What began with one Mineola mother helping another has grown into a nonprofit that has reached thousands of women and families. This September, Moms in Need will celebrate its first anniversary.
Founder Katie Briggs started Moms in Need in early September last year, drawing on her own experience as a mother who had struggled and needed help.
“I was a mom that was struggling in need at one point also, so I just started gathering items and helping one mom at a time, and then it just became something different,” Briggs said.
A year later, Briggs said Moms in Need has helped more than 3,000 mothers. The nonprofit provides families with everything from diapers and formula to clothing, shoes, baby equipment and household necessities.
Celebrating one year
Moms in Need will celebrate its first anniversary Sept. 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Quitman Public Library. Briggs said the event will feature free food, games and prizes and is open to the community, including those who have supported the organization and those who may simply need a meal.
“Anybody and everybody that has supported us, that wants to support us, or that has donated, or even simply just needs a meal is more than welcome,” Briggs said.
The milestone is one Briggs never expected when she first began helping mothers last fall.
At the time, her son, who was born in May, was still an infant, and her daughter was 2. Briggs initially connected with mothers through her personal Facebook page. As more women began asking for help with different items, she created a private group. When that continued to grow, she created a public page.
A place to turn for help
Today, Moms in Need is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, but the operation is still based out of Briggs’ Mineola home. The family has two living rooms, and Briggs uses the larger one as the Moms in Need room, where donations are stored and organized.
The organization distributes formula, diapers, wipes and other baby essentials. Depending on what has been donated, mothers may also receive larger items such as car seats, cribs and strollers.
Clothing ranges from preemie sizes through adult plus sizes. Moms in Need also provides shoes for babies, children and adults, along with household items.
Briggs said the organization serves mothers facing a wide range of circumstances, including women who are starting over and those facing unplanned pregnancies.
Whatever brings a mother to Moms in Need, Briggs said one of the organization’s goals is to give her a place to ask for help without fear of judgment.
“Basically, we just make sure they know that they’re not alone and that they’re heard, and we don’t judge,” Briggs said.
She said conversations with mothers seeking help are kept confidential.
Support near and far
Although Moms in Need generally serves families within about a 50-mile radius, the organization’s reach has extended much farther.
Briggs said Moms in Need has shipped items to mothers in Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio and Georgia. Shipping is only possible when the organization has funds available or when someone specifically donates money to cover the expense.
The organization is supported primarily through donations and occasional fundraisers. Briggs said Moms in Need has held a bake sale, but monetary donations are relatively rare.
Donation boxes have been placed in several communities. Locally, Briggs said items can be dropped off at the Quitman Public Library and at The Barnyard, Cafe U and Adventure Zone in Mineola. Donation boxes are also located in Tyler.
Briggs has help from two volunteers, Madison Terriere and Sayla Smith, who are mothers themselves. Smith has a 4-year-old and an almost 1-year-old, while Terriere has a 2-year-old. Combined with Briggs’ two children, the women can have five young children with them while working on Moms in Need.
Briggs said she had no expectation that the effort she started on Facebook would grow to its current size.
“Absolutely not. I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” she said.
As the organization has grown, it has also begun making connections with other community resources. Briggs said Moms in Need recently participated in an event at the WIC office for Breastfeeding Month after being invited to attend.
She said the WIC office also refers local mothers to Moms in Need when they need assistance.
Building a community for moms
The nonprofit’s work goes beyond distributing donated goods.
Moms in Need holds a Moms Night Out once a month, bringing mothers from different communities together at area restaurants. Participants pay for their own meals, but the gatherings give mothers an opportunity to spend time with others who may be going through similar stages of life.
Moms in Needs hosts a monthly get together where moms can meet up for dinner and network.
Moms in Need also holds giveaways that operate much like free yard sales. Briggs said the organization puts out food and other donated items for mothers and families to take at no cost.
After trying to hold one of the giveaways during the summer heat, Briggs said the events will resume in October when temperatures are cooler.
Looking toward the future
For now, the nonprofit continues to operate from Briggs’ home, but she hopes that will not always be the case.
Briggs said her long-term goal is to find a storefront where Moms in Need could open its doors and allow women to select the items they need.
“It might take a couple years, but we hopefully plan to get a storefront of some sort,” Briggs said.
She said the goal would be “to be able to open the doors and let them come in and shop of what they need.”
Briggs is also interested in finding additional volunteers, although she said it can be difficult to find people who have the time to commit.
Despite the amount of work involved, Briggs said she plans to continue.
“It’s just where my heart is,” Briggs said. “Once I started doing it, and I started to hear some of their stories, something landed on my heart that I needed to continue doing it and let it grow.”
Those interested in donating or volunteering can reach Moms in Need through its Facebook page or by email at momsinneed20205@gmail.com.