Mom’s House of Lancaster

Celebrate Life & Empower Single Parents through Education and Childcare

Archives for February 2016

Fight child Hunger – Feinstein Foundation Appeal

Every year Mom’s House of Lancaster has the opportunity to participate in the Feinstein Foundation’s Money for the Hungry event. In 1996 Alan Shawn Feinstein, the founder first sought out to eliminate hunger in Massachusetts public school, and has now expanded to a worldwide effort beyond public schools; but for many public services, like our very own Mom’s House! From March 1st through April 30th, for every dollar Mom’s House raises to alleviate hunger, the foundation will donate a portion of those funds back to Mom’s House to purchase nutritious meals for our children.

If you would like to help us in our Feinstein Appeal drive, note “Feinstein Appeal” on your next donation between March 1st through April 30th. That way children like Ayanna have a safe, loving place to grow, learn and have nutritious meals during the day, while her mommy attends school.






Mom’s House provides a second chance at success for single mothers with children 6 weeks old to 6 years old that knows the only way to break the cycle of poverty and be a positive influence for their young children is to invest in their education to become empowered and financially independent.

Mom’s House has a Hand Up rather than Hand Out support system. We support and encourage our parents to be effective parents, professionals and community members.

Since 1991 Mom’s House has helped 300 families break the cycle of poverty, all of which would not be possible without our donors and community.

We offer free childcare to 6 weeks through 6 year old to single parents as a necessary support tool for single parents to continue their education full time to find meaningful employment for their families future. We also aid the single parents with one on one counseling, tutoring, career planning and resource match ups throughout the county. Additionally we provide our parents with access to a food bank, clothing bank and computer stations so they can focus on achieving excellence. As a part of our program parents are expected to maintain good attendance, a GPA of 2.5 or better, attend a 1 hour Life Skills course held at Mom’s House weekly and complete 2 hours of community service a week. Our parents know they would not have the opportunities in front of them without our community so we work together to make sure they are paying it forward. The majority of our parents continue volunteering in the community after they graduate the program.

The Feinstein Appeal allows us to broaden our reach and get on the platform to say “we are doing great things in Lancaster County”. This year Mom’s House would like to raise $45,000.00 through the Feinstein Appeal. When you give during the Feinstein Appeal you are providing our infants, toddlers and preschoolers with the opportunity to have hot, nutritious fresh food so they can grow and learn.






Rachel is beating the odds and daughter has brighter future

My name is Rachel. I am a York College of Pennsylvania student enrolled in the nursing program which allows me to graduate in December of 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and an opportunity to sit for the NCLEX as a registered nurse. The program is very difficult, demanding, and extremely rewarding and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.

My daughter’s name is Juliette and she is 21 months old. When she and I joined Mom’s House she was just over a year old in August of 2014, as I had mentioned previously. I must say that Mom’s House has been an incredible blessing to us both, and became available to us at a time when we truly needed it most. My fiancé at the time had left us when I was about to begin school. Juliette and I had nothing. I wasn’t working because I was the one home with Juliette, I had no money of my own, and he had sold my car.

I ended up being homeless during this time, and I was facing the fact that I must quit my nursing career just as soon as I was slotted to begin my clinical rotation. I had worked very hard to get to that point in my educational journey, and as a new single and unemployed, homeless parent things were not looking very good for us. The very last thing I wanted to do was give up the education that I had already started because not only is it what I was meant to do, but I knew that I needed to finish for my daughter’s future.

Thankfully, as I had mentioned above, I was made aware of Mom’s House and scheduled a meeting as soon as possible. We were seen by the program director at the time and she had offered my daughter and me the chance to be a part of Mom’s House. This was an incredible blessing for not only us, but also for the rest of my family as they were trying very hard to help me juggle everything around for me to be able to return to school.

Everything has worked out so well, and everyone at Mom’s House has been wonderful to both me and my daughter. To think over a year ago, I fought to find where we were even going to sleep some nights. Truly I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you that made that possible.

I am so overjoyed that this program, has been made available to us, and I feel so blessed that our community cares about my daughter’s future as much as I do. I may not know or see any of the donors, but I do know that they are wonderful kind people. Their kindness not only provides our children with things we cannot provide but also it allows us to succeed in being better students, parents, and ultimately stronger and independent members of a thriving community. This has such a profound impact on each mother and their children, and allows us to experience what happens when a community comes together. I am incredibly excited that I have an opportunity as a current student nurse and a future registered nurse to serve and contribute to the community that is doing the same for me right now.

Mom’s House has come through for us at a time when we are in great need. I am so thankful for individuals, churches and business from our community for their efforts they do for us that we may not directly know about. The opportunity we are given by Mom’s House on a regular basis is wonderful and we are so thankful for it. Now having Mom’s House feels like an above and beyond gift for which I will continually be thankful! I wish there was more that I could do than just write my thanks to you. This is the smallest way that I can let people know how incredible Mom’s House is to us single parents, and that we appreciate all of the things this program provides to us.

Also another huge thank you goes to all donors for contributing to my opportunity to move forward in my educational journey. Giving my child a safe place to stay while I am at school, providing counseling, a study area and resource support eliminates that stress from me to help me focus on my finals, get good grades and give me a great advantage when applying for jobs after graduation. This means so much to me, and as I said already there are no words to accurately describe my gratitude and the feelings I am having now. Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone providing what we single parents could not have given to our children. I dream of when I can pay it forward to our community remembering everyone’s kindness.

Respectfully,

Rachel

Current Student, Future RN, Forever grateful Mother