Community Involvement
Mom to Mom
Mom to Mom members strive to help within their communities to make the world a safer, more peaceful, more tolerant place. We cook meals for the Ronald McDonald House the third Wednesday of every month and look for opportunities to teach our children civic responsibility by organizing playground clean ups and other activities throughout the year. We have annual traditions of baking (or buying) pumpkin pies for the Thanksgiving meal baskets given out by The Root Cellar in Portland and organizing a holiday gift drive for recently-arrived refugees. We also have opportunities to support others within our own Mom to Mom community through our members-only Care Committee, which provides meals for members who are in need of a little extra help due to a new baby, illness, surgery, or other family emergency.
Mom to Mom would not exist without members who are willing to volunteer their time and energy to run our non-profit organization. There are a wide range of volunteer opportunities available, which allow members to donate a little or a lot. We are always interested in having additional hosts for our morning Mommy and Me playgroups (known as our Member Coffees), our regional playgroups or our Mom's Night Out events. Members can also volunteer for specific events or fill one of the many positions that keep our organization running smoothly. We have forum moderators, event coordinators, Board of Directors positions, and much more. For more information and to find out about current or expected openings, please email our current leader at leader@momtomomofme.org.
Our Members
We are a very active community of moms, but there is no way that Mom to Mom can officially participate in all of the "good causes" that we'd like to support. However, our members are an amazing group of women who spend their time and money fighting for a better world. Our Board of Directors decided in 2010 that we'd like to provide a place for our members to share their causes, charity events, and special donation/fundraising requests. Any member can submit their event and we will highlight it on our website. We invite you to show your support for our members and any cause that is near and dear to your heart.
- Mom to Mom member, Jennifer Christensen, and the rest of our Mom to Mom family send our condolences to Laura Miller who lost her husband, Chris, after a brief illness on Feb. 7, 2012. Laura is a much loved teacher at the Jewish Community Alliance. The JCA has created a fund in Chris's memory to help Laura and their first child (due this Spring) during this time. All funds collected will be given to Laura to help her with whatever she needs in the coming months. Checks should be made out to the Jewish Community Alliance with a note in the memo field reading "Chris Miller Memorial Fund." Please mail checks to: JCA, 57 Ashmont Street, Portland, ME 04103.
- You may have heard recently about the famine crisis affecting 11 million people in the Horn of Africa region (Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and parts of Kenya). "Famine" is a word we haven't heard much of since the 1980s and "We Are The World." But today, the famine in Eastern Africa has become increasingly severe due to years of unrelenting drought and civil war. To see the desperate faces of these starving people, particularly the babies and children, is absolutely heart-wrenching. If you would like to help, please consider making a donation to one of these charities: UNICEF; Save the Children; World Vision; Oxfam International; International Rescue Committee; or your favorite humanitarian organization. Submitted by Mom to Mom member, Melanie Bond.
- Here's a deal that's too good to pass up: buy yourself some super-cute, inexpensive pajamas, and help hundreds of women and girls in India whose lives have been stolen by human traffickers. The International Princess Project "advocates for women enslaved in prostitution, helping them restore their lives and empowering them to live free." Punjammies, made from beautiful Indian sari fabric, are created by these women in an aftercare facility, giving them a fair wage and the opportunity to learn marketable skills and help rebuild their lives. Punjammies can be purchased online for $20–$35. Submitted by Mom to Mom member, Melanie Bond.
