How Martha's Task Helps Women in Poverty

Our staff of volunteers teach women the craft of sewing, provide them with the materials and equipment needed and give them a place to offer their hand-sewn items for sale.

Of fishes and life…

You've all heard it: "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." At Martha's Task, our goal is to give relief to women in poverty, but more importantly, to give women a means of making their own way in life.

By teaching a skill, we give women more than the opportunity to earn money. We give them the pride that comes with the ability to earn their own way and the confidence to lift themselves up from the situation they are in.

Emergency Assistance Program

Martha's Task operates an emergency assistance program for women in shelters, or referred by local agencies, who need immediate cash for things such as prescriptions, food, doctors’ fees, or deposit for living quarters. A woman can work for 3 hours a day on a short project to earn $18 - $20. This is short term, crisis intervention work, and is supported through monetary donations to our program. This program is in addition to our larger Economic Development Program that is primarily sewing-based.