What started as a gathering of several mothers who joined together in 2010 to pray for their children, friends, teachers, and leaders in Livingston Parish, La., has grown into a thriving nonprofit initiative called Mighty Moms that is dedicated to tackling food insecurity and supporting families in need. The organization operates a food pantry, conducts meal programs, and engages in various community outreach activities to provide families with access to nutritious food and other essential resources. Mighty Moms is known for its community spirit, commitment to fighting hunger, and efforts to create a supportive network for families in need. 

Two key initiatives of Mighty Moms are the Full Tummy Program, which provides weekend food supplies to schoolchildren who might otherwise go without sufficient nutrition, and Feeding Young Minds, which offers a monthly meal kit to the whole family. Through these and other programs, Mighty Moms aims to fulfill their mission of investing in Livingston Parish children to see them graduate with a full mind and a full tummy. During the 2022-2023 school year, the nonprofit contributed to the community by:  

• Sending 16,000 bags of food home with students. 

• Serving 40 schools. 

• Volunteering 1,649 hours. 

• Raising $91,700 for food.  

“Mighty Moms feeds about 800 students per week by discretely providing food that sustains them until the following school week,” said Kaia Simmons, Atmos Energy manager of public affairs. “They also have a ‘Compassion Scholarship’ for seniors who have received food through the Mighty Moms program. The students are nominated by their guidance counselor and given a topic to write an essay on how they’ve overcome adversity. The winner receives $1,000 which they can apply towards higher education.” 

Mighty Moms aligns with Atmos Energy’s Fueling Safe and Thriving Communities initiative by addressing the pillars of childhood hunger and literacy. By partnering with libraries to host a feeding program and a story time session with the book, Maddi’s Fridge, teachers and school administrators can leverage resources from the Mighty Moms website to work in a lesson from the book. The book not only helps children form a foundation of literacy through development in reading and writing skills, but it also encompasses the broader understanding of language, comprehension, and vocabulary. 

“Strong literacy skills lay the groundwork for a lifelong love of learning and personal growth,” added Simmons. “This initiative correlates with the fight against hunger because the basis of Maddi’s Fridge is about two friends that love to play together, and one of them doesn’t have enough food in their refrigerator. It explores what children can do when they encounter this situation.” 

Atmos Energy partnered with Mighty Moms for the first time in March by donating $15,000 and 60 lunch bags with water bottles to the Full Tummy Program. 

“Atmos Energy’s generous donation will completely fund our Full Tummy Program for the first month of the upcoming school year,” said Dawn Birdsong, founder and executive director of Mighty Moms. “September is Hunger Action Month, and we are grateful to already have the support we need to feed 850 students every week of that month.” 

To sponsor meals for a child or make a donation to the organization, visit mightymomsgo.org/donate.