Mother Nurture

Mother Nurture

Janet Jones gives a lift to struggling single mothers.

Written by Nancy Sokoler Steiner | Photographed by Micheal Neveux

Janet Jones knows the difficulties of single parenthood. When she found herself raising 10- and 7-year-old sons on her own, she says, “I had to take a lot of jobs to get by.” A freelance television producer and writer, she switched careers to work for Northrop Grumman—a job that provided greater stability. She also worked as a substitute teacher and ran an Airbnb.

“So many single families get fractured,” she says. “My goal was for our family to stay strong and intact.”

Jones succeeded in her goal, and she wants to help others do the same. (Her sons, Carter and Evan, are now ages 30 and 33.) In 2020 Jones founded the Single Mom Project to provide monetary gifts to single moms who receive services from the Richstone Family Center. The Hawthorne-based child abuse treatment and prevention center provides a variety of services including individual and family therapy, after-school programs, early childhood intervention and parenting classes.

Jones knew the pandemic caused extra stress and hardship for the Richstone families. She decided to give grants to help the moms find steadier financial footing. To raise funds, Jones approached her family members, friends and friends of friends, having no idea how much she might collect. She raised enough to provide $500 stipends to 13 moms and presented the awards at a Mother’s Day ceremony.

“They were shocked, amazed and thrilled,” she says of the recipients. While $500 might not sound sizeable, Jones says it can make a huge difference to the honorees. Several told her they weren’t eating in order to save food for their children. One used the funds for gas for commuting to work. Another was told by Child Protective Services she risked losing custody if she continued to sleep in the same bed with her 4-year-old. She used the $500 to purchase a bed for her child.

Janet Jones learned from her own struggles as a single mother that she wanted to help other moms in her situation with financial relief and recognition. She started the Single Mom Project in 2020 to do just that.

“Richstone is an 11-minute drive from our home,” says Jones, a Manhattan Beach resident. “But that world is so different and so much more difficult.”

Jones raised funds for additional grant ceremonies in 2021 and 2022. To date the Single Mom Project has awarded more than $30,000. Jones plans to increase grants to $1,000 in 2023 and hopes to continue growing the program.

She says besides providing some financial relief, the grants recognize the women and their challenges. “We give confidence to deserving moms,” she says. “They stand a little taller when their struggles and successes have been acknowledged.”

Richstone development director Allison Tanaka concurs. “Janet understands the challenges our moms go through and makes them feel seen. She makes them feel valued and validated, which gives them strength to keep moving forward.”

Jones drew inspiration for the Single Mom Project from recognition she received. Some years earlier, a close friend who was dying sent her a Mother’s Day card. He enclosed a check for $5,000, writing that he wanted Jones and her children to thrive. “That was so meaningful. He knew being a single parent wasn’t easy and acknowledged my struggle,” says Jones. “That became the catalyst for my project.”

Jones and her sons, who participate in the project, have worked with the Richstone Family Center since 2006. As a high school freshman, her younger son collected sweatshirts for a community service project. The family chose Richstone as the recipient agency. He collected 400 sweatshirts that year. By his senior year, he amassed 2,000. The Joneses grew attached to the center and its clients. Over the years, they organized events that offered free haircuts and family portraits for Richstone clients.

The Single Mom Project was a natural outgrowth of the family’s involvement. “These women are under so much stress and strain,” says Jones. “If we can alleviate that even a little, they will be better parents. They so deserve this help, and so do their children.” •