Martha’s Village & Kitchen puts mothers first in donation-based event

Indio-based organization Martha's Village & Kitchen hosted a donation-based event Saturday dedicated to mothers and the people the organization serves. It started at 12 p.m. and lasted until 4 p.m. inside the Westfield Mall in Palm Desert.

"Today we are having a celebration of mothers. It’s a way for folks to come on in and get a donation for a bouquet of flowers that were generously donated by Westfield Palm Desert. They were assembled by our amazing volunteers," said Martha's Village & Kitchen development officer, Jacob Garcia.

Among the many last-minute Mother's Day gift options Saturday, shoppers had a choice to buy a gift that keeps on giving.

"Imagine being a single mom and you have nothing and you know this is where they go to Martha’s and they’re able to get the support that they need to end their cycle of homelessness. These are just really important to help them," said Martha's Village & Kitchen volunteer and outreach coordinator, Kaylin Murphy.

The organization has become a staple in the local community and takes in families that have nowhere to go, including struggling moms. Martha's gives people a place to stay, hot meals, and resources for job growth to become self-sufficient.

"Just think about what you have at home that they don’t, like clothes on your back, shoes on your feet, a roof over your head, sheets and pillows and blankets that you would want in this type of situation," said Murphy.

Buyers had the option to purchase a $20 bouquet of flowers, which also came with forget-me-not paper flowers.

"They’re paper with seeds in them and when you plant them they have these forget-me-not flowers that blossom," said Murphy. 

The purchase also allowed "kids to come and make a Mother’s Day card that is handmade, handcrafted, they can color it in," Garcia said.

All the proceeds go to the very people Martha's Village takes in.

Organizers said they served more than 7,000 people in 2020. Anyone who would like to make a donation, visit: https://marthasvillage.org/