Statements
Mission
Mother To Mother is a nonprofit that provides vital health, safety, and wellness items for infants and children in need by working with a network of social workers, nurses, social service agencies, and local hospitals.
Background
Mother To Mother was founded in 2004 with the mission to provide basic necessities to low-income children in Tennessee. The idea was conceived while Janie was volunteering at a domestic violence shelter in Boston. Janie realized that many shelters had plenty of support for mothers, but nothing to provide for children. Before she relocated to Nashville, Janie established Mother To Mother so she could hit the ground running when she arrived.
Upon moving to Nashville, Janie started collecting donations and storing them in a closet in her home. Mother To Mother quickly outgrew multiple spaces and has since landed in our current space in South Nashville.
In 2018 we added our first vehicle and shortly after acquired our second, allowing us to expand our programs from Davidson County to the entire state of Tennessee. As of 2023, we have over 5,000 sq ft of warehouse space dedicated to getting gently used donations into the hands of families who need them.
Mother To Mother believes that babies and children are the innocent victims of poverty. We aim to bridge the gap and provide the basic necessities that every child deserves: diapers, car seats, safe places to sleep, clothes, shoes, toys, formula, and blankets.
Impact
Mother To Mother has made some significant changes since inception in order to expand to serve families across the state of Tennessee. Our Rural Outreach Program was added in 2018 and allows us to bring our bus with diapers, clothing and baby gear to rural counties in Tennessee.
Mother To Mother distributes health and wellness items the following ways:
Partner Agencies: Our community partner agencies sign up to visit our warehouse "shop". They come with lists of items to collect for the children they serve - some partners come multiple times a week and some pick up for 10 kids at a time. They go back to their agencies, non-profits, or schools and give the families items needed on behalf of Mother To Mother. This method allows partner organizations to stay focused on their mission while allowing us to come alongside as a partner to serve their families.
Bus Events: We serve the community directly through our bus distribution events, prioritizing our distressed and most at risk communities. Our partner agencies work with our community programmer to host us across Tennessee, either as the anchor of a community baby shower, or as a stand alone event. We do these at least twice a month, allowing us to connect with the community we serve directly by providing diapers, clothes, gear, hygiene, bedding, etc. These events draw 300-600 people every time and allow us to distribute $50,000 worth of items in a few hours.
VOAD Disaster Relief: We serve as a member of the Nashville Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), a group of Davidson County community organizations that provide knowledge and resources in the event of a disaster. Mother To Mother supports victims throughout the entire disaster cycle (preparation, mitigation, response, and recovery) by providing critical items such as diapers, wipes, clothing, blankets, cribs, pack 'n plays, feeding supplies, etc. to families in need.
Special Events: In addition to the ongoing needs of our families, Mother To Mother prioritizes "Back to School '' in the fall and "Adopt a Family" during the holidays. We distribute thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies to Title I schools across Middle Tennessee in an effort to reduce the burden on parents with the increasing cost of required items. During the holidays we serve hundreds of children, working tirelessly to make sure children are unwrapping more than necessities.
Needs
1. Public Awareness: Please help us spread the word about organization and the work that we do! Tag us on social media when you drop off your donations and tell your friends to do the same.
2. Financial Support: Mother To Mother seeks support from individuals, organizations, corporations, grants, and family foundations.
3. In-Kind Donations: Visit our website to see a list of what gently used donations we accept.
4. Volunteers: We welcome individuals and groups who are interested in volunteering in our warehouse to support our mission.
CEO Statement
It's hard to believe that almost 20 years ago, we were serving low-income children out of a tiny closet in my home. Because of the support of our incredible staff, Board, donors and sponsors, and the Nashville community, Mother To Mother has distributed millions of essential items to 35 counties across Tennessee. We have made an immeasurable difference supporting families through Safe Sleep initiatives, Back To School, Holiday Adopt A Family, and our general programming.
We are incredibly grateful for the loyal support of the community and to those who have stepped up when the children of Tennessee needed us more than ever, skyrocketing our outreach and impact in the last 3 years. It has become increasingly clear that the impact of COVID-19 will be felt for not only months-but years-to come for families living in poverty. When we can continue providing basic essentials, parents can put their extremely limited resources, after this unprecedented time, toward paying their rent, putting food on the table, and keeping their children safe.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Janie Busbee
Board Chair Statement
Mother To Mother has done so many wonderful things for mothers and children in our community. We provide essential items to new parents and children every day. Whether it is a safe crib for a baby, a car seat to get home safely, diapers when the mom doesn't have any way of obtaining diapers, clothes for school, or coats in the winter, I see the joy and calm that our donations make in the lives of our fellow Tennesseans.
The challenges that we face are good challenges: we always need more items to distribute, more space to house our items, and more volunteers to help everything get counted and ready for distribution. Mother To Mother is applying for grants for the first time, having drop spots in popular children's places, and getting our name out to the community.
Mother To Mother is growing to match the need and will continue to do so until every baby is safe, clothed, and warm.
Thank you for your support,
Ms. Rosemary VerHulst
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Children's and Youth Services |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Since we acquired our vehicles in 2018, we have been able to serve families in 35 of the 95 counties across Tennessee. Our goal is to have reached every county in Tennessee by 2025.
| TN |
