Low income mothers supported through pandemic emergency funding
Think selflessly like a mother. She wants to help not just her own family, but all those on low income trying to keep up with food, hygiene, housing and other essentials for their families. That’s been particularly tough during economic downturn and restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Respond Like a Mother” is a program to help all those moms and their families who need a hand up, brought to Delta by Mamas for Mamas of Metro Vancouver. The Delta Foundation has provided $30,000 to Mamas for Mamas to support that program.
The funding comes from the Emergency Community Support Fund, administered across the country by Community Foundations of Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada, along with two other networks, United Way Centraide and Red Cross.
Mamas for Mamas, founded in Kelowna and now operating in Delta, is working with multiple levels of government and non-profit agencies, to change systems that contribute to the vicious cycle of poverty, mental health issues, housing, and food insecurity. At the same time, it supports struggling families with a hand up, providing essential needs of food, affordable housing and education. See the previous story on Mamas for Mamas
Mamas for Mamas offers individualized help navigating the available resources for food security, affordable housing and education. Community-based sharing economies are available for families with a resources coordinator available for preventative and intervention-based poverty relief. Mamas for Mamas is there for parents who need help navigating eligible resources, applying for social supports, and getting direct intake support.
Due to the effects of COVID19, the lower mainland has been facing an unprecedented shortage of access to resources. Mamas for Mamas aims to help fill that gap and assist those that need it most, including: students who rely on currently closed schools for many meals each week, the newly unemployed, the vulnerable senior, single parent families and frontline workers who remain isolated after their shifts.
Because of the pandemic, Mamas for Mamas has experienced a rise of 108% in clients accessing its poverty relief services as it tries to manage a massive decrease in funding. Despite this widening gap, the charity has continued to support about 100 additional families per month for baby necessities alone. That has meant $100/family for diapers/wipes/formula per month for a total of $10,000 a month since April.