10 Years. 1,000s of connections. 100s of stories of growth in local Moms and kids!
Follow this year as we share the photos and good news from 10 years of Moms Groups, Mentoring, Basic Needs and Housing Support, Advocacy, and Upward Mobility.
Our Story
2016-2021
In summer 2016, an unlikely group of Mother Figures began to meet on Erie’s Lower East Side. Our goal was to learn and grow with and from one another. We went door-to-door and asked Moms to join us, for free dinner and child care.
We had little in common on the surface. Most of us didn’t share the same race, background, upbringing, marital status, age, or education level.
But we all believed that the health and well-being of local Mother Figures were critical to the health of our families and to the health of Erie.
Moms Night Out was born in a tiny borrowed room at Wayne Park Baptist Church, 923 East 6th Street—but we didn’t stay there long. Word about the quality of our care and diversity of our community grew rapidly.
We launched Mingle with Moms as a United Way Community School Partner at Edison and Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary Schools in 2018, helping the schools connect with families while providing additional preventative support and education to Moms and kids.
Before we knew it, the Church lovingly lent Erie City Moms three 3 childcare rooms, their largest hall, and full use of two kitchens.
For the first five years, Moms Night Out was 100% privately funded and volunteer-led. We provided dinner for Moms and kids at every event, child care, and even transportation as needed—Moms serving Moms, all free. We shared our experiences; our stories of hope and healing; opened our hearts and homes to one another; shared the resources, churches, and businesses that changed our lives, and prayed with and for one another—the way good friends do.
We partnered with ServErie to meet tangible needs of our families—housing repairs, moving services, cold weather gear. And in 2019, we piloted a prevention program with Erie DAWN to increase housing stability among our families.
We hosted 70 families at our 2019 Christmas party—one of our first where Moms could shop a free toy store thanks to longtime leader Melissa Hall.
Three months later, Covid quieted the world and shone a bright light on the disparity that many urban Moms face.
Our Founder Amanda Burlingham asked Erie to safely help bridge the gap. She collected fresh meats, dairy, fruits and veggies, and health and hygiene items at her home, and volunteers carefully redistributed them to our families. Churches and businesses provided Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas gifts, and mentors met for Bible study and playdates as soon as it was safe. Trust- and relationship-building did not stop, and neither did the extraordinary care Erie City Moms had become accustomed to.
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Leaders Meeting 2016
Founding Leaders Amanda Burlingham and Gloria Coleman (front center), Lois Smith (left), and Laura Cotton (right) fall 2016, with one of our first Mother Figures and volunteers!
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2017 Moms Night Out
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2017 Moms Night Out
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Partnering with Other Experts Since We Started
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2018 Christmas Party
2018 Christmas Party
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2019 Christmas Party
Two of these Moms keep in touch. One is still in active community!
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Free Child Care, Transportation, Dinner at Every Event Since 2016
January 2020—both of these kids, their Moms, and siblings are still learning and growing with us!
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Bridging Multiple Divides
Race, Age, Socioeconomic, Religion…
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Edison School Mingle with Moms
United Way Community School Partner 2018-2021
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Pfeiffer-Burleigh Mingle with Moms
United Way Community School Partner 2018-2021
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Spring Garden Event
Taught by Faith Kindig
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2019 Summer Meetup
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Teaching Advocacy
To Underserved Moms of Kids with 504s and IEPs
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Moms Night Out Photo
Fall 2019
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Our Story, Cont’d
Erie City Moms exists to ensure that diverse Mother Figures across Erie—especially those navigating economic hardship and social isolation and who are traditionally underserved—have consistent access to healthy community, personal and professional growth opportunities, and support for improving their well-being and attaining upward mobility.
Our programming is intentionally designed as a continuum of care, meeting Mothers where they are and offering multiple entry points into relationship-centered, trauma-informed care that strengthens families and the local economy over time.
What began as a small grassroots gathering has grown into a vibrant, mother-designed and mother-led ecosystem serving more than 1,200 women and children each year through free Moms groups, mentoring, advocacy, and basic needs support.
Celebrating 10 years of service, Erie City Moms supports, uplifts, and champions Mother Figures from all walks of life.