45 Ways You Can Help a Single Mom And Make a Difference In Her Life

Be a friend, an advocate, an encourager and someone a single mom can trust and depend on.

 

As a single mom, I {for the most part} wanted everyone to see me keep it all together. I had two small children, a full-time job with lots of overtime, a car note, a mortgage and I was going to school online part-time. Not only was I carrying a massive amount of responsibility and fear but my pride was just as heavy.

I wanted everyone to see me as this supermom capable of the impossible. However, my reality was, I was always one bill away from financial ruin and one moment away from a complete and total meltdown.

There are certain moments during that time that left such a profound impact on my life when much of my life was a blur because of the fast pace I was having to maintain and endure. One was a co-worker who showed up at my door with a Happy Meal for my son, baby food for my daughter and a queen-sized bed frame (with a mattress and box spring) with no prior warning. All because she had stopped by one day, unannounced, and as she went down the hall to use my bathroom she must have noticed that the kids and I were sleeping on an air mattress.

A few days later, after she saw my son devour his Happy Meal as if it was a juicy filet mignon, she brought over several bags of groceries. My uncontrollable tears were full of gratitude and relief.

Another moment was when a friend, brought me a beautiful bible. She said she saw it and thought I would love it, so she bought two. Another said I must have her kitchen table and chairs because she was buying a new one and wanted this set to go to a good friend.

There were several other kindnesses but I don’t want to keep you here all day. My point is that I would never have asked for help. I never wanted to be a burden to anyone and my pride just wouldn’t allow me to ask or reach out. But these women saw through me, through my mask that I held tightly to. They never made me feel like a charity case, a burden nor did I feel embarrassed about accepting their kindness. And they definitely maintained my dignity above all else. I believe this to be one of the many reasons a huge part of my heart belongs to all single moms.

If your heart is burdened for single moms too or you have a friend, neighbor or co-worker who is a single mom and you would like to do something to help her, to make an impact in her life, here are 45 of the best suggestions I could think of that would have meant the most to me.

45 Ways You Can Help a Single Mom and Make a Difference in Her Life

1. Pray for her and her children.

2. Pray with her and teach her to pray. Gift her and her kids a bible.

3. Start a Single Mom Bible study and host it in your home with a babysitter and dinner for all {kids + moms}.

4. Start a mommy and me cooking class.You provide the groceries and take-home containers.

5. Volunteer to babysit her kids.

6. Go with her to doctor’s appointments.

7. Invite her over for coffee and a playdate so she can have someone to talk to.

8. Have a yard cleanup day. Get your entire family and her kids involved while giving mom some time to read a book, run some errands, take a bubble bath or work on a hobby she never has time for.

9. Bake homemade breads and muffins for an easy breakfast for her and her kids.

10. Make her some freezer meals. When cooking for your family, double the batch and either take it to her hot out of the oven or freeze it for her to cook at her convenience. Cook whole chickens and vegetables in tin pans your family and for hers.

11. Mentor and love on her children.

12. Taxi duty. Offer to drive her kids to and from school or sports/dance practice.

13. Offer financial mentorship or be a budget coach for her.

14. Clip coupons for her.

15. Drop supplies off. When you do your bulk shopping, pick up some extra toilet paper, paper towels, or cleaning and laundry supplies. Tell her you bought too much, have no room and need to get rid of it.

16. Celebrate her birthday. Single moms rarely celebrate or do anything extra for themselves. Surprise her with a birthday cake, a gift card, flowers and an encouraging card.

17. Celebrate her on Mother’s Day. Same as above. You could also help her kids create a cute card or craft for her.

18. Take her kids out to shop for her for Christmas. Many single moms will receive nothing under the Christmas tree. While we’re fine with that, it is extra special to know that someone went out of their way to ensure you were thought of.

19. Clean her home while she’s at work.This one you may need to tell her you insist and will not take no for an answer. But believe me, it will be such an amazing gift of love and kindness.

20. Share your children’s gently used clothes and shoes with her.

21. Take her thrift store shopping. Plan this in advance as something you really like to do and want to her to come along and join in the fun. See who can put together the cutest outfit for the cheapest price and hunt for new and undiscovered thrift stores around your city. Take her to lunch afterwards.

22. Give her a gas card. This is always needed. I remember days I would have to call in to work and keep the kids home from school because I did not have enough gas in my car.

23. Offer to pay for her kids to attend the same summer camp as your kids or the same sports team or dance class.

24. Deliver her a week’s worth of groceries with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

25. Share your children’s toys and books with her children.

26. Have her give you her shopping list and cash and go grocery shopping for her.

27. Run some errands for her.

28. Offer her your gently used furniture.

29. Check in on them during severe weather alerts.

30. Buy her a new mattress {the kids too if it’s in your budget}.

31. Start a “Mother’s Day Out” program at your church or a day to teach single mom’s kids different sports skills.

32. Take photos of her kids at school events if she’s unable to get off of work.

33. Co-host a yard sale (if she lives in an apartment). Once it’s over maybe offer her your portion of the days sales too.

34. Invite her and the kids to church or to a community event with you.

35. Invite her and the kids over for dinner.

36. Go for a walk with her. This will give her the opportunity to talk and share with you while the kids are burning off energy, which will make their bedtime routine a breeze.

37. Offer free tutoring for her kids or for her if she’s in school too. If you know how to play an instrument, teach her kids. Talk to your church about starting a Tutoring Program for single mom’s kids.

38. Give her a gift certificate to a local nail salon, spa or coffee shop and offer to watch her kids.

39. Drop off an encouraging gift basket for her at her door.

40. Offer to help with easy home and/or car repairs.

41. Pay for her oil change or a new set of tires.

42. Help her afford a much-need vacation. Do you have a time-share she can stay in for a long weekend or airline and hotel points you can share?

43. Give her a wonderful holiday. Invite her to Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas caroling, or a New Year’s Eve party. Gift her with her own stocking filled with lots of goodies and gift cards. She may be alone for the holidays and it can already be a difficult time of year when their holiday traditions have been disrupted due to divorce, separation or death of her spouse.

44. Keep her on your guest list for parties, outings and get-togethers.

45. Cover a week’s worth of childcare (or more if you can afford to do-so) or pay her electric or water bill one month.

And above all…be a prayer warrior, a friend, an advocate, an encourager and someone she can trust and depend on.