Nonprofit Spotlight | The Knoxville organization filling the diaper gap for families in need
Helping Mamas made the commitment to the community that every item will be completely free to the families. It takes the support of the whole community to make that happen.
Being a new parent is hard. Being a new parent living in poverty is even harder.
Everything has a domino effect.
If a family cannot afford diapers, then the child cannot go to a daycare center, which means that at least one parent has to stay home. And, what happens if it’s a single-parent household?
These are the sort of situations that Tess Frear experiences daily in running Helping Mamas in Knoxville. She launched the organization in 2018 and has supported more than 25,000 mothers through her mission so far.
Her cousin opened the first-ever Helping Mamas location in Atlanta in 2014, and after experiencing the profound impact, Frear wanted to replicate the model locally to serve the 33 East Tennessee counties.
Helping Mamas is a supply bank. It partners with about 75 other agencies in East Tennessee to distribute supplies to the families who need them.
Their warehousing space in West Knoxville is large by necessity.
“If we don’t have our space, we can’t serve anybody. Getting this space about a year ago allowed us to take in more items, develop new partnerships, and welcome more volunteers on site,” she said.
One of those partnerships is with Amazon. A couple of times a month, Helping Mamas can pick up any unclaimed, returned, or lost items that could benefit new mothers and families.
The walls of the warehouse are stacked top to bottom with boxes full of diapers, wipes, books, toys, toiletries, baby clothes, maternity clothes, period supplies, carseats, and more… way more.
According to Helping Mamas, about three in every five parents have a financial need for diapers. It especially makes sense when you consider that about 22 percent of children in East Tennessee are living in poverty.
“There are so many stories of success where case managers share about the empowerment families feel when they are handed these items,” Frear said. “They can feel confident about meeting the needs of their children.”
Helping Mamas aims to be the one-stop shop for case managers who support families in need.
“Sometimes this looks like ensuring that a new mother has a car seat on hand, so she can leave the hospital after giving birth safely,” Frear said.
But all of this support cannot happen without the generous support of the community.
“Overhead is a huge cost for non-profits,” Frear said. “Monetary donations are so important. Plus, we have partnerships with many agencies in the area. Our dollar goes a lot further than when other people go to the store and buy things. Items are so helpful for us, but funds can go even further.”
As a result, Frear is constantly writing grants and hosting fundraisers for the organization.
One of the most beautiful commitments that Helping Mamas has made to the community is that every item will be completely free to the families. It takes the support of the whole community to make that happen.
Learn more about Helping Mamas here.
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