In her 25-year career as a social worker, Jamie Lackey saw families in dire circumstances. But the one that struck her the most deeply was seeing moms washing used disposable diapers because they couldn’t afford to buy fresh ones.
“They didn’t have any resources for diapers, wipes, baby clothes – the most expensive things parents need to have,” said Lackey. “And there was no public assistance or coordinated effort to help them.”
That realization moved the Snellville mom to start collecting baby items in her garage and provided the inspiration to found Helping Mamas, a nonprofit supporting families who need help securing critical supplies for their children from birth through age 12. In the 10 years since the organization launched, it has broadened the scope of its supplies to include period products and has established a mobile delivery program that takes all the supplies to schools, libraries and churches for distribution to those in need.
Two years after the nonprofit began in 2014, Lackey made it her full-time job. The opportunity was bolstered by Helping Mamas winning the first $20,000 Spark Prize presented by the United Way of Greater Atlanta to support its efforts to become “the food bank of baby supplies.”
“And we haven’t looked back since,” said Lackey. “We got our first 2,500-square-foot warehouse in 2016, and by 2018, we moved to a 9,000-square-foot-plus space in Norcross.”
That space is filled through community supply drives, corporate hygiene products drives and individual donations. Lackey can also buy some bulk supplies at reduced rates. During National Diaper Awareness Week beginning Sept. 23, local teams will have collection competitions to keep the shelves stocked.
Another milestone came during COVID-19, said Lackey. “There was an instant need overnight, and we had to ramp up to get out as many products as we could. That’s when we got vans and started doing distributions in the community where people may not have qualified for services but had emergency needs.”
The community distributions also helped Helping Mamas grow; it now works across the state and in Knoxville with more than 150 partner organizations to get the supplies where they’re most needed.
“Right now, one in two families cannot afford to buy a box of diapers,” said Lackey. “We’re proud to say that over the course of 10 years, we’ve distributed more than 10 million supplies. Last year alone, we served 95,483 individuals with 3.2 million essential items. It’s still a huge issue, and the need has never stopped.”
Information about Helping Mamas is online at helpingmamas.org.
DOING GOOD
Who’s doing good? Each week, we highlight a deserving individual, charity or event such as a fun-run, volunteer project and other community gathering that benefits a good cause. To suggest a story, please email hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 770-744-3042.
HELP US CELEBRATE EVERYDAY HEROES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is looking for inspiring Georgians – “Everyday Heroes” – who are making a difference, big or small, in their communities.
Do you know someone who is going above and beyond to help others? Someone helping transform their community? Someone whose acts of kindness bring out the best in all of us?
We’d like to hear from you – give us your ideas so we can all celebrate these extraordinary Georgians.
Please submit your nominations via email to Nicole.Williams@AJC.com.
About the Author
