As families across central Ohio treat their moms to brunch on Mother’s Day, a group of volunteers making sure mothers facing homelessness, often invisible to society, are not left out of the celebration.
On what could have otherwise been a day of difficulty or heartbreak for these mothers, two central Ohio women — and moms themselves — raised funds and organized a brunch with the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless.
Celebrating its 25th year of serving mothers facing homelessness in central Ohio, the event served all-you-can-eat pancakes through Katie’s Pancakes to several sites that served homeless families on May 10 and 11.
The coalition’s executive director, Ben Sears, noted that while the coalition has been involved for years, it serves in a supportive role, and volunteer event co-chairs Kathleen Buchen-Barbara and Janet Forrest did all the hard work.
“We’re just a supportive agency for this community of volunteer groups that really cares about making sure that mothers experiencing homelessness can enjoy a special day,” Sears said.
“Being a mother and experiencing homelessness and being in the shelters or out in the community without a home, I think the most stressful part has to be caring for your children.”
The team of what Buchen-Barbara calls “a group of volunteer women and a few guys” also put together 300 pink backpacks to hand out to the mothers. Inside, they filled the bags with flip-flops, sunscreen, nail-care tools, a pack of essential hygiene items, gently used jewelry and more.
The group also passed out flowers donated from Market Blooms, and Forrest explained she usually gives the stems to children in attendance to give to their mothers.
“We see joy,” Forrest said of the annual event.
“These folks have minimal resources. They have minimal possessions, and for them to be able to give a flower to their mom on Mother’s Day, they just light up.”
Primarily funded by donations, the group asked for any interested community members to donate by searching “25th Annual Mother’s Day Brunch for Homeless Moms” on GoFundMe.
Buchen-Barbara said Forrest led a group that sewed coin purses to include with the treats, and the group put a dollar in each one.
“These moms are so deserving — that we bring the Mother’s Day brunch to — they’re just really deserving. They’re resilient. They’re strong and had lots of barriers and obstacles, so it’s really a joy for us to do this,” Buchen-Barbara said.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but I can’t imagine any other way to celebrate Mother’s Day.”
A legacy of families serving families
Donating to the families has become a habit for the volunteers.
Forrest said she first became involved roughly 10 years ago, when her daughter-in-law asked her to join the group.
“It has kind of been passed on through the generations,” Forrest said.
“I dedicate this to my mother. She would’ve loved this. She was a very generous and giving person, and she passed some 15 years ago, but she would’ve absolutely loved this project, and she would’ve been right there helping as much as she could.”
Having participated in the event for what she estimated was over 15 years, Buchen-Barbara said her husband and son typically help volunteer throughout the weekend, and the team compiled the 300 backpacks in Buchen-Barbara’s garage the Thursday before Mother’s Day.
The team spent May 10 serving brunch and operating an arts and crafts table at the YWCA Family Center on Harvey Court and transitioned to spending the afternoon with women at the Compassion Outreach Ministries of Ohio women’s respite and drop-in center on Sullivant Avenue.
On Mother’s Day, the group set up to serve the pancake breakfast to both women and families at the Van Buren Center, an emergency shelter operated by the YMCA of Central Ohio.
The group also planned to donate backpacks to Star House, a drop-in center for homeless youth.
Amid the brunch celebration, Sears added that there is currently a huge need for resources and affordable housing for many families as facilities have been operating beyond capacity for years.
“There’s multiple reasons why people end up in the shelter, and it doesn’t mean that they’re still not a mom, and it still doesn’t mean that they’re still not daughters to somebody,” Forrest said.
“They should not be a forgotten group.”
This article was made possible by support from the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation, which has partnered with The Columbus Dispatch to profile those making our community a better place. Help us inspire kindness by suggesting people, initiatives, or organizations for Reporter Sophia Veneziano to profile. She can be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com. Learn more at Dispatch.com/Kindness. The Dispatch retains full editorial independence for all content.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pancakes with a purpose: Volunteers bring Mother’s Day brunch to homeless moms
Reporting by Sophia Veneziano, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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