Markesha Witherspoon, a full-time doula and the founder of the nonprofit The M.O.M.S Club of Grand Rapids, has built a local movement to connect parents and provide material and emotional support to families across West Michigan.
The M.O.M.S Club of Grand Rapids, — which Witherspoon says stands for maternal outreach and motherhood support — provides a range of resources to families in need.
“This is an organization. It’s a movement. It’s something powerful. It’s something that is rooted in community, and it’s something that’s really elevated to benefit everyone in community,” she told FOX 17 News. “We trying to make sure, one mom at a time, one family at a time, one baby at a time, get all the support they need.”
As a busy mother of three, Witherspoon knows the challenges moms face.
“I wanted to provide support for all parents, all mothers, at any stage of parenting or pregnancy,” she explained. “I became a mom and I had twins for the first time. I didn’t know what I was walking into. It was no rule book.”
Witherspoon’s organization offers monthly gatherings at a Parent Café. It also operates a referral-based baby and family pantry that supplies food, diapers, wipes, and other essentials…