Nonprofit helps Delaware County mothers, community get access to basic items
"We're trying to make it so people don't have to go through the struggles we went through," said the nonprofit's founder.
LINWOOD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Moms in Delaware County are helping out their community by providing free and accessible basic items out of their own homes.
Delco Helping Hands, Spreading Positivity is a group that Pauline Butcher initially started on Facebook to see what kind of help her neighbors needed.
However, it quickly transformed into a community with thousands of people involved.
Butcher gets help from other moms like Kristin Miller, with whom she shares a similar backstory.
"I was pregnant at 16, I had my son at 17. We lived in multiple places, I was homeless," said Butcher.
"We've slept in a car for a little while, I've lived in hotels, pretty much everybody's house, couches, stuff like that," added Miller.
After bonding over their past, the pair realized they had a shared vision for their futures, which included helping their communities.
"This is the type of stuff that people don't really have the money to buy," Miller said, pointing at the pantry she's constructed in her living room. "You're going to pay your bills before you go for this kind of stuff."
Miller's home is one of the central locations of Delco Helping Hands, Spreading Positivity, the Facebook group that turned into a nonprofit.
"We went from about 200 members to 2,000 members in a month," she explained.
The idea is to get basic items like deodorant, lotion, and laundry detergent directly into the hands of people who need them most.
"We're trying to make it so people don't have to go through the struggles we went through," said Butcher.
The moms who operate pantries in the group have an open-door policy, so neighbors can walk right up to their homes and get exactly what they need.
They want that accessibility to expand, so their goal is to open a pantry in every school district in Delaware County.
"If you're on your last can of formula and I have it, please come get it," said Butcher.
Bonded by their past, Butcher and Miller know the key to a better future is helping each other.
"You can tell us your story and we're not going to judge you because chances are we've gone through it," said Miller.
