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Want to help moms in need this Mother's Day? Here are 5 ways to make a difference

Every mom deserves to feel supported and loved on Mother's Day. Here's how to help.
/ Source: TODAY

Mother's Day is the perfect time to let the moms (and other maternal figures!) in our lives know they are loved and appreciated. For some, though, the holiday can be a reminder that many women need extra support to raise their families.

We all can help. Here are a handful of ways to make a contribution that will help moms feel valued and supported on the upcoming holiday.

1. National Diaper Bank Network

Amid a national baby formula shortage, U.S. families also have experienced diaper scarcity partly due to pandemic-related financial losses.

Diapers aren’t just a mom’s problem, of course, but shortages can contribute to maternal depressive symptoms. According to 2017 research reported in the journal Health Equity, “Diaper need is a form of material hardship that has received little attention in the research literature. Diapers, unlike food, are currently not an allowable expense in U.S. antipoverty programs.”

Through the National Diaper Bank Network, which provides diapers to more than 254,000 children each month, people can host diaper drives, create fundraisers or volunteer at diaper banks.

“As we recognize and celebrate the contributions of moms in our daily lives this Mother’s Day, it’s particularly important to think about moms who are struggling to afford the material basic necessities that their babies require to thrive,” Troy Moore, the network's chief of external affairs, told TODAY Parents.

Closeup of women's hands clasped together
Help a mom feel loved and appreciated with these suggestions for helping women in need on Mother's Day.Getty Images

2. Save the Children

The global humanitarian organization Save the Children has ways to support moms, such as sending soap, towels and clothing to newborn babies, making donations in a mother’s name or helping to pay for the education of a young girl — which, according to the organization, can make her “more likely to avoid early marriage, delay childbirth and provide better nutrition, education and support for her family later in life.”

3. Good+Foundation

The Good+Foundation, founded by philanthropist and author Jessica Seinfeld, works to end generational family poverty by sending baby care essentials to families. People can make monetary gifts, donate new items (in their original packaging) or purchase pacifiers and other infant essentials from the organization’s New York or Los Angeles Amazon registries. While the donations benefit residents in those cities, Good+ chief executive officer Katherine Snider tells TODAY Parents, “We distribute goods that we get from corporate product donors nationally.”

4. Every Mother Counts

Founded by model Christy Turlington Burns in 2010, Every Mother Counts is a nonprofit organization that works to “make pregnancy and childbirth safe, equitable and respectful for all.”

Since the pandemic, Every Mother Counts has started initiatives like equipping and training doulas to give telehealth birth support and distributing at-home prenatal care kits that include home fetal dopplers, urine tests and blood pressure monitors, so women can communicate with medical professionals without entering a medical facility.

This year, the organization released a “Maternal Health Advocacy Toolkit” with advice like identifying opportunities and pointers for communicating with government leaders. You can also purchase unique Mother’s Day gifts from the organization’s website. "In honor of Mother's Day, from Friday May 6 through Sunday May 8, all donations are being matched, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, thanks to a generous anonymous donor,” Kate Varghese, communications director at EMC tells TODAY Parents.

5. Oxfam America

Humanitarian organization Oxfam America is collecting donations to support Ukrainian families amid the Russian conflict by delivering facilities to wash hands, use the toilet, shower and use clean water. Oxfam also is providing cash vouchers to families in need.

“Providing cash securely, in some cases via mobile phones, cuts out the shipping costs of delivering aid and reduces the chance of providing food or other goods not preferred by people we are trying to help,” an Oxfam spokesperson told TODAY.

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