We recently visited Mother Mentors of Whidbey Island, a community-based organization that supports families with young children through connection, mentorship, and access to essential resources. Their work centers on pairing trained volunteer mentors with parents and caregivers for consistent, one-on-one support, alongside programs like Playscape—a facilitated play-and-learn environment that fosters healthy development—and a Parent Pantry, which provides essential items like diapers, formula, clothing, and shoes for children ages 0–5.
In 2025, Mother Mentors received three competitive grants from the Whidbey Community Foundation totaling $20,525: $5,725 in Nonprofit Capacity Building funding to support strategic planning, $10,000 in Community Health funding for general operating support, and $4,800 from the Whidbey Food Resilience Fund to support bulk food purchases, staffing, and transportation for its Parent Pantry (with a specific emphasis on formula needs during the government shutdown). In addition, they received $9,000 in unrestricted support from donor-advised funds held by WCF and $1,000 through the Holiday Sculpture Fund, reflecting broad community investment in their work.
At the same time, demand for their services is surging. In January 2026, a simple social media call for mentors resulted in 10 signups within 30 minutes, 50 within 24 hours, and 70 within a week. Historically serving around 20 mentor-family matches, Mother Mentors is now supporting about 60 active matches. Playscape attendance that same month was 25 times higher than January 2025. While the exact cause isn’t fully clear, there is a growing sense that more families are willing to ask for help—and that the community is ready to respond.
With this rapid growth, both staff and volunteers have adapted in real time. Rather than pursuing a traditional, comprehensive strategic plan, the organization is focusing on what is most needed now: strengthening core operations (including financial and data systems), preparing for future growth and staffing needs, and reducing barriers within programs. This includes efforts like home delivery for immigrant families and “trans-creation” support that goes beyond language to reflect cultural context. They are also seeing broader engagement than ever before, with more fathers, grandparents, LGBTQ+ families, single parents, and families with children who have special needs participating.
Support from the Whidbey Food Resilience Fund helped expand Parent Pantry hours to every Saturday across all locations in November and December 2025, ensuring consistent access to essentials during a time of heightened need. Community response has been strong—from a diaper and formula drive led by a local Girl Scout troop to increased coordination with partners like WIC.
This work is deeply aligned with the Whidbey Community Foundation’s commitment to early learning through our Partners for Young Children initiative. Research from James Heckman shows that for every $1 invested in early childhood, communities can see a return of $7 or more through improved long-term outcomes. Organizations like Mother Mentors are a critical part of that ecosystem—providing the connection and support that help families thrive from the very beginning.
Grants like these reflect a holistic approach—combining flexible, community-driven funding with investments in organizational capacity and direct services. Together, they help ensure that Mother Mentors can continue to grow thoughtfully while showing up, reliably and consistently, for families across Whidbey Island.
Support for these grants was made possible through the Foundation Fund and the generosity of donors who believe in strengthening local nonprofits and the families they serve.
Support Community Grants
WCF is able to provide grants like these with broad support from our community. If you are interested in supporting WCF Grant Programs, we invite you to make a contribution to WCF’s Foundation Fund, which holistically supports our grant programs, nonprofit trainings/workshops, and WCF operations. Our Board of Directors allocates funding each year to ensure nonprofits have access to critical resources. WCF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to Whidbey Island; all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Learn about different ways to make a charitable contribution here.