A Burnaby mom wants to raise $3,000 to support mothers who need a helping hand this Christmas.
For the last four years, Jodelene Weir has been the administrator of the Burnaby Mommy Group on Facebook.
The page, home to more than 2,400 members, has a lot of moms who are new immigrants, are in abusive situations or have children with physical, mental and health challenges and require a little help, she told the NOW.
As a way to give back, Weir launched a hamper program on Nov. 23, with a goal to raise enough money to support 15 families in the Facebook group. She wants to give each recipient $200 in grocery gift cards.
“A couple of months ago, one of the moms messaged me and she couldn’t afford to feed her family. She needed help trying to get connected to the food bank, and so I was thinking how hard it would be to have that situation around Christmastime,” said Weir. “I’m a single mom, too, so I can relate to a lot of the single moms who are struggling in the group.”
The GoFundMe page has raised $2,620 so far, with the majority of donations coming from the Burnaby Mommy Group ($980 was raised in first three days). There’s also been 124 pledges of gifts – items like clothing, baby items, and toys – that each family has requested.
Weir also reached out to businesses in the Lower Mainland for additional support and was contacted by iMeal, a meal-kit delivery service in Vancouver. The company will be donating $400 worth of meal kits to one of the families.
She hopes, by getting the word out, she’ll be able to reach her $3,000 target. She said, however, even if she hits her goal, there are still more needy families than donors.
The Facebook group is more than just a social media platform, according to Weir. It’s a space mothers can connect in, where they seek advice and ask questions – everything from, “Where do I find a daycare?” to “Which restaurants are kid-friendly?”
“I’ve had single mothers post, ‘I don’t have a car, I need some milk, here’s my address.’ And I’ll have like 15 moms be like, ‘I’ll help you out.’ It’s really neat,” explained Weir. “Even the emotional support, those are the biggest posts. There’s a lady going through a separation because her husband cheated on her, and she needs emotional support. Within 10 minutes, there were 50 comments.”
The group is open to any moms (or grandmothers) in the Lower Mainland. Weir noted, however, that the majority of the posts are Burnaby related.
To donate to the hamper program, visit gofundme.com/burnabymommygroup. To join, search Burnaby Mommy Group on Facebook.
