation drive. When we first set up Amazon.com wishlists for a couple agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area, we had no idea that we would garner supporters statewide, let alone nationwide; we had no idea that we would tap into an inspiring, energizing network of folks across the stateand the country advocating on behalf of poor families; we had no idea we would recruit allies and volunteers from around the world to help us help some mothers out.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who donated and spread the word, and especially to the following cheerleaders, collaborators, and co-conspirators:

Craig is totally checking us out

As longtime users and fans of Craigslist, we’re honored and thrilled by this shout-out on Craig Newmark’s blog. Over the past 15 years, Craigslist has touched practically every aspect of my life: I’ve gotten awesome freelance gigs, rented swell apartments, purchased and sold a car, found the world’s best babysitter… I, like many of my peers, can’t imagine modern life without it.

We all know about the multitude of classified ads on Craigslist, but not as many people know about the cool civic-engagement work being undertaken by the Craigslist Foundation, or about Craig’s own advocacy on behalf of a number of progressive causes. They’re doing cool stuff, and we’re pretty darn proud that they think we’re doing cool stuff too.

CalWORKS Spared — For Now

Yesterday, guest poster Angie generously shared her personal experience as a CalWORKS recipient, and her well-founded fears that the program would fall victim to the California budget crisis. We were all set to post a blog entry with links to letter-writing campaigns urging the state legislature not to cut CalWORKS — but before we could hit “post,” we got news that the budget committee voted 6 to 1 to save the program!

This is of course wonderful news, but it’s tempered by the fact that many other crucial and extremely worthwhile programs are on the chopping block.

To stay updated on the budget situation (legislators are meeting right now to figure out what to cut and what to save), check out the Western Center on Law & Poverty’s frequently updated legislative blog. And, of course, keeping checking back here or follow our Twitter stream for action updates.

How the Budget Cuts Have Impacted My Family

Today’s guest post is from our newly minted super hero – Ms. Angie in San Diego. Angie is a senior atUCSD and a single mother to a little girl. After years of hardship, and super-human determination, a college degree is finally in sight for her. What keeps her up at night is not celebrating her collegiate accomplishments, but her own worries of whether or not her family will be homeless before she is able to graduate. As reported in our previous post, our state is in danger of completely losing our safety net programs, including CalWORKS and Healthy Families. Read Angie’s story to learn how these program cuts will directly effect her family and countless other “little stories” in our communities.

Thank you, Angie, for the honor of sharing your story with our readers. You are AMAZING.

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Before I went back to school, I was working full time. I was working nights, for just above minimum wage. During the day I spent all of my time raising my daughter. Child care was not a financial possibility, and I can never repay my sister for watching my little girl during those long nights. Diapers were expensive, and those of us with young kids would fight over the marked down open packs of diapers. During those years I got further and further into debt, since my paycheck rarely covered basic needs. It was then that I decided to go back to school. I debated it for months, worrying about the financial impact, the emotional impact on my self esteem that I knew would suffer tremendously if I went on State Aid. Welfare. Welfare. We now call it “State Aid”, we call Food Stamps “EBT Cards”, but the ego and self-esteem destroyers remain the same. Spending hours in the offices, one line after another, waiting, waiting, waiting to be called to a window, a room. Paperwork in triplicate, documentation, documentation, fingerprinting, and all of the disdain that comes with it from the workers behind the glass, behind the partition, behind the door at the “house visits”, which are house inspections, looking into every drawer and pantry of your life.

I am currently almost done with school. I have worked part-time the entire time I was going to school, while also receiving Welfare. Even though there were many times I felt like quitting after having to take time off of either work or school to meet with a worker or fill out more paperwork, I hung in there. There were times when I thought, “This would be easier if I just quit school, got a regular job and stayed paycheck to paycheck forever. I can’t handle the constant negotiation and renegotiation to trying to figure out the right thing to say or do to make it with the Welfare office.”

But I held on, going on and off herbal and medical anti-depressants, ranting to an empty house and at the end of the month an empty fridge. I will have my BA at the end of the summer, and from that point on be able to forever take care of my family without any extra help. That is, if I can make it through these budget cuts. I dropped some of my classes over this last year because of cancer in my family. We lost two very loved and very much missed members of my family with in a year of each other. I would not wish cancer on my worst enemy. It was the most horrific thing I have ever been witness to, and to have to go through it all again so soon almost broke my spirit. I do not regret taking the time off since the precious time I spent with my Aunt and then her eldest daughter is something I could never replace. However, it has left me with no Financial Aid, and my hours at work are down to nothing.

If these budget cuts go through, my family will most likely be cut, since we have been on Welfare for a while now. Taking away CalWorks leaves us in dire straights. I cannot find a job that will work with the hours I need, and absolutely cannot afford childcare. We don’t receive a lot, only $286.00 a month in cash, but I have managed to make it stretch to keep us afloat. Without that money, we will be homeless.I do my best to make the Food Stamp money last as well, but fresh fruit and veggies are a beginning of the month luxury. It breaks my heart to hear my daughter proudly tell me that her friends were so nice to give her the extra food left over from their lunches. My guts wrench when she looks me in the eyes and says, “Pasta again mom? I don’t want to eat pasta again”, after the third or fourth time this week. The stress of the budget cuts keep me up at night, wondering if we will make it until the cuts go through. Wondering how we will survive if they actually do go through. We are borderline homeless now. Without that little bit of help…

I only need it for a few more months, but I know there are others that need more time. San Diego is a very expensive place to live, and most people have no extra money, let alone the money to move.  These cuts mean real things to real people, and this truly is the last thing we need in this economy. So many of us are barely surviving, why do you want to send us families to the streets?

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Dear Readers:  Please take a moment to share your thoughts with Ms. Angie by posting a comment below.

Katie Couric’s Spotlight on Kids, Part 2

Greetings from sunny California, the breadbasket of the world.

This week the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric continued their Children of the Recession report. Most recently, they interviewed a 13 year old boy, named Lewis Roman, living in a single room at a Philadelphia shelter, with his mother and several siblings. Lewis tells CBS:

“I don’t like letting nobody … know I’m hungry,” he says. Lewis told me about trying to fall asleep (and sometimes not being able to) as a way to deal with hunger. He told me how he’ll get so hungry that he’ll feel like throwing up.”

Ms. Couric continues:

Hunger in America isn’t what you might think. In extensive phone calls and while doing research for this story, I learned that a child may technically be eating something but can still be hungry – and thus damaging IQ and impairing cognitive growth. Perhaps a child’s last meal was a bowl or cereal or box of inexpensive noodles. While technically they may have eaten something, it wasn’t nutritious enough to help them develop. When a child is growing — it’s particularly important in years 0-5) – what little of nutritional value consumed is going to basic organ and body development, and the brain is starved of the nutrients it needs.

I have to admit, both Rachel and I weren’t sure if CBS and Katie Couric were going to be able to make good on their promise to keep coming back to these issues. Call me a cynic, but without the mainstream media shining a light on these issues, the American public will soon forget about these little stories after the news cameras go away. CBS and Ms. Couric, if you are reading, it would be an amazing public service if you spun off this segment into a special program, a la Harvest of Shame.

I keep thinking about this one article I read on poverty and hunger in America. These words keep coming back to me:

That kind of poverty is inherently less visually spectacular than a tent city. It’s less likely to get Oprah’s TV audience up in arms. But when the damage from the economic collapse is finally accounted, it is these millions of little stories that will likely leave the most enduring imprint on America’s social landscape.

Millions of little stories add up to something greater. In 20 years we will be older and our babies will have grown up. They will be living in a society with the kids who go hungry TODAY. We hear from all of our partnering agencies that the families who come to them for help are having to make tough choices between food and diapers.

This is *such* a big issue, let’s not bury our head in the sand. Here are some people who turned rhetoric into action:

The Lemon Lady collects fresh produce to donate to Contra Costa food banks. You should check out her blog to get some great ideas on non-profit gardening.

Taking a more punk rock approach, Secret Freegan, rescues food from grocery store dumpsters and donates it to homeless shelters. We follow this person on Twitter, and you should too. Check out their blog here, if only for the pictures of food waiting to go to the county dump.

Have you heard of anyone else who is doing good on this issue? Tell us about them here.

Thank You From Brighter Beginnings!

Brighter Beginnings Staff With Donated Diapers

Thank you to all of our readers and supporters who purchased diapers for Brighter Beginnings! Because diapers are the HIGHEST NEED, and in such short supply, Brighter Beginnings must ration out their supply to ONLY THREEdiapers per emergency case! Because of YOU, our friends at Brighter Beginnings were able to help many of the families who came to them for help in Oakland, Antioch, and Richmond.

We wanted to share with you the following communication we received from our friends at Brighter Beginnings to let you know how we made an IMPACT.

Emergency service resources are always in short supply for families without financial means, but in recent months the need has increased dramatically. Local food bank resources are low, and money that may have been going to basic needs is now going toward food.  Families receiving public assistance have only a few hundreds dollars every month to make ends meet, including rent, utilities, and household needs, and working families are struggling just as hard.  One of the most expensive items in a home with a baby is diapers. This spring, Brighter Beginnings has seen the need for diapers at least triple, especially toward the end of the month when money isn’t stretching as far as it used to and parents are forced to make tough choices.

Rosa, a client with a 22 month old and a newborn, was unable to purchase diapers until she received her paycheck, which was eleven days away.  Andrea, who has 6 month old twins, was just a few days away from the first of the month, but had to choose between diapers and the utilities bill, which was already late.  Sammy, a single dad with a 14 month old daughter, was just laid off and has no savings.

Brighter Beginnings was able to help these parents and more get through a few more days with the generous donations through Help a Mother Out, which provided over 1800 diapers and over 30 packs of wipes to our agency with this Mother’s Day campaign.  While these donations will help in the short-run, the need for emergency diapers is ongoing.

WE DID HELP A MOTHER OUT in a PRACTICAL and DIRECT way. Thank you EAST BAY folks, for being a part of our community campaign!

NOTE: HAMO’s current diaper tally for Brighter Beginnings clocks in at 2802 diapers. This only counts diapers donated via the Amazon.com wishlist.

As of May 27, 2009 our estimated TOTAL diaper count was 12, 154. We will have a more complete update and tally for our May donation campaign efforts in mid June.

What’s It Worth To You?

Today’s guest post is by Dana from Whimsical Walney. With her blog The Adventures of Whimsical Walney, Dana is a dedicated advocate for amending CPSIA legislation. For those unfamiliar with the cause, countless small business owners, including Dana, have been forced to close their doors (in this recession, no less) due to the CPSIA’s very broad mandate of third party testing of children’s products.

We know you are just going to love her story. Thank you, Dana, for Helping Some Mothers Out!

It seems like such a simple, straightforward question, but it is isn’t. There are just too many ways to assign value to the multitude of tangible things that surround as well as the relationships and the community we cultivate.

Sometimes, however, we are forced to find answer. In May of this year, I had to close my business because of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CSPIA). All of a sudden, I was faced with this question as it relates to the remainder of my business assets and I found that I didn’t have an answer at the tip of my tongue.

Like most, I immediately started to determine how I might recoup at least some of my start-up capital; but the question kept nagging at me.

What’s it worth to you?

No magic number came to mind. My Use Your Words™ t-shirt line was the result of a passion for childhood education and a lot of hard work. How in the world does anyone truly quantify that? You can’t.

Still, the voice in my head asked, “what’s it worth to you?”

And then the answer became clear: my clothing is most valuable to me when worn by a child. My wish has always been that my shirts became one of a child’s all-time favorites.

When I finally put it in its proper context, I realized that there is no value to me when I attempt to haggle with a prospective buyer at the flea market. There is no value to me when I create a listing onEbay or Etsy in the hopes that I move 10 or 20 more shirts before suspending sales all together. That’s just wasted time, really, when a child in need could have a new shirt all his or her own.

I had always intended to donate some of my product, but didn’t understand how strongly I felt about it until confronted with the challenge of closing my business. So after some great conversations with the ladies at Help a Mother Out, I had a local contact at the San Jose Family Shelter and a weight was lifted from my shoulders.

 

I was so excited about making a donation to this wonderful organization, not only did I hand-pick a selection of almost 80 baby and children’s shirts, but I also went through my own closet to see what I could donate to these families. Oh and of course I couldn’t arrive without a couple packs of diapers!

After dropping off the goodies and touring the facility, I drove away daydreaming (and still do) about a child who will finally have a new shirt of his own to wear on his first day of school, or a mom excited to have a never-worn bodysuit for her baby.

It feels like my own Mastercard commercial because this experience was priceless.

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CA Safety-Net Program Cuts: Tell Us Your Story!

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“A society in crisis should not throw women, children, and seniors overboard first.” ~ California Assemblymember Noreen Evans

This week there does not seem to be a whole lot of media coverage regarding the Governor’s proposed program cuts. Thank you San Jose Mercury News and the Los Angeles Times for practicing real journalism and covering the story.

Are you a parent who will be directly effected IF the state’s safety-net programs CalWORKS orHealthy Families are CUT out of the budget? Please TELL US YOUR STORY by posting a comment HERE (you can post anonymously).  We want to hear REAL STORIES from REAL FAMILIES on how this will directly change your life.

Per California Assemblymember Noreen Evans’ budget blog, here is a partial list of services that will be effected should the cuts happen:

· Elimination of the CalWORKs program;
· Elimination of the Healthy Families Program;
· Eliminating certain Medi-Cal state-only programs;
· Elimination of community based services programs at the Department of Aging;
· Eliminate State funding for Community Care Licensing;
· Elimination of remaining General Fund for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health;
· Elimination of funding for community clinic programs, such as Rural Health Services and the Seasonal and Agricultural and Migratory work programs;
· Elimination of funding for drug treatment programs established by the voters through Proposition 36;
· Reducing in-home supportive services eligibility and care provider pay;
· Reducing funding for foster care rates; and
· Reducing SSI/SSP monthly payments benefiting the aged and disabled to the minimum allowed under federal law.

Dear readers, please forward this post to anyone who may want to share their story.

Chop-Chop, California

Updated 10:00pm 5/27/09: MUST READ on budget cuts to health and human services: check out the blog of Assemblymember Noreen Evans, Chair of California Budget Conference Committee.

Today, while some of us will be changing diapers for California’s next generation of voters,  some of our legislators in Sacramento will be holding a hearing that will weigh in heavily on the future of California’s most vulnerable children and families.  What’s the scoop?

Just yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger officially proposed to eliminate a bunch of state funded programs. On the chopping block include programs CalWORKS and Healthy Families.

According to their website, CalWORKS helps able bodied parents with children gain employment:

The CalWORKs program provides temporary financial assistance and employment focused services to families with minor children who have income and property below State maximum limits for their family size. Most able-bodied aided parents are also required to participate in the CalWORKs GAIN employment services program.

CalWORKS advocates argue that eliminating this program would send more of California’s vulnerable families out onto the street (Read: INCREASE of family homelessness).

California’s Healthy Families Program :

Healthy Families is low cost insurance for children and teens.
It provides health, dental and vision coverage to children who
do not have insurance and do not qualify for free Medi-Cal.

According to this fact sheet, nearly 1 million California children would LOSE health insurance if the Healthy Families program were eliminated (READ: MORE children slipping through the healthcare system’s cracks).

Here is a GREAT article in the Los Angeles Times that puts a FACE and REAL LIFE stories to the Healthy Families program.

The legislative Budget Conference Committee (including members of the state Senate and Assembly) will be holding a public hearing on these proposed program cuts. Hopefully, they will be talking LONG and HARD about the long term impact such program cuts would have on family homelessness and child welfare in California.

What can YOU do to help?

  1. CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS:  Tell them you are VERY concerned about the immediate and long term impact eliminating CalWORKS and Healthy Families will have on family homelessness and child welfare. Click here to find out who your representatives are.
  2. CONTACT THE GOVERNOR:  Click here for Governor Schwarzenegger’s contact information.
  3. SPREAD THE WORD:  Blog about it, Tweet it, or Facebook this action item to your network.

Below is a list of legislators who are on the budget conference committee. If you reside in these cities, please take some time out of your day to contact your representative.

Assemblymember Noreen Evans (Democrat – Santa Rosa) – Chair

Assemblymember Kevin de León (Democrat – Los Angeles)

Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield (Democrat – Woodland Hills)

Assemblymember Roger Niello (Republican – Fair Oaks)

Assemblymember Jim Nielsen (Republican – Gerber)

Senator Denise Ducheny (Democrat – San Diego)

Senator Mark Leno (Democrat – San Francisco)

Senator Alan Lowenthal (Democrat – Long Beach)

Senator Bob Dutton (Republican – Rancho Cucamonga)

Senator Mimi Walters (Republican – Laguna Hills)

Please help us continue the dialogue by posting your comments below. We especially welcome those of you who work with families vulnerable to these program cuts.

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Leave It to the Big O, Again!

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Did anyone catch the Big O show last week on Heroes in Hard Times? Whether you watch the Big O show or not, you should check it out to catch some great ideas and inspiration on how YOU can help out others in these dire economic times (Hey YOU, buy some diapers!).The Big O partnered withPeople Magazine to highlight these amazing everyday people who saw a need in their own communities, and tried to fill it.

The stories highlighted in the show include a doctor who started a free clinic for his small working-class town; the owner of an auto repair shop who started a non-profit that donates refurbished carsto struggling families, and a little girl (pictured above) who started a charity to collect socks for the homeless.

The take away from these stories is that we ALL can help out in one way or another when we start at a place that we know. We started with diapers (recent tally 12, 154 as of 5/24/09).

How about you? What is a need you see that needs to be filled? Do you have a story of an everyday hero in your own community? Tell us about it here.

Welcome San Diego!

Updated 10:00pm. You can listen to Ms. Alicia’s interview by clicking here to download.

Just a quick shout out to Xavier The X Man’s MAGIC 92.5 FM listeners. If you just heard our gal, Ms. Alicia, live on the air, we welcome you to our cause. Check out the San Diego donation drive page byclicking here.

Hope you will be able to join us a week from today at Xavier The X Man’s Sunday Morning Menudo from 9am-12pm.

Congrats, Ms. Alicia, on a great LIVE interview!

Katie Couric’s Spotlight on the Kids

For once, some good news—or at least, some good work by the news media. Spearheaded by Katie Couric, CBS is running a weeklong series devoted to Children of the Recession. Bookended by reports on the Early Show and the Evening News, the series is featuring original reporting from multiple vantage points. Thus far, segments have covered foster care, the psychological impact on children of the recession, rising rates of child abuse and neglect, and how to talk tokids about the economy. Tonight’s report will be on homeless children.

In an interesting strategic twist, Katie Couric has been reaching out to blogging mothers to seek input on angles to cover, personal anecdotes, and programs that are making a difference. It’s a remarkable effort to get the word out, but also to seek on-the-ground stories and, with any luck, draw attention to the many people and organizations who are trying to mitigate the damages. (Pssst, Katie—we’re available for interviews any time…)

Have you seen any of the segments? What did you think? And what else do you think CBS should cover in the series?

Miss K Raises $177 to Purchase Diapers for Brighter Beginnings

Miss K and her bake sale friend

Breaking News from HAMO headquarters: High school freshman and micro-philanthropist, Miss K raised$177.00 worth of diaper funds for Brighter Beginnings at her recent high school bake sale.  That roughly equals 1,020 LUVS diapers OR 560 Seventh Generation diapers (via BB Amazon.com wishlist).

BIG Thanks and congratulations to Miss K for Helping Some Mothers Out! We hope your story inspires other young people to contribute their gifts to the cause! Remember to bring some brownies over next time you come to babysit!

Via Miss K:

Last week I decided to host a bake sale to raise money for Brighter Beginnings, one of the non profit agencies that Help A Mother Out is working with. It took a while to set up, I had to make announcements and post fliers around the campus of my school.

I asked my friends to help me sell and bake good at the three bake sales i held that week. The first time around, a Monday, we made the most money, a little over $70. The next two bake sales raised around $100. The experience was so rewarding and absolutely tasty, everybody loved the food and my friend and I enjoyed the baking.

Please take a moment to congratulateMiss K by posting a comment below.

Thank You from Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco

HPP Staff with diapers! Keep it coming!

To all the folks who have purchased items via Amazon.com for Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) in San Francisco, we just wanted to let you know that the diapers, wipes, and other supplies, are arriving everyday! Here is a personal note from our main contact there, Ms. Rebecca.

“The packages are still coming!  And in great numbers!  Your drive is such a success for us at HPP.  We have so many diapers and wipes right now that we don’t have to worry about running out and  telling mothers that we don’t have diapers, or even a diaper, for their children.  Can you imagine telling this to a family?  The worst thing is knowing that a child does not have a clean diaper.  This is not a problem right now, because the successful Help a Mother Out Drive is supporting HPP families by giving the community an easy way to give diapers, wipes, and other essential hygiene needs to families who are struggling.  Thank you.”

HPP’s Executive Director and Founder, Martha Ryan, previously told us that they are seeing more families who are having to make the choice between FOOD or DIAPERS. This is San Francisco, one of the richest parts of the world.

BECAUSE OF YOU, HPP does not have to tell a family that they have NO DIAPERS to give them for emergencies. Because of YOU, HPP has practical supplies for their tiniest clients.

THANK YOU for your help in MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE in the lives of San Francisco families.

Remember, HPP is just ONE of the agencies we have been trying to help in communities around the state. Stay tuned for more updates!

What You Need to Know About Props 1D and 1E – Jargon Free

Today’s guest post is from one of our own HAMO contributors, Ms. Alicia.  Alicia works as a mental health professional in the San Diego area, so we asked her to research Props 1D and 1E to share with all of you. Remember, California’s special election is tomorrow, Tuesday,May 19, 2009. Help A Mother Out and VOTE TOMORROW!

 

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As a Mental Health Clinician, I have had the priviledge to work with so many diverse populations throughout our communities. Two of the most vulnerable and voiceless populations I have had the honor of working with throughout the years are children and the mentally-ill. Hmmm? Both have measure on the May 19th ballot that may, no, will cut funding. Coincidence? Ah, let me stop myself before I begin my “voiceless populations as scapegoats” rant and complete my task at hand.

There is a very low expected voter turn-out for the special election tomorrow so here is my PSA reminder to go out and give a voice to the voiceless.

I found this easy explanation of propositions 1D and 1E at  (as well as the other props on the ballot) for those of you that like information about propositions “jargon-free”, like me.

Prop. 1D: Children and families trust fund

By Ellen Noyes

The measure would take $268 million each year for five years away from First 5 (Prop. 10) programs—plus $340 million in unspent funds—to pay for children’s programs now funded by the state budget. Other changes would include using First 5 funds only for “direct services.” First 5-funded programs include early care and education, health, parent education, and family support.

  • A yes vote would cut First 5 funding

  • A no vote would keep First 5 funding

SUPPORTERS SAY: The measure would “temporarily provide greater flexibility in funding to preserve services for young children while helping balance the state budget,” according to the California Taxpayers Association website.

  • The state needs to make cuts in tough economic times.
  • First 5 is sitting on unspent dollars.

Supporters: CA Budget Reform Now (www.cabudgetreformnow.com), Association of CA School Administrators, CA Latino Child Development Association, CA State Conference of the NAACP, CA Chamber of Commerce

OPPONENTS SAY: The measure would “reduce funding for crucial children’s programs and cut children’s services,” says Anthony Wright, executive directorof Health Access. The measure would

  • Take away up to 60-70% of First 5 funds—868,000 children now receive First 5-funded services each year.
  • Cut California’s investment in children—though these programs save money in the long run because children do better in school, get better paying jobs, and are less likely to use welfare, foster care, or go to prison.
  • Eliminate important First 5 programs that “aren’t ‘direct service’—training teachers, building preschools, children’s health initiatives. Almost no other resources (fund) this,” says Sherry Novick, executive director of the First 5 Association of CA.
  • First 5 has unspent money because it budgets for multi-year programs.

Opponents: No on 1D (www.noonproposition1d.com), Health Access, First 5 Association of CA, CAEYC, CA Federation of Teachers, CA Nurses Association, CA League of Women Voters, AFSCME (state council)

Prop. 1E: Mental health services

By Elyce Petker

This measure would take $225-$230 million each year for two years away from programs funded by the Mental Health Services Act (Prop. 63). Instead, the funds would go to the existing state Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program (a child health program). Prop. 63 now funds almost a quarter of mental health services in the state.

  • A yes vote would cut mental health (Prop. 63) funding

  • A no vote would keep mental health (Prop. 63) funding

SUPPORTERS SAY: “We believe the financial crisis is going to grow and more children’s programs will be cut. (This measure would) fund programs at risk of being cut,” says Jose Plascencia, president of the Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The measure would

  • Save the state money in the long run
  • Help balance the budget and avoid tax increases.

Supporters: California Budget Reform Now (www.cabudgetreformnow.com), Association of CA School Administrators, CA State Conference of the NAACP, CA Chamber of Commerce

OPPONENTS SAY: “This (would) take money away from programs that help low-income families and children. It’s a temporary solution at the expense of our mental health programs,” says CA League of Women Voters senior program director Trudy Schafer. The measure would

  • Cost the state more in the long run because of the consequences of untreated mental illness—200,000 previously untreated people are now served by Prop. 63-funded programs.
  • Cut mental health programs to backfill a tiny portion of the state budget—and jeopardize federal matching funds
  • Be the first step to taking away all Prop. 63 mental health funds.

Opponents: No on Prop. 1E (www.noprop1e.com), Health Access California, CA Federation of Teachers, CA Nurses Association, AFSCME (state council)

Other proposition explanations can be found here.

Connecting the Dots

A few months ago, when Lisa and I were brainstorming about a diapers-and-wipes donation drive, we had no clue where this was all going—no thought of ending up on the radio, or inspiring otherdiaper drives in other cities, or stumbling into a thriving, dynamic network of people trying to make a real difference with seemingly small acts. We have met some incredible folks along the way who’ve kept challenging and encouraging us to see the connections between the personal and the political, the economic and the social.

Last Friday we had the honor of meeting in person one of our newly minted Internet superheroes, Julie of TangoBaby. We all met up at San Francisco City Hall to lend our support to a coalition of homeless families and their advocates who were holding a press conference. It was great to see up-close and off-line some of the peeps we’ve been Tweeting and emailing with; say what you will about the ease of online communication, it really can’t compare to talking face to face. We got the bonus of talking to some reporters about our diaper drive as we waited for things to get rolling—a number of them thought that we, with Lisa’s kids in tow, were part of the press conference, so we took the opportunity to explain that we were allies. (Lisa and kids did end up on TV, but only as background images.)

But for me, the real highlight of the day was getting to meet Mama K and her family—the folks who jump-started Julie’s quest, and who provided a huge inspiraton for me and Lisa too. I’m sure K doesn’t want to be the poster child for anyone’s movement; she’s just trying to live her life and secure the best possible future for her kids and herself. And it’s a big cliché to talk about how humbling it is to meet someone who is so gracious under enormous stress, and yet it’s undeniable that putting a face on a story—whether it’s of homelessness or illness or foreclosure—helps people to connect even more strongly. To see that it isn’t all text and tweets and html: It’s real life.

WIC For One of Our Own

“Every good act is charity. A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.” – Molier

Today’s guest post is from one of HAMO’s own contributors, Ms. Del. I first met Del during the dot-bomb days (complete with beer bashes, Foosball and late night take out from The Slanted Door). We were working for one of the original web development firms in San Francisco’s SOMA district. The short story is we were both laid off, but remained close friends.  She is one friend we tapped when we were “calling in favors,” for this campaign. Thank you Del, for being bold enough to share your story and for showing us the true meaning of charity.

I have always prided myself of living within my means, saving and being prudent with my money. I have never had credit card debt, “splurged” on unnecessary items, or tried to be more fabulous than possible. I kept my needs and wants within the possible. I have worked steadily for the last ten years as a consultant. I have sometimes had some space between gigs but nothing significant or particularly painful. I love to work and prided myself on it. Something’s you cannot plan for and having a baby in the worst economic downturn is one of them.

My baby is my pride and joy. She is my beautiful baby. She is smarter, quicker and stronger than any other. I have a mother’s pride now etched in me. Tattooed on my soul are my child’s heart, dreams and ambitions. Within every cliché about motherhood I now find some truth. So it should be no surprise that I want the best for her. In this economy, it has meant that I have had to apply for WIC. I did not want to do it. My partner and I argued about it for days debating the pros and cons. Both of us were hoping that I would be able to land a job, a contract, something that would enable us to continue to live our simple lifestyle. With my savings tapped out my current unemployment check is just not enough.

WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children. Per their website the program is:

WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.

I.e. they help me save about $200 a month on food. Thanks to them I now have milk, cheese, tuna, beans, and baby cereal in my pantry. It is not a lot, but it all is useful. It will meet some of our needs it provides just enough to keep us going. For that I am lucky.

I have a roof over my head, a partner who loves me, my beautiful baby, a college education, connections and experience. All things I can rely upon to be there tomorrow, and the day after that, and for the next year. I can see that far in advance and say I will be ok. The baby will be ok. She will grow and flourish. She will be safe and she will be healthy.

I take comfort in all of that, knowing that so many don’t and can’t. As a result I have been volunteering with Help A Mother Out. Lending a hand to those in a worse situation by getting the word out. I have donated diapers, wipes and pads that I have and can’t use. Sent out emails to friends and family who can also donate. Tried to drum up some media attention. Letting people know that they too can make a difference in someone’s life. A disposable diaper is disposable, but a baby’s health and a mother’s worry are not.

Calling All San Luis Obispo Peeps

Do you know anyone down in San Luis Obispo? CalPoly students and college alumni? Mommy bloggers, grandmas, extended family, church folk, local media? If so, we could sure use your help getting the word out about collecting diapers, travel toiletries, etc.

During our big Mother’s Day donation push and chaos, we quietly added another wonderful day center to our May Donation Campaign (through MAY 31st): The Prado Day Center. We met them through the Twitterverse (@friendsofprado is tweeps with @hardlynormal).

From their website: The Prado Day Center is the only day center serving the homeless population in the region. Every day, between 90 to 120 people seek refuge and assistance at the Center and over 30 percent of the Center’s participants are now women and children.

Check out the details here. Download the local flyer here.

The Prado Day Center Amazon.com wishlist here. GO ON, CLICK IT and then SHIP IT DIRECT.

DROP OFF diapers and other hygiene products at the local YMCA:  San Luis Obispo County YMCA1020 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Mother, can you spare some time? Local folks interested in volunteering at the Prado Day Center – they are located in town at: 43 Prado Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Phone: (805) 786-0617. Tell them we sent you.