Mamas Black Swan Gala Auction

Did you know over 500 mamas a month in our community don’t have enough money to feed their children nourishing food, provide shoes and clothing for their little ones and many struggle to just keep a roof over their heads? Many of these mamas have experienced trauma in their lives, some may be trying to remove themselves from an abusive relationship, some have fallen on hard times. We have all experienced disappointment and struggle in our lives, Mamas for Mamas has been supporting these mamas during their lowest lows, changing the landscape of poverty by giving a hand up, not a hand out. Today you can assist us in giving a "hand up" by participating in our online auction. All of these generously donated items will allow for us to continue to support mamas and their children by removing socioeconomic barriers, leaving no mama and child behind.

Mamas for Mamas is a national charitable organization that supports mothers in crisis, and provides ongoing support to low income Mamas and their kids. Our mission is to change the landscape of poverty through innovative approaches to financial barriers faced by struggling families; we envision a future where no Mama or child is left behind. The most recent statistics from Statistics Canada (2014) paint a stark picture: 1 in 5 BC children are poor. Fifty percent of BC children being raised by single parents are poor and single mothers are going hungry to feed their children (BC Child Poverty Report Card, 2016). We are actively engaged with the development of a poverty reduction plan with representatives of Kelowna, The Central Okanagan and the province of BC. With the ongoing support of our community, we can change these heartbreaking statistics and ultimately start to change the landscape of poverty in our home communities.

We provide a space where our Mamas and their kids feel safe and comfortable when they come in for poverty relief support, we refer to any and all existing community programs when available and fill the gaps in service when the need is higher than the resources available. Unfortunately, this is often the case as evidenced by the need for our rapid program development. We offer a beautiful Karma Market where struggling Mamas and kids can access anything they need at no cost, the only currency we request is kindness to your fellow Mama. In our Karma market, we provide clothing, shoes, seasonal wear and through our intake process Mamas can also access formula, diapers, baby furniture and gear. We also offer individualized help navigating the available resources for food security, affordable housing, education and access to our in-house mental health team where counselling is available at no cost for those who qualify.

It’s hard enough being a parent without the stress of clothing or food insecurity, lack of appropriate mental health care and everything else that can easily fall through the cracks in our busy society. Mamas for Mamas is there for those parents who need help navigating eligible resources, applying for social supports, and getting direct intake support while joining this Mamas community that truly looks after each other.