Our Story

Mission Moms started like most missions do — with one person’s vision and a commitment to teaching our children to use their time, talent, and hearts to impact a cause greater than themselves. In 2011, our Founder Kathryn Flores saw how much her two boys were arguing over what they felt they should get for that Christmas. Commercials and magazines flooded their innocent souls. They were enamored by all the latest and greatest toys and treasures on the market, and like all children, they wanted everything they saw. What ate at Kathryn’s heart and kept her up most nights, however, was how her children appeared to be taking all that they were fortunate to have at their fingertips for granted. They weren’t thinking of the hundreds of little boys and girls — many of them in nearby neighborhoods and trailer communities — whose parents couldn’t afford to replenish their toy boxes. They didn’t have new shoes every few months, cool backpacks to wear to school every day, or delicious hot meals waiting for them when they got home. Her boys had no concept of what it was like to “go without.”

 

So she set out to groom her boys into men who will eventually lead great families and make a difference in the lives of less fortunate people. And luckily, she wasn’t alone. With help from family, neighbors, and school counselors, a series of small brainstorming ses-sions turned into a cleverly orchestrated plan to not only teach area kids of all ages about serving with kindness but also ensure no underprivileged child or family gets left behind. Within days, Mission Moms took on a life of its own.

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More than just MOMS — a community on a mission of kindness

There are so many fabulous causes and ways to give back, but seeing the needs here, in our backyard, was simply shocking — particularly when it came to families who could not provide meals for themselves and their children. Hunger is a gateway to significant obstacles in the lives of vulnerable children, and it’s a problem that is often overlooked and underserved.

Consider these shocking statistics:

• Of the roughly 32,000 students in Denton ISD, 46% qualify for the state-funded free and reduced lunch program.

• The numbers are just as staggering in Lewisville, where 45% of the district’s 52,000 students receive free and reduced meals.

At the decade anniversary for Mission Moms in 2020, we set an aggressive goal to serve 2,000 families at the annual Holiday Bless-ings, up from 1,200 in 2019. And we continue to grow to meet the needs of our community. Covering nearly 26 schools and several districts, we rely on continuous cooperation with Communities in Schools of North Texas, district liaisons, counselors, social services, superintendents, as well as local and state governments. Each family’s challenge is the center of their universe, so their struggles are met with grace and tenderness. Volunteer children donate, sort, and distribute all items. Adults also volunteer and serve by constantly teaching children during the mission. The public gatherings give caring people an opportunity to interact with one another and build a rapport that will be useful in future projects.

The many stories of gratitude melt the hearts of all of us that played a part in making others’ lives a little easier to manage.

More help is needed, though. Children are adjusting to a new school year with COVID-19, and families continue to fall on even more difficult times through job losses and illnesses and don’t have the means to stock up on food by themselves.

We hope our missions will energize area residents, businesses, and organizations to begin reaching out to those who have met challenging circumstances and give them the kindness we have been fortunate and blessed enough to experience.