OUR GOAL $30,000
GIFTING 300 WORKING SINGLE MOMS
Last day to nominate a mom for 2024 is December 15th.
DONATIONS RECEIVED AFTER DECEMBER 17, 2023 MAY BE APPLIED TOWARDS FUTURE PROJECTS AND EXPERIENCES TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION.
Our Story
Adopt A Single Mom for Christmas was inspired by Founder, Donna Nelson’s lived experience as a working single mom; solo parenting two boys. She was inspired by the idea that lots of single moms are often spending Christmas alone with her children and not having gifts for herself to open on Christmas morning. Recognizing the huge need in her own community of Northeastern Pennsylvania, she birthed the Christmas program specifically for working single moms in her area who fall into this invisible gap.
Plenty of single moms in this ‘gap’ are the ones who are often raising their children alone lacking a meaningful support system and typically make too much money to qualify for any community assistance programs that have an income guideline requirement. Plenty of them live paycheck to paycheck and often lack the resources for financial stability, especially during the holidays and winter when household budgets get hit the hardest.
The most significant gap for working single moms is a meaningful social and emotional support system. They lack this safe haven of a village, a sisterhood, a place to be understood. A place of like-minded women experiencing the same journey. A place to be mentored and encouraged through difficult life experiences only a single mom knows.
They are the families overlooked as needing support by the community because they are high-functioning and often self-sufficient.
She is the single mom who shows up to work with a smile on her face hoping the school doesn’t call to come pick up a sick kid because she can’t afford to lose time off work.
She often suffers in silence from loneliness and depression because she doesn’t have the connections and social outlets that other moms have with more family and financial resources.
Did you know single moms rarely have gifts for themselves to open on Christmas morning?
Why We Need Your Help
The number of single mom families in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
12,383 of them are in the GAP above poverty level with a average median income of $27,513.
THESE MOMS OFTEN ARE INVISIBLE AND FALL OFF THE RADAR OF THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY DON’T QUALIFY FOR MANY, IF ANY, COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORT SERVICES AND SUBSIDY PROGRAMS THAT ARE INCOME BASED.
THEY GO UNNOTICED AS NEEDING SUPPORT BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO WORK, TAKING CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN, AND FOLLOWING ALL THE RULES TO KEEP UP WITH THE DAY-TO-DAY DEMANDS OF LIFE.
DID YOU KNOW?
Single moms will skip paying their household bills to buy Christmas gifts for her kids.
I know this mom’s profile all too well because it was me. Living just above broke, and overcompensating with my boys to make up for the lack in other areas of their life.
Single moms often sacrifice their own health and self-care because they lack meaningful support in the area of time, money, and caregivers to take the time for her well-being.
These are the moms who are the over-givers and very often will become sick because of chronic stress and worry, and her self-care coming last.
She’s often living paycheck to paycheck. Any kind of out of the ordinary expense creates a financial hardship. The car breaks down; unexpected illness and missed time from work; layoff from business relocation or downsizing (it happened to me), death of a spouse or child leaving her with expenses and loss of income (yup, my youngest son died at 3 years old); divorce and absentee fathers (yup! x2 on the deadbeat dads for me).
They tell their kids NO way too often for things that are really common for most other kids like field trips, seeing the latest and greatest movie, hitting the McDonald’s drive thru just for fun or because mom is too exhausted to cook, sports activities because they are too expensive…or they rely on grandparents to cover these “extras”.
This occurs in part because often family is far away or not available to help take the edge off with taking the kids for a few hours or a few days – leaving moms always in on-mode, playing referee for sibling disputes, and chronic caregiver.
Often she can’t afford a babysitter to get time away to relax and reboot, or worse she feels guilty and undeserving.
How We’re Making a Difference
It is our hope and vision that our small contribution will express to these moms they are not forgotten, they are valued and supported. That they in fact are not invisible – we see them, we understand, and we care.
As women and important contributors to our society, we want to give them a nudge of encouragement, and hope they feel inspired to keep going and being the best they can – and when they can, they’ll pass it on…and with that, we have started an important shift in connection with humanity that will change our community in countless ways.
To honor these working single moms during this season of love and giving we are collecting monetary donations to buy those who live in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Wyoming, Pike, Susquehanna, and Wayne County special gifts just for HER to open on Christmas Day.
$100 allows us to provide a variety gifts, especially for mom this Christmas.
You can donate any amount.
Our Volunteers
Be Part of Something AWESOME!
Whether you refer a single mom or make a financial contribution – you are helping improve the quality of life for someone in our community. When quality of life for our community members increases, so does the quality of our community.
Not only will you feel awesome for giving, but also, knowing you are making a positive impact in someone’s life, and collectively we experience the far reaching benefits for our community.
How You Can Help
Donations can be mailed to:
Donna Nelson c/o AASM
PO Box 338
Mountain Top, PA 18707
Make checks payable to:
ADOPT A SINGLE MOM PROJECT
Adopt A Single Mom Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (Tax ID: 82-5027338) under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Contact Us
To learn more about being a sponsor or community contributor, making an in-kind donation, volunteering or learning more about this project and how you or your organization can get involved, send a message below.