A Mother for All Mothers

What inspired MINO? How did it begin?

I got the inspiration for MINO in March of 2004 while attending a spiritual gifts class at my church. A clearly distraught woman stood up and revealed that she had just found out that she was expecting triplets. Having had six children of my own (one at a time, THANK GOD!), I could relate to the financial and emotional stress of having a large family! I could not stop thinking about this poor woman and was praying about how I might be able to help her. MINO was the answer to that prayer, not only for this woman, but for other women in our church who suddenly found themselves widowed, divorced, critically ill, or unemployed. I gathered fourteen women from our church, and together we made meals, collected baby items, babysat... whatever we could do to be a blessing to those struggling in our church family! We did that for a while, and then one day, I got a call from a mom in the city who had heard about our group and asked if we might be willing to help her. That day we branched out and started helping moms in the city of Rochester. I ran the ministry out of my garage for a couple of years, loading my car with supplies and delivering them to moms across the city. But word spread fast, and the ministry GREW! In 2006, I partnered with a non-profit called Project URGE and began making contacts with other agencies and churches who worked with families in crisis. The ministry became too big to do home deliveries anymore, so we rented a space and set up a process where the case managers came to pick up and deliver the items to their clients. In doing so, we were able to maintain the privacy of the moms and take the stress off of them in having to find childcare and transportation to pick up the items themselves.

What is MINO's mission?

The mission of MINO is three-fold:

1) We assist agencies and churches in meeting the families' needs in their care.

2) We care for the environment by offering people a means to recycle their gently used baby items by giving them to our neighbors in need.

3) We provide a caring, supportive environment where case managers, church leaders, and volunteers can come to be encouraged and supported in their efforts to serve the community!

Can you tell me about the work your organization does in the community? Who do you serve?

Any case manager, church outreach staff person, or ministry leader is welcome to come to our facility by appointment to pick up baby items, personal and feminine hygiene products, and cleaning supplies free of charge for the families in their care. We are an emergency assistance program providing short term care for a maximum of three times per family and up to four families per case manager per visit. The families they work with are under-resourced families experiencing a crisis: Many were homeless and have recently placed in permanent housing. Some have experienced some physical or emotional trauma, house fire, the sudden death of a spouse, domestic violence, etc. We also provide a "safe space" for case managers and church staff to feel listened to, grab a snack, and emotionally refuel for the rest of their day! They are our "Angels in the Field". We want them to know that they are valued and respected for who they are and what they do for this community!

How has MINO grown and changed over time?

As a ministry, we have tried very hard to make adjustments and accommodations as circumstances and needs have changed over the years. When the ministry became too large to do home deliveries, we rented a space and requested that case managers come to us to pick up and deliver the items for their clients. As the babies grew, their needs have changed. They went from needing pack n' plays and cribs to toddler and twin beds and dressers, and eventually, we found ourselves running a furniture ministry (Furnished 4 Life) to meet those needs), which we did for five years. When the government shutdown occurred last year, we did a food drive to meet those needs and temporarily distributed food items until their benefits restored. This year, it was COVID! When the pandemic hit, we were cleaned out of many items in just two weeks! We needed to shut down for a couple of months to restock and restructure our distribution. We devised a safe, socially distant process for dropping off and picking up donated goods.

And thanks to some very generous individuals who donated to our ministry, we were up and running again in just a couple of months! We now serve almost 100 agencies and churches, a distribution list of 308 case managers who utilize our ministry, and a staff of eight volunteers who help us clean, sort, and make bags of supplies for pick up. And we're STILL growing!!!

How do you define motherhood?

I tell everyone that "motherhood" looks different in every home these days! We have a very loose definition of "motherhood." Our definition includes teen moms and dads, single moms and dads, seasoned moms with grown children, foster parents, grandparents raising their grandchildren, the homeless or in drug rehabs, and friends and relatives raising children for incarcerated friends or family. No matter what these individuals might be struggling with, whether they have physical, mental, and/or emotional challenges or addictions, we pass no judgment! We are here to help!

What differentiates MINO from other organizations?

MINO is different in that we have no clients of our own. We exist solely to assist other programs (agencies and churches) in meeting the needs of the families they serve! There is no fee for the services we provide! We operate on monetary and in-kind donations from the public, churches, community service organizations, and grants. We also make it our mission to help those who help others. We want everyone we work with who has chosen to devote their lives to working with families in crisis, to feel appreciated, valued, and cared for themselves!

What is the greatest lesson you've learned so far in the past 16 years of leading MINO?

The greatest lesson I've learned in running this ministry all of these years is that we ALL have the capacity to be a blessing to others! We all have SOMETHING to give! Whether that be sharing our time, talents, or things with someone in need! It doesn't even have to involve money! It might be something you are no longer using! If your child has outgrown their car seat or stroller or if your baby has just switched over to whole milk and you have unopened, unexpired cans of formula that you are not going to use, those items would be such a gift to families in a financial crisis! For example, maybe your gift is sewing! We are not able to take used baby clothes at this time due to the virus. But some brand new sewn baby clothes in sizes newborn- 5T would help a mother to dress her child. Or perhaps you have some time available and would like to collect some donations from your neighbors or co-workers and deliver them to our distribution center. You would be helping us to help others struggling through some tough times!

What is your vision for the future?

My dream for MINO is to see this expand to the point where we become a major distributor of baby care items and basic necessities to social service agencies and churches in Monroe county. I would love to see this operation housed within a complex with other programs (Housing, health care, employment, education, food, clothing, and basic necessities) collaborating with one another to help under-resourced individuals work their way out of poverty.

How can people support your operations?

If you would like to contribute to Mothers In Need of Others, we are accepting financial donations on the Project URGE website on their PayPal account or checks can be made out to: "Project URGE, Inc. with "MINO ministry" written on the memo line. We are also in need of donations of the following items:

Baby Gear: car seats, strollers, pack n plays, high chairs, baby gates, potty chairs, baby bathtubs.

Baby Care Items: Baby Shampoo, baby wash, baby lotion, diaper cream, formula, wipes, diapers (partial packages accepted)

Cleaning Products: (New & unopened) All-purpose cleaner, bleach, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, sponges

Feminine Products: Pads, tampons, nursing pads (boxes can be open if the product wrapped individually)

Personal Hygiene Products: (New & unopened) Soap, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste,

deodorant, razors

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