Women’s Lunch Place is offering to make this Mother’s Day a little brighter, while gathering much-needed funds to support meals for its guests.
Women’s Lunch Place, a day shelter located on Newbury St. for women experiencing poverty and homelessness, provides women with freshly prepared meals, hot showers, laundry, and a place to nap.
Each year for the past ten years, Women’s Lunch Place has offered Mother’s Day cards with a design by one of its guests in the Creative Expressions program—all with a floral theme. For a $25 donation, cards can be sent to a recipient of your choice with a personalized handwritten message, and blank cards are also available.
“Each card supports one week of meals for guests,” said Chloe Kimball, Development Coordinator for Women’s Lunch Place. Another option is to sponsor a breakfast for $150 or lunch for $300 “in honor or memory of a meaningful person in your life,” according to the Women’s Lunch Place website.
This year’s design features a yellow background with a blue vase full of brightly colored flowers on long stems, drawn by guest Donna.
Kimball said that each card comes with the designer’s story printed on the back, so recipients can “hear who designed it and what struggles they’ve had to overcome.”
Kimball said that Donna had recently started coming to Women’s Lunch Place when she was staying in a nearby shelter and had heard about the healthy, fresh meals that Women’s Lunch Place provides.
She said that Donna became really involved in the Creative Expressions program, which gives women the opportunity to express themselves through things like art, painting, photography, and more. Donna is also part of the Women’s Lunch Place Women’s Chorus.
Each year, women in the Creative Expressions program are invited to submit a design for the Mother’s Day Cards. Kimball said that about 20 submissions were received this year, and the final decision is made by the Arts Director and some of Women’s Lunch Place’s administrative staff.
She said they look for a design that is “new and fun,” and while the design is floral themed, it doesn’t always have to include a vase full of flowers.
“Right now, this campaign is really important because a lot of our other fundraisers have been cancelled,” Kimball said. “It’s a great way for people to support us during these times.”
She said that implementing programs like these to do more outreach is imperative for Women’s Lunch Place to be able to continue to provide these important services to women experiencing homelessness.
Women’s Lunch Place continues to provide its healthy meals to guests, but it has switched from its typical sit down dining experience to a take-out meal process due to COVID-19.
“Each day we are providing a nutritious breakfast and lunch with extra snacks to sustain our guests,” the Women’s Lunch Place website states. “Toiletries, underwear and basic necessities are available. Our advocates are checking in with elderly and shut in guests and delivering pantry baskets of food and supplies.”
The deadline for ordering cards for delivery by Mother’s Day is May 4, but e-cards are also available. To place an order, visit womenslunchplace.org/mothers-day.