Diana Love’s car after the Diaper Drive 2021.
By Lisa Peri, MSW, Publisher
Mr. Rogers is often quoted as saying that in scary times, his mother would say to him, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” This was a beautiful statement meant to advise parents on how to talk to their children about tragedy. But over the years, adults quote this to each other and although the sentiment is sweet, the reality is that we should not be looking for the helpers… we need to be the helpers and turn to ourselves to act.
Annapolis Moms was started in 2012 and by 2014, we had over 2,000 members and informally started “Friends of Annapolis Moms” which is now the charitable arm of Annapolis Moms Media, LLC. Ten years ago, if a mother was in need, we would pull some resources and pay to have a car repair made for someone in need, give a Safeway gift card if food assistance was going to take a month to start, or buy some school clothes for a child whose mother needed help. This went on informally for many years with Jennifer Navabi and Diana Love at the helm, running around town delivering food or gift cards, or whatever else we could do. Over the years, we have become a little more formal, working under the 501(c)3 umbrella of the Annapolis Community Foundation.
To date, it is estimated that Friends of Annapolis Moms has helped well over 1,000 mothers and their families with one-time assistance that is otherwise not provided by the government or other charitable organizations. This year, we will be growing to add an advisory board and will have several small fundraisers with community partners, like the first one on October 25th at HERE. a pop-up shop, and our first formal fundraiser on February 8th at Prism Annapolis!
Friends of Annapolis Moms is 100% volunteer (minus paid outside professional services) and we always say that it’s money in and money out! We receive the money and it goes out to the families most in need. Each family may only receive our assistance once so we can spread the assistance to others as needed.
So why bring this up now? Why am I being so pointed and direct? According to a Lending Club survey conducted in July 2022, “Some 34% of low-income consumers struggle to pay bills, an increase from 31% a year ago.” Our moms and families are in crisis and it’s not just low-income families. With inflation and interest rates rising, most families making less than $100,000 in Anne Arundel County are living paycheck to paycheck and are one paycheck or emergency away from financial devastation. To receive food assistance, a family of four cannot make more than $3,250 net per month. There is nothing for rent in Anne Arundel County that you can get for less than $2,000 a month. That means you need to meet the rest of your family’s needs on $1,250 a month. Again, with inflation, this is an impossibility.
So, over the next few weeks, you will see us discussing ways to donate and volunteer with Friends of Annapolis Moms. And every week, we will highlight a non-profit organization or government program that you can also get involved with specifically to assist families in crisis. I look forward to seeing a county of helpers coming soon!
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