Meet One of Our Angels: Martha Ryan, Founder of Homeless Prenatal Program

Check out this speech by Homeless Prenatal Program‘s Founder, Martha Ryan.

2009 Tipping Point Award Honoree: Homeless Prenatal Program, Martha Ryan from Tipping Point Community on Vimeo.

Rachel F. and I had the opportunity to meet Martha right after our Mother’s Day diaper drive campaign. As busy as Martha is, she took the time out of her busy schedule to give HAMO founders, and our friend and collaborator Julie Michelle, a personal tour of HPP and talked to us about how she started HPP. She is a living angel, so inspiring to HAMO and others in the community.

Photo credit: Julie Michelle (http://femmefotographie.com/)

HPP does AMAZING work for the families of San Francisco. We are so inspired by Martha and all of her staff (half of whom are formerly homeless mothers!) and the work they do EVERYDAY to help women raise healthy families and become self sufficient.

My not-so-secret wish is that every single city in America has a non profit modeled after HPP. This is a non profit organization that WORKS in elevating families out of poverty. It has been an honor for us to support the valuable work they do by providing diapers to HPP’s families.

Thank you to Martha and everyone at HPP, for inspiring all of us at HAMO to turning rhetoric into action.

Children’s Well Being and the Great Recession

Photo credit: Nina Naylor (http://www.ninanaylorphotography.com/)

Last week, a study out of Duke University’s Department of Sociology, funded by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, found that California children’s well being improved by 16% between 1995 and 2006.

Researchers found that between 1995 and 2006, California’s children’s health and well-being improved in five key areas: educational attainment, emotional well-being, family economics, health, and behavioral concerns.

Good news, right?

Unfortunately, that is not the whole story.

We are in the Great Recession. 1995-2006 were roughly bubble years.

The study projects the following childhood poverty rates:

Given the likelihood that the current economic recession could have wide-ranging effects on child well-being, this study, in addition to examining trends from 1995 to 2006, also projects poverty rates through 2012 for the state, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles County.

In California in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, 18.5% of children lived below the federal poverty level of roughly $22,000 for a family of four. Using the economic projection methods noted in the methodology, the poverty rate is estimated to rise to a high of 27% in 2010, before falling to 24% in 2012, meaning the impact of the current economic recession likely will be long-lasting for California’s children.

In Los Angeles County, the poverty rate was 21.9% in 2008 — and that rate is expected to climb to 35% in 2010, then decline to roughly 30-32% in 2012. This could mean that in the county that is home to more than 25% of California’s children, nearly one out of every three kids will be living below the federal poverty level.

More modest increases in child poverty are projected for the higher-income Bay Area, where poverty rates ranged from roughly 8% to 13% in 2008, depending on the county.In the Bay Area, rates are expected to rise to 15-16% in 2010, and then decline slightly, to roughly 13-14% in 2012.

I’m not a numbers person, but these numbers are pretty alarming. Especially when you take into account the broad definition of poverty ($22K for a family of four?!?!) and the high cost of living in California.

Understatement?

Taking it down to the basic level – a child’s well being is directly effected by  the parents’ ability to provide the basics – food, clothing, shelter (and diapers!).  If basic needs are not being met, a struggling family will be unable to focus on larger issues that can make or break their chances of raising a healthy child.

This is a perfect storm that is brewing. It isn’t a dramatic visual a la Hurricane Katrina, but it is coming none the less.

Will we be prepared?

They Came, They Played, They Donated

HAMO’S LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY PLAYDATE COLLECTS 3,872 DIAPERS AND ALMOST $600 IN CASH

Imagine a blogger event with corporate sponsors.  Logos everywhere.  Fun activities for the kids, entertainment, and great food.  Networking opportunities.  I’ve been to dozens of parties like that and I never paid attention to the sponsors or gave a second thought to why they were involved or how the event planners were able to get them on board.  Oh sure, I know all too well how brands want to get their products and information in front of social media influencers and the moms who control their family budgets, but I had never stopped to think about how or why this actually manifested in a sponsorship. Now I understand. I got involved with Help a Mother Out in late spring, and my first big event finally took place on Sunday, December 13.  It was a fabulous playdate at the wondrous Treehouse Social Club – a spot where kids can frolic and parents can relax  in a stylized setting while enjoying fresh dishes and drinks from the kitchen.  On this day, the club rolled out its finest fare for the crowd that gathered to play, snack, get glittery tattoos, make treasure boxes, dance, and sing, all for the price of a pack of diapers. The agenda for the afternoon was packed.  Musician David Tobocman arrived early to set up the sound system for the entertainment.  Birdie Mendoza and her guitarist took the stage first, adding a “spicy” vibe to the party.  David himself played his “Very Helpful Songs” later on, and then in the last hour, comedienne Kerri Pomarolli skillfully emceed the door prize giveaway.

Birdie takes the stage

The menu included mini potato latkes in honor of Hannukah, peanut butter & jelly donuts, fruit kabobs, and of course, Pepperidge Farms’ Goldfish.  Dessert was provided by Yvonne Condes of Yvonne’s Gluten Free Goodies.  You do NOT miss the gluten in these treats – they are divine.  Since I was in charge of throwing this party, wine was served as well.  One Hope Wine, a company that sends part of their proceeds to charity, donated a case of red and white wine each.  There was none left over, so I’d say it was a hit.

Savvy Sassy Andrea

The crowd was heavy with local bloggers and social media influencers, including several members of Los Angeles Moms Blog, to which I am a contributor.  (Their presence at this first of hopefully many events was fitting since my involvement with HAMO stemmed from that fateful conference call with Katie Couric.)  Andrea of Savvy Sassy Moms enjoyed a ride on the slide, Lee of Moms Without Blogs rejoiced when her daughter won the Disney basket door prize, and Jennifer of The Vacation Gals made new friends.

Jessica Gottlieb and Stephen Johnson

Sponsors and supporters made appearances, too:  Jessica Gottliebarrived to introduce international Twitter friend Stephen Johnson to the mom-bloggerati, Lolita Carrico‘s kids rocked the tattoos, and HAMO supporter Tiffany Romero of SITS was so moved by the event that she’ll be accepting diaper donations in lieu of birthday gifts at her next celebration.  Even celebrated homeless advocate and social media superstar Mark Horvath showed up to lend his support.  Los Angeles photographer William Marc Salsberry captured the spirit of the event with his unique style – the full photo set can be seen on Flickr

Lolita gets crafty

Mark Horvath

None of this would have happened without the sponsors.  Help a Mother Out is not a large organization.  We’re not even a non-profit yet.  We’re just a bunch of moms whose hearts break when we hear stories about mothers who have to choose between rent and diapers, or food and diapers, sometimes leaving babies in soiled diapers for far too long.  We have no budget or funding, we simply urge people to donate diapers either by dropping them at a collection point or donating directly to our partnering agencies through the Amazon wish lists we created.  When I took on the task of producing an event with no money, I was overwhelmed.

But Help a Mother Out is, quite simply, a Great Idea.  The founders saw a glaring need and devised an easy way to answer it.  People recognize that.  All I really had to do was keep talking about it and reach the right ears. Huggies got the ball rolling by donating cash for me to get started (and later, two giant boxes of baby bibs and a fortune in coupons).  Then I approached my online community and offered the opportunity for the brands or companies they know to get involved.  That was when blogger Jessica Gottlieb, Label Daddy, Pepperidge Farms’ Fishful Thinking, myGloss.com, publicistStephanie Smirnov and L.E.G. Productions became sponsors, too.  The more I talked about the project, the more people were willing to spread the word, and over the last few months I have received more supplies for the shelters –  Tampax tampons, Always maxi pads, Johnson & Johnson baby care products, bibs, baby towels – and many offers of help.

Once the date was set, I had to get the word out.  Jennifer Vides helped with PR.  Marsha Takeda-Morrison designed a lovely invitation and a button for displaying on websites.  Several fellow bloggers posted notices about the event, or wrote about it in their publications.  And countless people tweeted about it, reaffirming my belief that Twitter is a tool that can and should be used for good.  Throughout the planning process, although there were setbacks and challenges, these offers of support and involvement from members of the community gave me reminders that I was doingsomething, not just talking about it.  The charge I felt at the moments when I realized this was amazing and helped me move forward.

When the day of the event arrived, the day all of my work was to pay off, the unthinkable happened. I became extremely ill, unable to even get out of bed.  At that time, I needed my community’s help to execute the Playdate, not simply to show up and donate diapers.  I was worried that it would all go awry, but I must applaud my friends and associates for picking up the ball in my place, because they did a fantastic job.

The HAMO Holiday Playdate

Tania and her daughter

Publicist Jennifer Vides stepped in as producer.  Help a Mother Out co-founder Lisa Truong, who had traveled down to Los Angeles from the Bay Area, jumped right in with only a few hours’ notice to accept the diapers and tell people about HAMO and what we do.  See her interview on MomTV.  Tania Reuben, the blogger behindPure Natural Diva, became “Kim for a day” and picked up supplies from my house to deliver to the venue, received guests, guided the flow of events, and distributed tickets for the door prize drawing.  Fellow LA Moms Blog contributor Sarah Auerswald supported the hosting duties after having been given the instruction to “be my twin.”  And everyone there who could tweet from their phones sent me messages of support throughout the day.  My absence seemed to make everyone come together in a touching echo of the “Help a Mother Out” mission.  I swear it was not intentional.

At the end of the day, we had collected 3,872 diapers!  Think about it.  That’s incredible.  With additional funds of almost $600 raised online to purchase even more diapers, and Huggies’ pledge of a matching donation, we can contribute up to 10,000 diapers to be used by PATH Achieve Glendaleand Ocean Park Community Center.  The families who come to them for help will receive very crucial help in caring for their babies.  All because of our sponsors, our supporters, and our generous donors.  Los Angeles, may this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Door Prize Donors:

Turner Classic Movies – a giant basket of goodies, thanks to Elise Crane Derby

Heather Fish Studio – beautifully crafted handmade products

Eyes, Lips, Face Cosmetics – a smorgasbord of different makeup kits

PBS Kids – 2 copies of Curious George’s A Very Monkey Christmas

Firefly Vodka – a bottle of peach flavored sweet tea vodka and 2 t-shirts

Label Daddy – $50 gift card

If you are interested in donating diapers in Los Angeles, you can drop them off at The Treehouse Social Club, which has agreed to be our very first drop bin location!  Alternatively, please visit the Southern California page to click through to the Amazon wish lists.  Choose an item and purchase, and it will be shipped directly to the agency, with a tax write-off for you.

The Diaper Genie in Chicago

This is a great news story out of Illinois about Father Jim, a priest from the Chicago suburbs, who saw a need and decided to fill it.

The Blessing Barn is among a handful of McHenry County agencies that distribute free diapers and disposable underwear from the state’s first diaper bank. It was started by the Rev. Jim Swarthout after he met an impoverished woman whose infant son needed a diaper change.

“I said I have some diapers in the back and she said Father Jim, I can only afford two diapers a day. I clean him out and put them right back on him,” Swarthout said.

At that moment, Swarthout learned what many people still don’t know, that government aid doesn’t cover paper products like disposable diapers.

In four months, with a lot of community help, Swarthout has collected over 45,000 disposable diapers and adult underwear through his Episcopal church.

“I had a woman come in and say I was able to stay in my apartment Father Jim cause of the diapers for my child you gave given to me,” he said.

Demand has been so intense that the church decided to convert its food pantry into all diapers. Last month, it distributed 20,000 of them and that’s twice the number it originally anticipated.

Can you imagine only having TWO DIAPERS a day for your baby?

Please, please, please if you are reading in the Chicago area, go meet Father Jim and bring him some diapers!

Baby, it’s cold outside: Share some warmth

This is a cross post from our friend Rebecca Freed of Becca’s Blog. Becca and her partner were the host of last spring’s Learn to knit party, where Rachel F. and I first learned about WDDC, which was pivotal in the evolution of HAMO. If you are an East Bay local, please see if you can help.

Photo credit: www.sistersproject.org

Right now, when we’re having the lowest temperatures of the year and wet weather to boot, the clients of the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center could really use your help.

The Drop-in Center needs warm clothes for women and kids, including rain ponchos and coats, umbrellas, socks, hats and gloves.

The center, which has served Berkeley’s homeless and low-income women
and children for over 20 years, provides breakfast and lunch on weekdays, along with support groups, referrals to social services, and a children’s program. The center always needs toiletries to provide to clients, including toothpaste and deodorant.  Diapers, especially for toddlers, are also an ongoing need. An easy way to donate diapers is through the center’s Amazon wish list.

Photo credit: www.sistersproject.org

The center hosts a holiday party for clients as well. You can donate
gifts for women and kids, especially older kids, or even volunteer to
help put on the party. To arrange for a donation, contact the center
by phone (510-548-2884) or e-mail (staff@womensdropin.org).

The Diaper Bank Video

From one of our out of state partners, check out The Diaper Bank’s (CT) recent television interview.

Think the Stupak Amendment Stinks? Tell Congress What You Think

Do you want to see real health-care reform? Do you support women’s access to a full range of health benefits? Then join Planned Parenthood in their National Day of Action to lobby the Senate for health-care reform that ensures women’s access to reproductive health.

Under the Stupak amendment to the House health-care reform bill, millions of women would lose health benefits that they currently have — and millions more would be barred from getting the kind of private-sector coverage that most women have today. At its essence, the Stupak amendment violates the underlying principle of health-care reform as articulated by President Obama: that no one will lose the benefits they currently have.

The Exchange
The new health-insurance exchange is intended to provide a new source of affordable, quality coverage for the roughly 46 million uninsured Americans and the millions more whose current coverage is unaffordable or inadequate. The House bill would cover 96 percent of all uninsured Americans by offering subsidies for private coverage or the choice of a public plan. Depending on their income level and the final package approved by Congress, individuals would receive subsidies on a sliding scale to purchase private insurance through the exchange.

Most immediately, the exchange would offer coverage to many of the 17 million women, ages 18–64, who are uninsured. It would also be a source of coverage for the 5.7 million women who are now purchasing coverage in the individual market.

Sounds pretty good, right? Well, the Stupak amendment — named for Rep. Stupak, who tacked the amendment on to the House’s health-reform bill at the last minute — prohibits any coverage of abortion in the public option, and it prohibits anyone who receives a federal subsidy from purchasing a plan that includes abortion. It purports to allow women (gee, thanks) to purchase a separate, single-service “abortion rider,” but guess what? Abortion riders don’t exist. The bottom line is, women’s access to private coverage for abortion would be severely restricted by health-care reform.

The Stupak amendment would effectively ban abortion coverage across the entire health-insurance exchange. In case anyone has forgotten, abortion is legal. It is also one of the most common medical procedures performed in the United States each year.

The Bright Side
We still have a chance to make sure women do not become second-class citizens in a newly reformed health-care system. The Senate is still debating its version of a health-care reform bill — and the Stupak amendment does not have to be part of the final legislation. The Senate bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Reid does not include language similar to the Stupak ban (phew). But we need the Senate’s strong support to defeat any and all amendments to the Senate bill that would impose additional restrictions on women’s access to reproductive health care.

Health-care reform is a huge, momentous occasion in U.S. health policy. We won’t get a chance like this again for a long time, so we have to act now.

Planned Parenthood offers lots of ways for you to get involved and make your voice heard. Check out their links for more info, and be sure to tell Congress that you will not accept health-care reform that leaves millions of women worse off than before.

Katie Couric Might As Well Host This Party

On a sunny day in May, I chatted with Katie Couric and 25 members of the Silicon Valley Moms Group on a conference call.  The conversation turned heavy and deep, because we were talking about children affected by the recession.  Katie was calling us to action.

Now, six months later, I’m completely out of my comfort zone. In addition to the million other things I do to keep my juggling act of a working-mother-life in the air, I’ve taken on the task of introducing Help a Mother Out to Los Angeles.  It started slowly with a few tweets.  It gained some momentum with blog posts and talking up HAMO at social media events.  I even have my own business card!

We’ve partnered with three local agencies:  LA Diaper Drive, PATH Achieve Glendale, and Ocean Park Community Center in Santa Monica.  We’ve set up Amazon wish lists for them, and we’re ready to roll!  Ready to accept awesome donations of diapers, etc!

But.  Nobody knows about us here.  Yet.

Naturally, then, we’re going to throw a party!  It’s a kid-friendly “playdate” that child-free adults can attend, too.  Sponsored by Huggies and five other donors, our gathering in the afternoon of December 13 will take place at the wondrous, fantastical Treehouse Social Club in Beverly Hills.  Instead of the usual $9 per child admission, your price?

A pack of diapers.

If we collect enough diapers, Huggies will match the donation up to 3,000.  You don’t even have to be there to help.  Visit the event page and send a few bucks using the Paypal button.  Every dollar donated online will be used to purchase more diapers and those will go into the event’s final tally.

I get invited to events like this all the time.  Only now am I realizing just how much impact an effort like this can have.  It won’t fix the problem, but efforts like these will make a difference in the lives of children in our communities.  I have to thank Katie Couric and my fellow mom bloggers for inspiring me.  I’m just the connector.  I hope you can be a part of it.

[photo by Global Green USA via Flickr]

Do I have an Opportunity for You! {Plus Book Giveaway}

A few years back I found myself sitting next to a fellow University employee on an airplane bound for some cold Mid-western city.

“So what do you do for the University?” I asked.

“I’m in development.” said he.

Not knowing any better I assumed he meant some sort of international studies program, but no, he meant fundraising.

“So you ask people for money?”

“No, I offer opportunities.”

Apparently development is all about opportunities. Opportunities to connect, opportunities to educate and be educated, opportunities to share your love of learning and tell your ungrateful children that they’re out of luck when it comes that ton of money you’ve stashed away in Swiss bank accounts.  I think the development folks are on to something.

I don’t have any money stashed away in Swiss bank accounts, but I have a healthy dose of passion concerning the injustices to the most vulnerable among us and perhaps a little verbal diarrhea. Microphilanthropy, of the sort Help A Mother Out is involved in, is putting such qualities to good use.

A couple of weeks ago I challenged my friends on Facebook in Help A Mother Out style. My daughter had garnered $150 in pledges for her first philanthropic event, Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona’sfirst Stroll & Roll. Could my friends help me match my daughter’s pledges?

In one week, after daily Facebook status updates on the state of the challenge and a promise/threat to wear a bumblebee outfit in broad daylight in a highly public place, we had raised over $400, and if the rest of the pledges come in, nearly $500. Now, my friends don’t have a bunch of money, but $10 here and $5 there, adds up.  At the end of the challenge week and after the Stroll & Roll I posted the picture my daughter and I in our costumes to Facebook so they could all have a good laugh. The $400 will cover one baby’s bottom in a healthy change of diapers for four months. It isn’t huge in the grand scheme of things, but to some family or families out there $400+ worth of diapers is going to make a huge difference. I wasn’t so much asking for money as giving my friends the opportunity to take part in a competition and have a bit of a laugh at my expense and all using Facebook.

In a similar manner, my friend Julie over at TucsonMama threw together what we hope will be the first in a biannual  kids’ clothing exchange at a local Tucson art gallery. The admittance to the exchange, five items of clean, nice kids’ clothing, and something for the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona. In return participants had opportunity to enjoy a few mimosas and some snackages, pick out some ‘new to them’ kid clothes, partake in some cool conversation with friends and newly found friends and all the while helping the Diaper Bank. This isn’t asking people for money, or even donations, it is providing opportunities.

With this in mind I’d like to ask what is the most engaging micro-philanthropic event you’ve been involved in? How did it raise awareness and response? What was the opportunity offered? Please leave a comment with the details.

Book Giveaway: Max and the Diaper Fairy

Given the general gist of this post it is only fitting that it be paired with an opportunity, not only to impart your wisdom, but also to win a signed copy of the new book, Max and the Diaper Fairy by Melissa Hart. It is a sweet picture book about potty training a reluctant toddler. Contained within its pages not only a message about potty training, but also a message about supporting diaper banks.  So get those comments rolling, it can be something really small.

New York Times: Across U.S., Food Stamp Use Soars and Stigma Fades

Thanksgiving weekend’s New York Times article on food stamp enrollment is a timely one. According to the article, the program is now helping to feed 1 in 8 Americans, 1 in 4 children.

Image from NYTimes.com

Over 36 million people are being helped by the food stamp program:

Virtually all have incomes near or below the federal poverty line, but their eclectic ranks testify to the range of people struggling with basic needs. They include single mothers and married couples, the newly jobless and the chronically poor, longtime recipients of welfare checks and workers whose reduced hours or slender wages leave pantries bare.

As of August, 2009 the number of Californians enrolled in SNAP reached 2.9 million. These numbers are up 39.4% from 2007. And how is this for irony:  families in our nation’s top agriculture producing region are struggling to put food on the table.

What the numbers miss: According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), the program misses 1 in 3 eligible households due to access to enrollment information, long application processes, finger imaging, language barriers, home searches, immigrant fears of change in legal status, and ongoing recertification requirements.

The stigma might be fading, the hunger crisis might be mounting to Great Depression levels, but there are still naysayers of the program, such as Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation:

“Some people like to camouflage this by calling it a nutrition program, but it’s really not different from cash welfare,” said Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation, whose views have a following among conservatives on Capitol Hill. “Food stamps is quasi money.”

Arguing that aid discourages work and marriage, Mr. Rector said food stamps should contain work requirements as strict as those placed on cash assistance. “The food stamp program is a fossil that repeats all the errors of the war on poverty,” he said.

Mr. Rector of the Heritage Foundation is the one who also argued that consistent poverty in the U.S. had no proven nutritional risks.

In a time when more Americans find themselves needing help, notably for the first time in their lives, this is an unfortunate perspective.

This is not the time to be refuting the legitimacy of our safety net programs. This is not the time to bury our head in the sand. This is a time to reach out and be that Good Samaritan to those less fortunate then ourselves. We can do this by helping out in our communities (year round, not just during the holiday season), as well as advocating for more efficient safety net programs.

This holiday season, what are your plans to help those in need? Tell us about them by posting a comment below.

How To Help A Mother Out This Holiday Season

It is going to be a rough season for many families. Food, clothing, and toys are the usual items requested to help make this time of year a little less stressful.

This holiday season we’d like to throw our grassroots campaign into the mix by reminding you all to donate diapers – wherever you are.

If you are in the Bay Area you can donate in person at any one of our drop bin locations. Next time you are at the big box store, pick up a pack or case of generic diapers (HIGHEST need are sizes 4-6 & pull ups).

If you are in the Los Angeles area, we hope you can join Kim at our Holiday Playdate on December 13th.

You can also participate in our virtual diaper drive, by clicking through to one of our partner’sAmazon.com wishlists to purchase and ship diapers directly to them. We’ve recently partnered with a number of diaper banks from around the country (AZ, CT, FL, OK, WA).

If you are not in an area we are in – why not donate diapers at your local diaper bank or food bank. The diapers will end up in the hands of a mother who really needs them.

Anyone can host a diaper drive using our free diaper drive toolkit. We know of one mom who is inviting all her girlfriends over to celebrate the holidays with an onsite massage therapist – the entrance fee is a pack of diapers. Another couple asked all their friends to chip in “diaper dollars,” which they will match 50 cents for every dollar.

The small action of donating diapers can make such a big impact. It means a woman fleeing domestic violence can focus on the bigger issues. It means a struggling family can receive emergency diapers when they are in between paychecks. It means a baby can go to sleep at night with a clean diaper.

By remembering to donate diapers, we’re helping to keep young children healthy and safe. Thank you all for participating in this campaign.  We wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday season.

Nearly 1 out of 5 California Children Live in Poverty

Yesterday the U.S. Census Bureau released their 2008 poverty estimates. Their report estimates 1.7 million children living in poverty, or 18.5% of all CA residents 18 years or younger.

The report also estimates there are 534,254 children under 4 years old living in poverty in California, or 20.2% of all CA residents 4 years or younger.

Here is how select counties faired with childhood poverty rates:

NamePoverty%Estimate #

 0-18 Years0-18 Years

United States18.213,240,870

California18.51,702,065

Alameda County12.944,060

Contra Costa County12.430,485

Fresno County31.383,435

Kern County26.662,540

Los Angeles County21.8548,487

Marin County8.43,958

Merced County28.821,790

Monterey County18.119,867

Orange County13.4101,146

Riverside County17.097,440

Sacramento County19.067,561

San Bernardino County20.6119,707

San Diego County16.6121,555

San Francisco County13.615,848

San Joaquin County22.041,994

San Mateo County8.012,584

Santa Barbara County15.714,733

Santa Clara County9.439,650

Santa Cruz County16.99,035

Solano County12.012,134

Sonoma County12.812,898

Stanislaus County19.628,010

Tulare County30.741,040

Ventura County11.623,649

For some reason, they do not breakdown the data for the 0-4 year old residents by county.

You can download the national report here.

Hungry Kids Are Perfectly Healthy, So Let Them Eat Cake

A couple of recent studies about hunger in America have put hunger issues in the spotlight.  Onestudy in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows that nearly half of all U.S. children, and 90% of black children, will receive Food Stamps at some point during their childhood.   A November 16, 2009 report from the USDA showed that the number of Americans experiencing hunger is at the highest rate in 14 years.

The most shocking thing that I read about hunger this week was not the statistics in these reports: it was this comment made by Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation in this USA Today article about childhood hunger.

“There’s no evidence that even consistent poverty in the U.S. produces a nutritional risk,” he says, noting that rich and poor children tend to have about the same intake of protein, vitamins and minerals.

It is shocking to know that there are people who believe that there is no link between poverty and nutrition.   Studies from the Food Research and Action Center, Zero to Three, the Tufts University Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition Policy, and the Centers for Disease Control have shown that childhood hunger leads to health problems, school absenteeism, stunted growth, reduced ability to learn, cognitive deficits, and emotional problems.

Anti-hunger programs that promote nutrition — the School Breakfast and School Lunch programs, the WIC program, the Summer Food Service program, the After-school Snack and Meal Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program — must be strengthened.   Child nutrition programs are being reauthorized by congress.  The re-authorization process allows Congress to strengthen these programs so that they can help all hungry children in the U.S.

If you’d like to learn more about what’s at stake for Californians in the child nutrition re-authorization process, check out this fact sheet from California Food Policy Advocates. If you would like to contact President Obama, your Senator, or your Congressional Representative about child nutrition re-authorization, visit Feeding America’s Hunger Action Center.

25,000 Nappies Later We’ve Hit the 100K Mark!

The internet is a really crazy place.

You can never be sure who will stop by your website, hear your tweets and calls to action.

Well. Somehow through the web, the folks at Huggies caught wind of our campaign and wanted to help us out a with a one time donation of 25,000 diapers. And it gets even better!  I also received a small cash honorarium that will be used to help HAMO further our immediate goal of obtaining 501c3 non profit tax status.

And no one had to give birth to octuplets.

Check these nappies out!

These nappies, all four pallets of them, were recently delivered to DH’s work. For extra dramatic effect they happened to arrive when the entire office was conducting an all day client meeting (Hi DH’s boss and everyone at HH! Thanks for donating the space and having such a great sense of humor!).

These are, in fact, “nappies,” since it appears they were originally slated to grace the bottoms of European babies 6-10 kgs, or roughly U.S. diaper size 2-3 (13-22 lbs).

With community driven, word of mouth support from ALL OF YOU guys,  we’ve been able to raise76,223 diapers for California and out of state partners. With this 25,000 diaper donation, HAMO’s cumulative total comes to 101,223 diapers. Huggies, you sent us over the 100K mark!

So what are we doing with all these diapers?

Since these are infant sized diapers we have started to distribute them to a number of our Bay Areapartners who have a need for smaller diapers.  A chunk of these diapers are already helping needy families in some of the most depressed areas in the region – in cities like Vallejo, Oakland, Richmond, and Antioch, with unemployment rates as high as 14-percent.

Volunteer from Children's Network of Solano County

Brighter Beginnings youth volunteer doing his community service!

We have also reached out to a number of shelters, including East Oakland Community Project, La Casa de Las Madres, and Rafael House, to make one time diaper donations.

We’ll continue to keep you posted and share photos of our partners and recipients as the distribution continues.

BIG THANK YOU to Huggies, for finding us through the vast interweb and turning rhetoric into action.If there are any more diaper companies who would like to match this donation – give us a holler!

BIG THANK YOU to ALL OF YOU, for supporting this campaign by telling your friends, donating diapers, and hosting diaper drives for our partners. Eight months ago HAMO was started. We could not have done ANY of this without YOU. It is because of YOU, that this was all possible.

And remember: This donation will help supply smaller babies with a healthy change but there is also a critical need for Sizes 4 and up. Donate diapers this holiday season. Pick up a pack at at the big box store or purchase them online for easy delivery. Host a holiday diaper drive. It really is THAT EASY to make a big difference.

What are your thoughts? Post a comment below to let the folks at Huggies know what you think about their donation!

Generous People Work at Cisco Systems

As if our Give Cheeks A Chance September campaign wasn’t super successful already, we had a month-end surprise with a massive one-day diaper drive event at Cisco Systems.  Thanks to Jennifer K., dozens of employees came together to raise more than 7,000 in one day!  Departments competed to bring in the most diapers and managers pledged matching funds for inter-department cash collecting.  One department collected more than $600 which resulted in forteen Costco cases (1,800 diapers).

It was an amazing, breathtaking day.  I even took two trips to pick up diapers, dropping off thousands of them midday in order to have room to pick up the rest in the afternoon.

Thank you, Jennifer K., and Cisco employees, for giving cheeks a chance!

Giving Back Spotlight: Whitney of RookieMoms.com

During our Give Cheeks a Chance! September campaign, local Bay Area blogger, Whitney of RookieMoms.com pledged to raise 1000 diapers for our partner agency, WDDC. She ended up raising 2500 diapers!  We are eternally grateful to Whitney, for being an early supporter of our campaign, and for turning rhetoric into action!

This is a cross post from RookieMoms.com.

At the beginning of September, I set out to rally my peeps for a diaper drive. I was inspired by Help A Mother Out and figured that between my children’s two schools, my family, neighbors, and friends, I would be able to generate a 1000-diaper donation for my nearby women’s drop-in center. They serve a population of women who don’t always have the money for diapers they need and whose public assistance funds are not always applicable for diapers.

Now for my bragging
Thanks my neighbors and friends, the box I placed outside my side door got filled many times over with diapers. When I first counted and realized I was at 600, I began to worry that 1000 was a lofty goal. I sent a status update email to motivate my network. I cheered myself on publicly via Facebook. As my self-assigned deadline approached, the diapers appeared at a faster pace. I was excited.

I attended a little gathering of bloggers at an E.L.F. make-up party and asked those ladies to donate. Some gave diapers and some gave me cash. (Turns out that women who have never themselves shopped for diapers are overwhelmed by the thought of choosing a size and brand.) The cash was worth even more than the face value as my husband took it to CVS and used some heavy-weight coupons and his clever math strategery to maximize the number of diapers he brought home.

Photo from RookieMoms.com

I was proud. I had about 1500 diapers spread all over the floor in my home office. I took them to the Women’s Drop-In Center and spent the rest of the day feeling like a powerful superhero.

And then. More.

My friend Kimberley, a recipient of my email call to action, passed the word about my drive to her associates at Safeway, our regional grocery chain. The marketing person in charge of their house brand, Mom to Mom, decided she would match my drive with a generous donation of 1000 diapers from Safeway. I picked them up at my local store and headed back to the Women’s Drop-In center. I hope that the Mom to Mom team spent the rest of their day feeling like superheroes.

Photo from RookieMoms.com

Frequently Asked Question: What about cloth?
When I initially posted about this and also asked my neighbors for donations, many asked why these folks do not use cloth diapers. Yes, for those of us who have a predictable place to hang our diaper bags each night, cloth diapers may be a money-saving choice. Imagine you are in transition, however. Different friends and shelters are serving as your bed each night. Or perhaps your apartment does not have a laundry facility on site, and laundromats do not allow diaper washing for sanitary reasons. For those folks and for the truly homeless, carting around soiled diapers until laundry becomes available is simply not practical.

Did anyone else take my challenge and become a diaper superhero? What are you waiting for?

The Big Warm-Up

Doing your fall cleaning and getting rid of those coats your kids outgrew?  Donate them to a national movement.

The Big Warm-Up is a coat-donation movement that Lands’ End and the National Coalition for the Homeless have organized to inspire people across the nation to donate their gently used coats.  The coats will go on to warm some of the more than 3.5 million homeless women, men and children in the United States right now – each facing a cold winter.

Now through November 30, Lands’ End is hosting Big Warm-up coat donation sites at its 252 Lands’ End Shops at Sears and 13 Lands’ End Inlets®.  Donated coats will be distributed via the National Coalition for the Homeless in communities nearby.   Lands’ End is giving 20 percent off the purchase of a new coat for each one donated.

Every blog post that spreads the word about The Big Warm-Up scores an entry in a sweepstakes – the winner gets 100 new Lands’ End coats to donate to a charity of their choice.  We could be the winner, and get coats for some of the mothers and children we know who can really use them.  Because even in California, it gets cold.

The Shriver Report

Image from: http://www.americanprogress.org

Last week Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress released The Shriver Report. The report sets to layout “an accurate and detailed portrait of American women and families at this transformational moment in our history.”

According to the report:

Nearly 4 in 10 mothers (39.3 percent) are primary breadwinners, bringing home the majority of the family’s earnings, and nearly two-thirds (62.8 percent) are breadwinners or co-breadwinners, bringing home at least a quarter of the family’s earnings. What’s more, women are now much more likely to head families on their own.

While there has been talk about how the report may not be an accurate representation of American women, I understand that no report or study can be everything to everyone. By the way, kudos to Maria Echaveste on her must-read essay about immigrant women, the “Invisible yet Essential.”

I do think that if we are going to start talking about how we, as women, have the ability to effect change, we must also address the plight of homeless women and their families.

Did you know, for example, that eighty-four percent of families experiencing homelessness are female headed? Twenty-nine percent of adults in homeless families are employed.

Here are some facts about homeless mothers from the National Center on Family Homelessness:

Mothers Experiencing Homelessness

The impact of homelessness on mothers is profound. Many are sad, fearful, and hopeless. Mothers who are homeless have been victims of interpersonal violence. For them, the experience of homelessness is another major stressor layered on other traumas.

• Over 92% have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime. For 63%, this abuse was perpetrated by an intimate partner.
• Mothers experiencing homelessness struggle with mental health issues.
  • About 50% have experienced a major depressive episode since becoming homeless.
  • They have three times the rate of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) (36%) and twice the rate of drug and alcohol dependence (41%).
• Mothers often are in poor physical health.
  • Over one-third have a chronic physical health condition.
  • They have ulcers at four times the rate of other women.

The fastest growing population of homeless is women and children. They are on the streets, living inmotels, shelters, and even storage units.

While it is important to celebrate the accomplishments of women in the workplace, it is just as important to address family homelessness not only as a women’s issue, but as an injustice to us all.

What are your thoughts on The Shriver Report? Please post a comment below.

Thank You Squeaky Wheels, Schwarzenegger Listened

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger officially signed SBx3 13, the emergency legislation to reinstatedomestic violence shelter funding for the current fiscal year.*

Hooray! For now. This means many women who are faced with choosing between staying with their abuser or fleeing with their children will have  safe refuge to turn to at these shelters.

Unfortunately, because of his line-item veto this past July, many shelters have already suffered, some have had to close.

From the New York Times:

In the face of the cuts, many shelters across the state had already cut services, including reducing the number of beds, eliminating legal counseling, and laying off staff members.

State Senator Leland Yee, a San Francisco Democrat who had fought for the restoration of funding, added to the chorus of bittersweet praise, saying in a statement that while he was pleased Mr. Schwarzenegger had signed the bill, “I am still dismayed that he would put women and children at risk in the first place.”

We at HAMO are personally glad to hear that some of our partners will not have to close their doors this year.

*Keep it up squeaky wheels! To keep current on this issue, you can join this Facebook page, SAVE Domestic Violence Shelters.

Welcome ABC7 Viewers! Will You Give Cheeks a Chance?

Many thanks to Emmy award winning journalist and morning news anchor Kristen Sze and ABC7 News for reporting on our efforts to bring diapers to homeless and low income babies across the Bay Area.

Welcome ABC7 Viewers! Will You Give Cheeks a Chance?We are delighted you stopped by to learn how you can help. Our partner agencies assist homeless families, victims of domestic violence, as well as  families living at or below the poverty line in one of the most affluent regions of the country.

Learn more: Check out Diapers 101 for information on how something so basic can make such a big impact. You can also download our two page information sheet. If you have more questions about our campaign please check out our FAQ first, or email us (info at helpamotherout dotorg).

Donate in person or online:

Note: We welcome all diaper sizes, new/open packs. Sizes 3 to 6 + pull ups are our highest need.

To donate diapers in person you can drop them off here:

Sadiedey’s Cafe ~ 4210 Telegraph Ave., OAKLAND, CA 94602

Natural Resources ~ 1367 Valencia St SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110

Baby Buzz ~ 1314 Lincoln Ave, #1A SAN JOSE, CA 95125

To donate diapers online find a partner agency near you to help, then click through to their Amazon.com wishlist. You can purchase a case of diapers and have them shipped directly to the agency of your choice (remember to select Super Saver free shipping!)

If you would like to go a step further and host a diaper drive at your work, school, civic group, parenting group, or place of worship – we have a free diaper drive toolkit you can download to help you get started.

As much as this economic downturn has effected each one of us, there are many local families who are faced with impossible decisions, such as choosing between food or diapers for their children.

Thanks again for checking us out. We hope you will join our campaign in helping to keep Bay Area children healthy and safe.

Remember, all we are saying is Give Cheeks a Chance!

Stay in touch: find us on Facebook and Twitter.

We are absolutely thrilled that ABC7 reported on our grassroots campaign. Something that was not reflected in the segment is that HAMO’s campaign is not the work of one sole person, but is the product of a long list of contributors and volunteers who have come together to raise diapers and awareness on this issue. You can read more about our key contributors in our About Us page.

Updated 7:00pm PST :

Cloth Diapers

Since the segment aired we have received a number of emails and comments regarding cloth diapers. We think cloth is a great option for families who are in a position to choose, afford to purchase, and launder them. Our partner agencies have advised us that cloth is not a practical option for the majority of their clients, many of whom are living in shelters, or cramped living quarters without access to private laundry facilities. Therefore, we choose to support our partners by providing donors with both an eco-friendly and generic brand diaper option. To learn more see Diapers 101 and our FAQ .