How to Celebrate Mother’s Day While Social Distancing

For many of us, Mother’s Day is about flowers, brunches, and of course, honoring the amazing women in our lives. But did you know that the history of Mother’s Day is steeped in activism and peace? 

Even before Anna Jarvis, who is credited with the campaign to convince Congress and President Woodrow Wilson to declare the second Sunday in May “a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country,” poet and activist Julia Ward Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation” in 1870, then declared a “Mother’s Day for Peace” to call for the end of state-sponsored violence. Today, anti-war groups like the Granny Peace Brigade organize around Mother’s Day to promote peace.

This year’s Mother’s Day will be different — lacking both in-person brunches and in-person activism — but there are still ways to cherish, love and honor all the great women in our lives. Here are a few tips to celebrate Mother’s Day during the coronavirus pandemic while social distancing.

Doorstep breakfast

This year, going out for a meal is most likely out of the question, and if you are socially distanced from your mom, grandmother, daughter, aunt or other family at the moment, breakfast in bed isn’t an option, either. 

But here’s a great alternative if you live nearby: dropping off a surprise meal at her doorstep. Choose some foods that you know she likes — including foods that still taste good if they get cold — and drop them off outside her door. 

Order a delivery meal

Live away from your family members or don’t have the time or the groceries to prep a meal? Order a meal delivered to her home. Many local restaurants have remained open during the pandemic and offer curb-side pickup and delivery. 

The Pineapple Collaborative and food delivery platform Caviar have teamed up to highlight women-powered restaurants because there’s “never been a more crucial time to support restaurants operated/owned/cheffed by women.” Check out their featured take out and delivery options for major metro areas across the country.

Call ahead or check online now to reserve a time, since the establishment may be very busy. And, if you can, please offer to tip the delivery person well.

Make a donation in her name

Nonprofit organizations right now are feeling the financial strain of the pandemic and are in critical need of grassroots donations to keep their operations running and their staff employed, especially those providing important frontline services to people directly affected by the pandemic. Many allow you to make a donation in the name of someone else.

Not sure where to donate? Mercy Corps, National Domestic Workers Alliance and World Central Kitchen are three great organizations working on coronavirus relief, to which CREDO members helped us recently donate $75,000.

For a Mother’s Day-themed donation, consider giving in her name to organizations fighting for women’s rights. Right now, right-wing lawmakers are playing politics with the pandemic to restrict access to abortion, which will disporportionately affect low-income women, women of color and women who live in rural areas. Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America are two CREDO allies of many we’d recommend who are doing important work to protect reproductive freedom during the pandemic.

Drive By Celebration

Just because we’re social distancing doesn’t mean we can’t be close by. Many people have recently taken to the drive-by birthday to celebrate the occasion. Why not a Mother’s Day drive by? If you live in the vicinity of your loved one, decorate your vehicle — or just yourself, if you live in an urban area — with signs and balloons at a safe distance to show your love for her.

Seriously, just call her

Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be about lavish gifts or big shows of affection. We’d bet the wonderful women in your life would just love to talk. Try out a video app — we have a blog post recommending four free video apps to use — to get connected on Mother’s Day. Or just dial her number the old fashioned way.