Single mother Nadia Wiseman realized that her parenting needs were unique after she became a single mother when the father of her young son moved to England.
Wiseman, who lives in Montreal, recognized that there were other single mothers like herself and created a Facebook group called Single MOMtreal in 2017, where single mothers could find community with one another and offer support to each other. Wiseman began collecting secondhand items to share with single moms who were in need, raffling off the items weekly.
In the year since Wiseman created Single MOMtreal, the group has hosted social events, including a yoga and meditation retreat in the mountains and a housewarming potluck party for a single mother to help her feel supported through her life changes. The group has grown to nearly 1,500 members, with many of the members supporting each other by turning to the group when they need to hire someone, something that Wiseman is extremely proud of.
“Since I started Single MOMtreal, many friendships have formed,” Wiseman said. “I encourage single moms to donate to each other and to hire each other. For example, one single mom will hire another single mom to do her nails. I personally hired 3 single moms to babysit my child and one to do some photography and videography. There is so much I can say. I’ve also raised money to help single moms in need and I’ve matched donors with single moms in need. Several people in the community delivered groceries to single moms in need.
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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com