Organization provides shelter for mother

Delta Digital News Service

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Mama 2 Mama, a new nonprofit organization in Jonesboro, recently celebrated their one year anniversary. They were officially established in 2023 on International Women’s Day, March 8. 

Mama 2 Mama provides services, advice, and connection for mothers, especially those who struggle financially. They also host a podcast in which they discuss the struggles of motherhood and promote resources for mothers.

“Mama 2 Mama was established to lift the physical, psychological, and financial wellbeings of mothers,” said Brionna Palmer, the executive director. “Regardless of their hardship, we are aiming to help with their development and create a path to motherhood success. We want to lift those barriers and be able to provide services and supplies for immediate and long-term needs.”

Currently, Mama 2 Mama has a diaper assistance program and a rapid rehousing rental assistance program. The diaper assistance program provides free diapers to those who need them, and the rehousing assistance helps to get struggling mothers a place to live.

The diaper assistance program began as a diaper drive in which they collected donations to provide free diapers to the local community, which they still do frequently. Palmer wanted to not only alleviate the need, but also spread awareness about it.

According to Palmer, one in two U.S. families struggle to afford diapers. The cost of diapers has increased from $80 to $100 per month for most families. She wants to eventually be able to provide enough diapers for up to three months at a time for each family that needs it.

At their most recent diaper drive on March 30, they were able to provide diapers for over 66 families. Altogether, from their first diaper drive, they have been able to serve 154 families.

Their rehousing assistance program aims to help mothers get their own place to live. Most of their participants rent, not own, so it can sometimes be a struggle to stay stably housed, especially considering inflation. 

“It’s always a mother’s dream to have a room set aside and decorate it for her child,” Palmer said.

The program provides the deposit and the first month’s rent to allow the mother to find her bearings. It’s a very new program, so they’ve only had one beneficiary so far. The mother, who has three children, was staying with a relative. Mama 2 Mama partnered with Cox-Wortham Real Estate to help her find affordable housing.

“Staying on someone’s couch was not appropriate for her family,” Palmer stated. 

Mama 2 Mama started out with a podcast, of which they still periodically release episodes. Palmer launched the podcast with her cohost and current business partner, Jada Alloway. They collaborated with KLEK, a local radio station. 

“We just started inviting other local business owners, entrepreneurs, women, mothers that are out serving the community of Northeast Arkansas,” Palmer said. “We just bring them all to uplift and encourage other mothers that it is possible to obtain your dreams and be around like minded women, individuals in Jonesboro and other counties as well.”

On the podcasts, they typically discuss the daily life of being a mother, their dreams, their faith, ways to network, and their upcoming events. They also bring awareness to other organizations, businesses, and resources for mothers.

Palmer was inspired to start Mama 2 Mama because she was feeling overwhelmed herself due to her career and her job as a mother. Palmer previously worked for another nonprofit organization at which she began to feel overloaded.

“I just felt like I was limited to the resources here,” Palmer said. “I started doing some research and trying to find some mom groups and some organizations that help mothers…I saw that there wasn’t too many.”

From here, she branched out and researched the diaper need as well. She realized that this was something she could do herself; she had the skills from her previous job and didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t found her own organization for mothers.

She wanted for mothers like her to feel connected and appreciated, regardless of their financial situation or employment status. As a mother, she knows that motherhood is a full-time job in itself. Her goal is to help mothers reach their best life.

Currently, Mama 2 Mama is funded primarily by banks and other local businesses and organizations that engage in community reinvestment. They haven’t received any grants as of yet, but hope to soon and are preparing to be grant-ready.

Palmer’s future vision for Mama 2 Mama is to have their own facility, which will be called a “community hub.” She wants to offer childbirth education, therapy and counseling services especially for postpartum depression, financial literacy courses, and a computer lab for mothers to do research and apply for jobs.

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Note: Featured image shows Jada Alloway (left) and Brionna Palmer (right).