Mighty Moms began with founders Dawn Birdsong, Beth McCormick, and Donise Shipley, who held weekly prayer groups for their kids back in 2010. When a child named Hope attended the prayer group one week, the founders noticed that other children in the neighborhood were often asking her for snacks and food. What started as an extension of the prayer group quickly grew into carrying a red wheelbarrow filled with water bottles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and goldfish crackers through the neighborhood for any child in need.
"At that point we were like 'okay, we have to do something,'" Beth McCormick said. "There was a need and so we were just really obedient to seeing that there was a need and what could we do."
Eventually, the founders asked themselves, "How can we reach more children?" and began the process of getting involved with the local school system. When they brought the idea of Mighty Moms and the good the organization could do for children across the parish to Livingston Parish school system administrators, officials "were immediately on board with letting us do that," according to McCormick.
They started with three schools in the first year and quickly grew into the powerhouse nonprofit organization children and parents know and love today across Livingston Parish. From French Settlement High School to Albany Lower Elementary and several schools in between, Mighty Moms seeks to "fight the battle against childhood hunger in our local community" — and does so every day.
But Mighty Moms cannot do what it does without support from the community.
For the organization's 15th anniversary, Mighty Moms is holding a month-long birthday celebration to support its Full Tummy project, which provides much-needed meals to families and children at risk of hunger over holidays and weekends.
To fully fund next school year's Full Tummy project, which will feed more than 1,100 kids every week, Mighty Moms needs to raise $150,000 during its birthday celebration month. The first step toward that goal was a telethon held Thursday.
"It's a big, big wish... and I feel like it's doable," Birdsong said as the telethon got underway. "If a lot of people give a little, we got it."
To mark the occasion, an exclusive birthday card was drawn and designed by Mighty Moms card competition winner Tristan Kinchen of Albany High School. Steve Parrill of the NOLA Rugby Football Club served as master of ceremonies.
The telethon ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and was broadcast on the Mighty Moms Facebook page, giving families, organizations, businesses, and volunteers an opportunity to make a difference for children in the community.
Just 48 minutes in, donors had already raised more than $20,000, and the momentum kept building as members of local groups and volunteers streamed through the doors of Mighty Moms headquarters to donate or help answer calls.
Dawn Birdsong's husband donated $3,000 and pledged to match the next $3,000 donated within 30 minutes, a gesture that illustrated the selfless commitment of those closest to the organization.
Debbie Brock of the Feeding Young Minds group also attended and spoke about the work she and her volunteers do for the community. Feeding Young Minds works alongside both Mighty Moms and the Livingston Parish Library System to give students a place to work on homework while having access to snacks and drinks after school. The group is one of several under the Mighty Moms umbrella, along with Full Tummy, Pantry, and Go Fresh, all working toward a single goal: providing meals and support to families and children who need it.
Sponsors, including the Denham Springs UPS Store, Oak Point Fresh Market, DEMCO, 2 Fish Foundation, Cooper Electric, and the One Point Five Foundation were recognized during the telethon for their monthly contributions, donating food, printing signs and pamphlets, and covering facility electricity and utility bills so Mighty Moms can stay focused on ending childhood hunger.
The telethon ended at 1 p.m. with $29,631 of the $150,000 goal raised. Donations and pledges are still being accepted by calling (225) 435-9195 or visiting the donation link.
