Motherhood has become more challenging as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. A recent Canadian study from Lancet Psychiatry specifically looks at the effects of COVID-19 on women’s experiences as mothers. However, this study did not analyze the pandemic’s effects on males as fathers so that it could fully focus on the woman’s experience. The study reveals that “Mothers who experienced disruptions in income or employment, faced challenges balancing home schooling with work responsibilities, or had difficulty obtaining childcare had greater increases in depression and anxiety symptoms.”

A similar study conducted by the Canadian Women’s Foundation reports that “Three in five mothers wish they could make their mental health more of a priority, but half (47 percent) are unable to prioritize taking care of themselves.”

From the above studies, it’s clear that the COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges and worsened existing challenges for mothers. However, these challenges are not entirely new for a local Calgary charity who has spent a little over a decade helping mothers and families with these very same crises. Made by Momma is a non-profit charity that started in 2009 with a goal to provide a support network for mothers and families who are undergoing short term crises.

A way in which Made by Momma provides support is through their meals programs. The first is a general Meals Program that serves pre-cooked and packaged meals to mothers and their families who may not have the resources or time to prepare food. Second is the NICU Family Meals Program. It provides meals specifically to parents and their families who may be stuck in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). These two programs have been in high demand within the community over the last couple of years and are the focus of this story.

The charity has other initiatives like the Baby & Family Essentials and In-Home Support Programs. More information on these programs can be found on Made by Momma’s website.

Below is a list of a few, but not limited to, situations that Made by Momma helps individuals with:

• Pregnant and parenting teen mothers. 
• Mothers struggling with postpartum depression. 
• Families whose children have severe childhood illness or special needs. 
• The hospitalization of a child or parent. 
• Mother and children who have left a situation of abuse. 
• Loss of job and families struggling financially. 

Source.

I had the privilege to work with Made by Momma over the last two and a half months. For this project I decided to focus on the charity’s meals programs and the impact that they make within the community.

The following video takes a deeper look at the work the goes into making Made by Momma’s NICU Family Meals Program possible.

I had the opportunity to interview a mother who benefitted from Made by Momma’s NICU Family Meals Program. Her name is Jena Nakamura. She shares how the charity helped her when she was in the NICU.

The following video showcases some of the messages that volunteers would like people to know about what its like volunteering at Made by Momma.

This final piece is an audio reflection that describes what I learned from this project and what I hope this project can achieve for Made by Momma and the community at large.