Mother to Mother still offers help to young families

Wilma Leach, left, director of Mother to Mother Ministry, and her assistant, Amanda Gilmore, are pictured with some of the children’s items available at the local assistance organization.

A local nonprofit organization recently held an open house to highlight a new service.

Mother to Mother Ministry, located at 728 S. Heylman, has helped mothers and families facing various needs since 1998. The organization hosted an open house Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 to showcase its services.

The ministry is run by Wilma Leach, director, with help from Amanda Gilmore, an assistant and community relations representative.

The ministry helps local mothers and families on limited incomes by providing needed items such as baby supplies, children’s clothes and cleaning supplies, as well as services that include counseling and support to victims of domestic violence, parenting support and household management.

“We have about 10 to 15 people per day in here,” Gilmore said.

Gilmore said the facility offers “birth to adult-size clothing.” Childcare is available but reservations are required.

“It’s a sharing closet where people give and receive,” she said.

The organization receives most of its funding from donations, receives support from the United Way and has received grant assistance in the past. Gilmore said the organization is slated to receive funding from the United Way in 2018.

“We get donations from patrons, as well as support through local churches,” Gilmore said.

The facility will begin hosting gatherings for mothers and caregivers, called Heart to Heart, starting Jan. 2. The meetings will be held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Discussion will be centered around assistance for families.

“It’s an opportunity to network, socialize and learn,” Gilmore said. “We’re putting them in touch with the right resources.”

A video-based program called Love and Logic is used to teach classes aimed at helping parents work with their children.

Leach has contemplated retirement at different points over the years, leaving the organization’s future unclear. But it has kept going since its inception in 1998, when Leach acquired a grant from Catherine’s Legacy of the Sisters of Mercy.

When it began, Mother to Mother’s mission was to mentor and provide friendship to single mothers and parents of various ages in Bourbon County.

In 2013, the organization moved to its current location from its previous home in Memorial Hall. The current facility once operated as Fort Scott Youth Home, Inc.