This non-profit is all about moms supporting moms when it’s needed the most
Whether you’re a new mom or you’ve got a few years under your belt, there’s no question that life can be overwhelming. Between work, caring for the kids, cleaning up messes, doing a million loads of laundry, making weeknight dinners, and getting everyone where they need to be on time, finding even five minutes for yourself is considered a total win. So what does that say about moms in general? That. We. Need. Help. Even if we don’t feel like we can (or should) ask for it.
That’s why, when we discovered mom-of-two Jen Hamilton’s TikTok video about how her non-profit, Hot Mess Express, came into existence, all we could do was stand up and cheer. Leave it to a mom to know exactly what to do!
Hamilton tells the story in her now-viral video. “So a couple years ago, there was a post on Facebook in a local moms group. It was written anonymously, and it was by a girl who was a couple months postpartum with her second baby. She was asking for recommendations for a cleaning company to come in and help her clean her house because she was so overwhelmed.
“She said, ‘I don’t even have the money to do this but I can’t keep living like this.’ So people commented and were like, ‘Oh, reach out to this person or this company.’ But I was like, ‘We are missing something big here.’”
@_jen_hamilton_ All aboard! Find our FB group if you’re local! Addresses are only shared with those who have signed up to come.
♬ original sound – Jen Hamilton
Hamilton took it upon herself to gather other local moms who could help, and they showed up in a big way.
“There were like eight or ten of us there. We had taken up a collection and we sent her and her family out for a fun day, and we spent the whole day cleaning, organizing, doing laundry. We went to Walmart and got things that they needed. We made sure that there was food in the house. We made crock-pot meals. We went all out. And that was the first ever Hot Mess Express mission,” explained Hamilton.
Since that first day, the non-profit has taken on a life of its own. It now has a nationwide reach with over 50 chapters, and there’s plenty of room for more. Hamilton no longer sits at the helm of Hot Mess Express, but her friend and fellow member, Girl, Same podcaster Brittnie Tran, was ready to take the lead.
@girlsamethepodcast I can not believe the amount of women interested in joining HME since @Jen Hamilton’s video! It is so beautiful to see and we are so excited to have you 💕 hotmessexpress.co @brittiniechristine @kay.la.dee @Easy Breezy Runner @tina1325 #volunteer #nonprofit #womensupportingwomen
♬ Better in Stereo – Tori
Brittnie Tran recently explained her vision to Scary Mommy: “I would love to see enough Hot Mess Express chapters that we are accessible to as many women as possible. There are so many women who don’t know our group exists, suffering in silence thinking they are alone. That’s why we work so hard to normalize the struggles of motherhood and normalize asking for help.”
The struggle is, in fact, very real. A recent Pew study found that although women are earning more than ever and that there are more dual-income households than in the past, women in opposite-sex relationships are still contributing more to household duties than their partners. In these ‘egalitarian marriages’—meaning both partners contribute equally to the yearly income—women still spend an average of 4.6 hours a week on the same tasks to which their husbands contribute only 1.9 hours a week.
This is where Hot Mess Express comes in. Their mission states: “Hot Mess Express is a group of moms and caregivers who come together to rescue moms in need by doing the housework that can seem impossible. Whether these moms are dealing with postpartum depression, medical problems, social issues, or life burdens, Hot Mom Express is here to alleviate as much stress as possible by doing dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, and organization. Our goal is to leave these ladies with a more peaceful existence and give them a fresh start.”
You can check their official website to see if there’s a chapter near you, and if not, the website provides the tools you need to start your own. There’s also a private Facebook group for the non-profit with over 19K members that provides even more support for members.
