With Mother’s Day otw and all the gift suggestions floating around and the pressure to have the perfect picture to post on insta next Sunday, we wanna be clear: what most mamas want is not complicated at all. Most of us just want to be able to care for our babies while living a flourishing life that fulfills us.
100 of our mamas told us what they would spend an extra $100 on this week - the biggest theme we saw emerge was paying bills, the second was buying groceries, then diapers and wipes, fourth was gas/transportation, and the last theme (not surprisingly! Moms always put their little ones first!) was self-care/rest/feeling human again. Many of our mamas mentioned paying a bill or doing something for their children first and if anything was leftover, trying to squeeze something in for themselves.
This Mother’s Day our goal is to raise $100 a day for the entire month of May! These responses solidified that care is not only about meeting basic needs but it’s also about making sure our mamas can celebrate their children, rest their bodies, indulge themselves, and experience small moments of joy without guilt. Which day will you take? Donate $100 via the link in our bio, venmo @thetenderfoundation , or DM us to claim a date!
You can give as little as $5 or sponsor an entire day by donating $100. Every dollar moves us closer to a day where a mom has what she needs. Give what you can and if you can’t - please share 💕
Where your donation goes. Last month, through our Dignity Fund, ten single mothers received direct cash support to help meet their families needs.
No complicated applications.
No endless hoops.
No telling mothers how they’re allowed to spend it.
Just trust.
Because the truth is, when families are navigating rising costs, childcare expenses, and the everyday realities of raising children, even a small amount of flexible support can make a real difference.
Groceries for the week.
Diapers for the baby.
Gas to get to work.
Keeping the lights on.
These are the kinds of decisions parents make every day.
Diaper need forces families to make impossible decisions. When diapers are running low, parents delay changes, trying to make what they have stretch just a little longer. Babies sit in wet or soiled diapers longer than necessary which increases the risk of rashes, infections, and discomfort. Because parents have no other choice, not because of a lack of care. And the impact doesn’t stop there. Most daycares require parents to provide diapers. Without them, children can’t attend. When children can’t attend daycare, parents miss work. When parents miss work, income is lost, making diapers even harder to afford. This is the cycle of diaper need. And it’s not a parenting failure, according to the National Diaper Bank Network, 50% of families in the US struggle to afford enough diapers to keep their babies clean, dry, and healthy at some point. At Tender, our Diaper Bank exists to interrupt this cycle.
This is why direct cash matters. Families don’t stop needing to eat just because our government fails us. The Bridge Program provides $375 a month for one full year — no strings attached — so mamas can meet their families’ needs when it actually matters.
Help us keep bridging the gap → link in bio.
We couldn't let the month of love end without showing some love to our village. These are the people who show up. Who leave diapers outside our mama’s doors. Donate cribs and strollers, donate dollars, volunteer at events, share resources, and say “you don’t have to do this all alone.” Tag someone you’d build a village with.
If you had $500 right now, you’d know exactly what to do with it.
So does she.
That’s the belief behind the Dignity Fund. Tender’s new (we're 6 months in!) one-time direct cash transfer program providing $500 to 10 mamas every month.
No strings attached, no bureaucracy or red tape. We believe mama knows best. Our society loves to act like families need to be taught how to budget, like being poor is the result of a series of “bad choices.” But the truth? One medical emergency can thrust a family into poverty. A few weeks between jobs can be make it or break it for all of us. In fact, most of us are much closer to being homeless than we are to being rich (thank you to @lexi4prez on twitter for teaching us that like 6 years ago). Trust-based solutions always!!
This is what dignity looks like. No hoops to jump through. No in-person appointments to prove need. Just trust in mamas. And the ability to do something small like stop at Mcdonald’s knowing it will put a smile on your kiddos faces.
Each month, the Dignity Fund provides $500 in direct cash assistance to 10 single mamas in Atlanta. No strings attached. Because mama knows best.
Help us keep it going → link in bio to donate.
We talk a lot about the cost of living for our mamas but there’s also the caretaking our mamas are tackling solo. The hours spent coordinating daycare pickups and doctor appointments. The mental gymnastics of making $20 stretch ‘til payday. The emotional labor of holding it all together when everything feels impossible. And yet, we call it love, not labor.
Mothers are infrastructure too, we’re building futures, holding families, and doing the work our systems refuse to value. And until we have things like paid family leave for all and better labor protection for working mamas, we’ll keep calling it what it is: an issue of dignity.
Ready to join us? Donate via our bio, volunteer, or host a diaper drive. Every bit helps. 💕
This season, we wanted to give back in a way that truly stays local.
Torch Plumbing Co. is partnering with The Tender Foundation, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides direct, dignity-centered support to single mothers and their children, including diapers, formula, wipes, and emergency assistance when families need it most.
The holidays and cold winter months can be especially challenging for parents working hard to make ends meet. This initiative is about supporting families right here in our community - not rounding up spare change for a faceless charity, but making a tangible impact close to home.
We’re accepting diapers, baby wipes, and formula to donate directly to The Tender Foundation.
Please DM us for details on which items are needed most right now.
If you’d prefer to make a direct online donation, send us a message and we’ll gladly share the donation link.
As our thank-you, Torch Plumbing Co. will match your $50+ donation as a discount on your plumbing bill with proof of donation.
Giving back looks different for everyone, but together we can help make this season warmer for the families who need it most.
#Atlanta #christmasgiving
This Giving Tuesday, we’re switching it up! We don’t have a fundraising ask, we just want you & your family to come hang with us on 12/12!
Join us for Tender & Bright, a cozy holiday gathering with family portraits, a hot cocoa bar, ornament-making, mindful movement for mamas and kiddos, music, food, and more.
The event is free & open to all. Tender mamas enjoy complimentary access to everything. Food, cocoa, portraits are available for purchase for everyone else.
RSVP link in our bio.
When politicians slash lifelines like EBT, when cities fall under fascist rule, when ICE is terrorizing our families + our neighbors, it can feel like we’ve all been left to fend for ourselves. But it’s important to remember: we’ve always known how to take care of each other.
Y’all raised $7,554 in a day and half! Combined with our usual budget of $5k for November that’s $12,554 going directly into 25 mamas hands this month. Each family will receive $500 on a debit card that they can use at their own discretion.
Community is the answer.
Not someday, not in theory, but right now, when families can’t afford food, when rent is due, when the cost of childcare outpaces paychecks, allll the above. We currently have 104 applications for November and our application has only been open for 2 hours this morning. The need is there and urgent.
At Tender, we believe solutions don’t only live in city hall or congress. They live in us: in the way we redistribute our resources and how we show up for each other.
Get innnn, bc we’re building the solutions we need. Donate via our bio, sign up to volunteer, host a diaper drive, whatever your heart desires truly, just DM us to get started!
