By Mike Hazlip–
A local nonprofit organization held a drive-thru dinner and flower distribution on Saturday as a way to brighten the lives of single moms for Mother’s Day amid COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions.
The event was held in the parking lot of the Single Mom Strong Empowerment Center on Auburn Boulevard as a show of support for single moms who have been especially impacted during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Many of them haven’t left their homes in six to eight weeks,” said Tara Taylor, founder of Single Mom Strong, noting that many of the mothers her organization serves have had to fill multiple roles while staying home without support.
Saturday’s event featured tables and canopies set up in the organization’s parking lot, where vehicles were directed to three different stations. Moms had to register in advance to participate, with registration capped at 50 mothers, Taylor said.
Beginning at 4 p.m., vehicles arrived two or three at a time and Taylor greeted each driver at the first station with a smile and gift. Volunteers at each station handed out t-shirts, flowers, and box dinners for moms and their children, as a DJ pumped upbeat music from a van.
“Single moms have demonstrated great perseverance through this crisis, and they deserve a break,” Taylor said in an email newsletter announcing the event.
Single Mom Strong was founded by Taylor four years ago, with the goal of creating a community of support for single mothers. Last June, the organization moved to its current location in Citrus Heights, at 7525 Auburn Blvd.
“I raised my daughter as a single mom for the entire 18 years, on my own.” Taylor said. “We know it takes a village to raise a child; we’re the village in support of single moms.”
Despite the challenges of being a single mother, Taylor said her experience resulted in her and her daughter, Desiree, learning to work as a team. Taylor said she was also able to demonstrate perseverance and a strong work ethic for her daughter.
She earned an associate’s degree by taking one class at a time and studying after putting Desiree to bed. Now, her daughter attends the University of Nevada, Las Vegas studying kinesiology, according to the organization’s website.
Single Mom Strong is currently focused on helping working single parents during the COVID-19 crisis through a “Non-School Day Care” program. The organization also created what it calls Virtual Village events to keep the community connected.
“Our first action related to COVID-19 was a decision made in support of working single parents,” Taylor said in a newsletter update last week. “The day school districts declared their closure, we opened to care for children of single parents.”
Scholarships for the day care program are currently being offered for children of parents who are working in essential service fields. Additional information can be found at www.singlemomstrong.org.
