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Thanks to the HealthTap Community for Raising 14,000 Diapers!!!

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead

Remember that awesome health and technology start up that wanted to do a diaper drive for us for New Years? Well, the HealthTap community really came through for our babies, to the tune of 14,000 diapers! Big hugs and shout out also goes out to everyone at EcoMom.com for matching donations through their website. You can’t really tell from the picture above, but the 14,000 (++) diapers are behind the group.

HealthTap’s efforts mean there’s a brand new diaper pantry for our distribution partners at the social services department over at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, where they now have enough diapers to address diaper need for their most under-served homeless and low income families. Because the HealthTap drive exceeded their initial (and ambitious!) goal of 10,000 diapers, both Packard Hospital and HealthTap agreed it made perfect sense to share the surplus diapers with two additional HAMO partner agencies, Baby Basics of the Peninsula and Youth and Family Enrichment Services, both of which are also based on the Peninsula, serving families in East Palo Alto/Menlo Park.


Pictured above: Kim (Baby Basics), Lisa M. (YPES), Kimmy (HealthTap), Yours Truly, Kimberly P. (EcoMom.com), and Kelley (Packard Hospital).

I want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone in the HealthTap community who contributed to this drive. Not only did HealthTap employees personally donate a generous amount of diapers, but they amplified their effort by engaging their personal networks in the drive.

Each person, whether they donated a pack of diapers, or several cases of them, made an investment in the families who will benefit from the diapers raised. What does it really mean? Benefiting families will have supplemental diapers at a time when they may be dealing with a health, personal, or financial crisis. It means less diaper rash, less caregiver stress, and more happy bottoms.

Now THAT is something to write home about…

Photos courtesy of HealthTap

This Broke My Heart

“I am an early childhood teacher for children with special needs. I have a student in desperate need of large size diapers or pull-ups. We have asked the family for over a year to send in diapers for us to use and because they are of a low income, they do not send any in. When they do, they are extremely small. This child always has diaper rash that is so bad it bleeds. We have exhausted all of our extras left over from other students and don’t know what else to do …”
— From Illinois

It’s not too late to help a mother out!

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? We have big plans for 2011, and we need your help to get there.

Moms like Janet are counting on us. Janet, a struggling mother of two, was emotionally distraught when she came to the local children’s hospital in desperate need of help. The reason for her breakdown? Severe mental distress because she didn’t have enough diapers for her baby.Thanks to supporters like you, Janet was able to receive not just the mental health services she needed but also a generous stash of diapers from the emergency supply provided by Help a Mother Out.
You can help start 2011 off right by helping moms like Janet.

Your sustained support will make all the difference in helping us achieve our goals. Becoming a monthly sustainer is easy for you and provides us with financial support we can count on. Will you join me in becoming a charter sustainer today?

Or, if you prefer, you can make a one-time contribution in any amount. Will you pitch in $15? As a small, streamlined, highly efficient organization, we know how to make a dollar holler. We are volunteer-run and supported, which means 100 percent of the funds we collect go towards our diaper program.

Our vision is a day when every baby has an adequate supply of diapers. Your tax-deductible donation will help make that vision a reality. L., I want to thank you for believing in our cause and for putting women and families first. We couldn’t accomplish anything without YOU.

In community,

Rachel F., co-founder and advisory board member
On behalf of the Help a Mother Out crew (Lisa, Kim, Julie, & Rachel M.)

P.S. If you’ve already made your year-end donation to Help a Mother Out, thank you! We couldn’t do this good work without you.

Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal) On Homeless Families & Why Diapers Matter

On December 14 the city of Glendale, CA held an event called Homeless Connect Day. The purpose of this event was to bring representatives from community resources together in one place, at one time, to give the area’s homeless a chance to access services all at once.  In addition, there was a barber station, a three piece band, a harpist, free food, free clothing, and a wireless internet station to give the people a chance to check their email or even sign up for email or other internet services.  This station was provided by Mark Horvath.  With the help of my friend Julia Frey, I chased Mark down and nabbed him for a quick interview.

Check it out:

Will You Be Our Fairy Godmother?

Dear Friends,

Can you imagine being in the position of Suzie, a single mom of two, who confessed, “I give my child less to drink so I don’t have to change her diaper as much”?

Every day, all across the country, parents like Suzie are forced to make a choice no one should have to make: the choice between using their scarce funds to purchase diapers or to purchase food for their families. As another mom told us, “Diapers are a must-have. You can’t skip them like you can breakfast.” In fact, one study reported that 1 in 3 families in the United States is affected by diaper need. And while safety-net programs like WIC and food stamps provide some help to families in need, none of those programs cover diapers.

“I can’t thank you enough for the help,” said Amanda, a Glendale mom who had the courage to flee domestic violence. “To some people it might be just diapers, but to me is being able to not just get by month by month.” Our diapers are helping her care for her toddler while she rebuilds her life, this time as the sole breadwinner of her family. “I am an ambitious woman. I work hard to provide a good future for my children, and any help I can get is always much appreciated.”

Help a Mother Out was started a year and a half ago when we first heard about moms like Suzie and Amanda. With a $100 investment and a little social-media know how, we determined to do whatever we could to help out some of the many moms, dads, and caregivers who are struggling to keep their babies healthy in these hard times. Since then, we’ve made some incredible partnerships, heard dozens of stories like Suzie’s and Amanda’s, and been humbled and awed by the support of friends like you.

We believe every child deserves a clean diaper, and we know you believe it too — because it’s your support that has helped us raise over half a million diapers. That’s a lot of diapers, but we want to do more — a lot more. In the coming year, your support will help us build our Safety Net Fund so we can bulk purchase diapers at significant discounts; establish a Rapid Response Fund, which will enable us to address diaper need during times of emergency in California and nationwide; and continue to grow our national grassroots network of moms, advocates, and supporters.

Won’t you invest in growing the HAMO community?

Your sustained support will make all the difference in helping us achieve our goals. Becoming a monthly sustainer is easy for you and provides HAMO with financial support we can count on. Will you become a charter sustainer today?

Sustainers come in all sizes:

Sustainer instructions: 1) Choose desired “Amount” 2) Choose “Frequency” “I want to make a recurring donation,” 3) Select “Monthly”

  • Mother’s Helper $5/month
  • Matron Saint $10/month
  • Mother Superior $25/month
  • Queen Mother $50/month
  • Fairy God Mother $100/month

(Sustainers’ credit cards are charged at the end of each month through our service provider, Network for Good. You can upgrade, change, or cancel your sustainer membership at any time.)

Or, if you prefer, you can make a one-time contribution in any amount. Will you pitch in $15?Remember, as a small, streamlined, highly efficient organization, we know how to make the most of every dollar.

Our vision is a day when every baby has an adequate supply of diapers. Your tax-deductible donation will help make that vision a reality. We want to thank you for believing in our cause and for putting women and families first. We couldn’t accomplish anything without YOU.

In community,

Lisa, Rachel F., Kim, Julie, & Rachel M.

Help a Mother Out

p.s. Did you know 100% of HAMO funds collected go directly to our diaper program? We are debt-free, volunteer-run and supported. Thank you for investing in our cause!

Photo from www.ObeyTheBaby.com

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I Can’t Afford Diapers So I Will Have To Wait It Out

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We recently received the following comment on this oldie but goodie post, from mom Milyene. It really brought to home to me why HAMO has evolved from a one off drive to something greater than we ever imagined.

From Milyene:

“As I mother myself, I have found myself feeling guilty after throwing a diaper away just after getting a little pee or poo in it. I never really scratched the surface until recently working with a non-profit providing gifts to families in need. I noticed the babies that came in really smelled like their diapers hadn’t been changed. I informed a mother that I believe her baby just pooed, and she said “oh i know. i can’t afford enough diapers so i will have to wait it out a bit more” and laughed. It really got me thinking. I am so happy to have found you guys under babble.com’s “50 best charities for babies and small children”.. Thank you!!!”

Thank you, Milyene for sharing this story with us. We’re glad you found us!

Yesterday I went to Children’s Hospital of Oakland to drop off our monthly diaper distribution. My contact there told me a story about a mom who essentially had a mental breakdown because she didn’t have the money to buy diapers for her baby. Can you imagine being in this position? I can’t. While I’m happy to hear this mom received some of our diapers, I’m heartbroken that this continues to be a daily reality for so many women and families.

Thank you for being a part of our community and for valuing the families we serve. There is still so much to be done, and while we’ve made some great strides this past year, we can’t wait to take it to the next level. I’m looking forward to having you be a part of it.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday.

VOTE By December 29th at 9 a.m. EST

Thanks to ALL OF YOU, Help a Mother Out has been nominated for MoveOn.org’s 2010 Year End Giving Campaign! If we’re one of five organizations to receive the most votes, MoveOn.org will encourage their membership of five million+ to support us. Voting will remain open until December 29th at 9AM EST.

Please share this page with your friends and encourage them to vote, too!

Now we need YOUR VOTE .

It’s as easy as CLICKING OUR BLUE BUTTON HERE.

Thank you all for helping us with your vote!

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@HealthTap To Help A Mother Out With A Diaper Pantry #hamo

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Last week, right after the Glendale Drive ended, we got an unexpected email from a health technology company, HealthTap, interested in hosting a small holiday diaper drive for us at their office. Yes! We’re grateful whenever anyone wants to give us diapers!

Well, that could have been the end of the story, but of course, things have a way of happening especially during the holidays.

As I was talking with Kimmy at HealthTap I mentioned that one of our wishes for the new year was to start a diaper pantry that could become a reliable resource for the social services department over at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.


Weeks ago we received a request from the family resource coordinator over at Packard Children’s Hospital. They were interested in becoming a recipient partner agency since most of the folks who pass through their department are typically under-served families who struggle to provide basic needs for their children, including an adequate supply of diapers.

Some examples of families who come through their doors: local homeless or low income families who are uninsured or under-insured; newly discharged low income mothers and newborn babies; even out of area families, from all walks of life, who stay at Ronald McDonald House while they receive out patient services at the hospital (interesting fact: young recipients of kidney transplants need diapers after being discharged).

These stories basically lit a fire with everyone at HealthTap and they pretty much immediately committed to helping HAMO build this diaper pantry. The next day I learned they already had 1000 diapers underneath their office Christmas tree and were in the midst of sending out a call to action to their network.

HealthTap’s goal is 10,000 diapers by New Years Eve.

It’s an ambitious goal, but believe me when I tell you our ambitious friends are FIRED UP to make it happen.

Won’t you help them help a mother out?

Peninsula/Silicon Valley locals YOU CAN HELP!

This endeavor will mean the world of difference to struggling families on the Peninsula and will make a huge impact this coming year on the health of local children, through Packard Children’s Hospital and beyond! This is not something HAMO would be able to do on our own within such a short period of time and we’re elated the HealthTap community has risen to the challenge.

p.s. Mamas, you may be interested to know that Dr. Greene, yes – that Dr. Greene, is on their team!). Oh yeah, full disclosure here – this is NOT a sponsored post! As my household’s self-appointed chief medical officer, I’m interested in learning more about HealthTap’s vision and simply grateful they reached out to help us build the diaper pantry.

MoveOn.Org Members: Please Nominate Help A Mother Out? #HAMO

Friends,

Our gal Rachel F. just sent this link to me. It’s a call to action by MoveOn.Org. Their calling for nominations for worthy non profits MoveOn should support.

Are you a MoveOn member?

Won’t you please take 1 minute to nominate our grassroots organization to MoveOn.org?

This could be a GAME CHANGER for us. I hope you will considering sharing our cause with a large audience at MoveOn.org and nominate us today.

Here’s how to nominate us:

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE HAMO

Copy and Paste in the form:

Our name: Help A Mother Out

Our URL: http://www.helpamotherout.org/

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us: Help a Mother Out (HAMO) is a nationally recognized grassroots organization dedicated to increasing access to diapers for families in need. Started by two moms (March, 2009) with an initial investment of $100, this one time diaper drive has developed into an innovative non profit raising both diapers (nearly half a million to date) and awareness. We advocate for long term change in federal social safety net programs, as no program (e.g., food stamps, WIC) currently includes diapers. Our vision is a day when every baby has an adequate supply of diapers.

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The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, December 21st, at 9 a.m. EST. After nominations are submitted, MoveOn members will vote on which organizations to promote to the entire MoveOn membership for an end-of-the-year fundraiser. Voting will open on December 22nd—keep an eye out for an email announcement, and for details on how to vote.

Just a few of the reasons why we think you should nominate us:

  • Since March, 2009 we’ve collected nearly half a million diapers for homeless and low income families who have been hit hard by the economic downturn.
  • We aspire to be the MoveOn/MomsRising of the diaper cause!
  • We’re working hard with other public policy advocates to realize the vision of a day when diapers are included in federal safety net programs such as like WIC or Food Stamps.
  • You’ve heard of non profits operating on a shoe string budget? Well, ours is more like a dental floss budget. We are an all volunteer mom-run organization and your nomination would make a huge difference in raising awareness for our cause.

Thanks for nominating us to MoveOn.org!

In community,

Lisa

Glendale Diaper Drive Collects Over 22,000 Diapers

The brainchild of members of the Domestic Violence Task Force of the city of Glendale, CA, the 2010Glendale Diaper Drive took place from December 1 through December 14.  Drop bins were stationed at locations all around the city.  The drive was supported by the fire department, the police department, the Rotary Club, and several local agencies and elected officials.  HAMO supported the drive by promoting the Amazon wishlist for PATH/Achieve Glendale, an emergency family homeless shelter that is one of our main partners here in the Los Angeles area, and an anchor in this month’s drive.

I witnessed the way the community came together at the launch event, where I introduced HAMO and what we do, and at Homeless Connect Day at the city’s Winter Shelter, where everyone involved in the drive was invited to bring their diaper haul and pose for photos.  It was thrilling to see that local television station KABC sent a news producer and interviewed Natalie Profant Komuro, director of PATH/Achieve Glendale,   She must have pimped us up really well, because the news story that ran mentioned us by name, showed our sign from the photo shoot, and a shot of me stacking diapers in the pile.

I find it nearly impossible that my collaboration with HAMO could have led to this.  In truth, 22,000 diapers won’t even last very long, but the fact that such an amount was collected over only two weeks is a testament to human kindness.  Spreading that kindness through the internet is one of the greatest ways we can use this technology.  I see it every time I come to my computer – one or many of my blogging or tweeting friends is promoting a worthy cause at any given time.  To the people who have supported me (including Julia Frey, who helped count 16,000 of these specific diapers!) in these efforts, I thank you.  Somewhere, without knowing it, many mothers and fathers are thanking you, too.

We’re Grateful to Sara S.

Heartfelt thanks to Sara S.  in the Silicon Valley for collecting a whopping 4587 diapers, 2408 baby wipes, and 10 tins of formula at her holiday party! Our partner agency West Valley Community Services was thrilled to receive the HAMO bounty (in all, HAMO was able to donate 7,000 diapers last week, thanks in no small part to Sara and her friends).

This is the second year in a row that Sara held a diaper drive for us. It’s just as easy as inviting all your friends over and asking them to contribute!

Thanks Sara!

Diapers Are Gold … We Say That Everyday Here #hamo

In this economic climate gold has become a popular investment strategy for those who are able to purchase it for safe keeping. I wish I had a few bars of it myself to bury in the backyard, don’t you?

Today I want to talk about another kind of gold. Something more than a few agencies have told us since the beginning of HAMO: diapers are like gold. In low income neighborhoods, food deserts, and across the social service sector – diapering “gold” is a hot commodity. It’s something so basic that many of us don’t think much about, yet mothers across the country spend a considerable amount of time worrying about and trying to procure.

If you want to know the reasons why this cause struck a cord with us and why we continue to volunteer our skills and time to raise diapers and awareness please watch this interview with Community Health Workers Alma Garcia, Elisa Garcia, and Nakisha Allen of Homeless Prenatal Program:


Much gratitude to Alma, Nakisha, and Elisafor taking the time to share their work with HAMO.

And THANK YOU to all our friends who are creating a safety net for families in need.

Inspired to act? You can help us continue our diaper program by making a monetary donation here, or if you prefer, ship diapers directly to us through our wishlist, or drop ‘em off in person.


The Glendale Diaper Drive is off to a great start!

Last week at the kick off event, co-organizers collected 3,234 diapers.

Kim was there to speak, representing HAMO, where she made a short speech on the facts about diaper need.

She spoke with Natalie Komuro, Executive Director of PATH Achieve Glendale (HAMO partner agency):

As well as Chief Ron De Pompa, of the Glendale Police Department:

Can you imagine fleeing your house with your children, with nothing but the clothes on your back?

Our goal is 20,000 diapers by December 14th, with all proceeds benefiting multiple agencies of the Glendale Domestic Violence Task Force.

Participate by 12/14:

  • Buy diapers online through our Amazon wishlist for PATH (ships to PATH Glendale)
  • Or drop them off at these locations: Glendale City Hall lobby, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County Glendale branch, Glendale Police Department lobby, PATH Achieve Glendale, YWCA of Glendale, Glendale Central Library, Armenian Relief Society, Color Me Mine of Glendale, Bellies, Babies & Bosoms in the Montrose Shopping Park, Braces by Bergh, Arroyo Insurance, The Little Gym

Thanks to the following media outlets for covering the diaper drive:

Blogging LA

Glendale News Press

Best of LA, CBS Los Angeles.com

Photo credit via Creative Commons: Connor395

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31 Days of Giving: We’re Day #21 in Glamour Magazine’s December Issue

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Sarah from Children’s Council of San Francisco was thumbing through the pages of the latest Glamour Magazine and found us (page 226) in the magazine’s feature: 31 Days of Giving (HAMO is December 21st).

Thank you Sarah for alerting us to this important news item and big hugs to Glamour Magazine for honoring us with this mention. May we diaper beautiful babies together 

You can check it out here.

Happy holidays!!

Start a Ripple, Please Give Diapers in December

Welcome friends old and new!

Diapers are often a forgotten basic need that is lacking not only during the holidays, but year round. It’s very helpful to donate food and toys, but we must remember that for many homeless and nearly homeless families, 1 diaper a day is all they have for their baby. Many shelters and family resources centers have diapers at the top of their wishlist.

Here’s your easy link guide to how you can join the campaign to diaper babies butt’s in the month of December.

How to help in December:

  1. Donate diapers in person
  2. Participate in our Virtual Diaper Drive

Diaper facts, ideas, resources:

We hope we’ve inspired you with another way to give back to your community. Please drop us a line, send pictures of your diaper collection event, and keep in touch with us by becoming an official member.

Photo courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt, under Creative Commons

They Come By Bus to West Oakland

A few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to visit St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County’s Women’s Center. It was a full circle experience for me, since HAMO started as a result of learningthat mothers in our own community were taking the bus across town to receive emergency diapers for their baby. It simply broke our hearts, and still does, to learn that something many of us take for granted … having enough diapers for our own baby … could be lacking in another mother’s life.

I arrived on a rainy Friday morning and met their Director of Development, Katharine Miller for the tour of their west Oakland facility, located off West Grand Avenue. I brought 4 cases of diapers, courtesy of our Amazon donors.

According to SVdP’s website “Alameda County is home to a disproportionate number of low-income households in the Bay Area:”

The downtown Oakland neighborhood that houses the SVdP Community Center and Free Dining Room is one of the most distressed in Northern California. Nearly a third of area residents subsist on incomes below the poverty threshold. Nearly half of single-mother households in the area live below the poverty line. Those who eat at the SVdP Dining Room have an average income of little more than $5,000 per year.

Katharine, Sonya, and Amanda of SVdP were kind enough to talk with me about diaper need in the community. Here’s an impromptu interview with Sonya and Amanda:


SVdP’s Women’s Center currently is able to give out 8 diapers per family, twice a month. Moms take the bus from all over Oakland, Berkeley, and even Richmond to SVdP in order to receive diapers, a few pairs of children’s clothing, and to do laundry in the center’s laundromat. Those familiar with Alameda county can probably guess how long it would take a single mom and her kids (not to mention with laundry) to take the bus down to west Oakland. Awhile.

I was inspired by the truly amazing work the staff  of SVdP and their cadre of dedicated volunteers carry out everyday. And yet, I was deeply saddened by the fact that so many women spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to acquire basic needs for their children.

It simply is an injustice.

I wish that I could have come with a truckload of diapers, ready to hand out a pack of 30 diapers to the homeless single mom who had arrived with her young child while I was there. She was about 6 months pregnant.

Inspired to act? You can help us continue our diaper program by making a monetary donation here, or if you prefer, ship diapers directly to us through our wishlist, or drop ‘em off in person. For those in California, you can participate in our state-wide diaper drive December 1-14th.

Photo courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County.

Small Business Saturday: @CottonBabies #hamo

Unless you’ve totally unplugged from the interwebz, you’ve probably heard about Small Business Saturday. I thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight a small business owner who is changing the world by changing millions of diapers across America.

If you’ve ever considered cloth diapering, you probably know about bumGenius diapers. The maker of these wonderful cloth diapers is Jenn Labit from Cotton Babies. The mom-owned enterprise is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Earlier this year, HAMO was contacted by Cotton Babies since they had seen one of my tweets mentioning one of our partner agencies could use cloth diapers and that we were on the hunt from donated product. From that tweet they reached out and offered us a donation of 20 Econobum kits. Of course, we were so grateful and said yes!

The 20 kits were distributed to APA Family Support Services, which works with families in San Francisco’s Chinatown. I got our friends at Natural Resources to schedule a cloth diapering training at APA and the recipient families were very grateful for the donation.


I recently learned that Cotton Babies has been working to distribute their Econobum product in local community neighborhoods. And now their taking this initiative one step further. This holiday season they’re asking customers to purchase diaper kits for a family in need.

I was so touched by Jenn’s story, of how she and her husband built Cotton Babies, and also inspired by their initiative to diaper needy babies with cloth. While the  majority of the families we currently serve are unable cloth diaper this certainly doesn’t mean there are countless families who’s current circumstances would allow them to practice cloth diapering.

As I’ve said previously, there is room enough in this cause for all kinds of diapering. I was thrilled to learn about this new initiative from this totally awesome small business. If you’re considering going the cloth diapering route for your own family, I recommend you check out Cotton Babies’ many options.

This post is not sponsored by any company, large or small. I am merely thankful Cotton Babies has supported HAMO’s mission with in kind product, and wanted to share this fantastic new initiative with you all. We love to support small business and also mom-owned enterprises, we hope you do too!