Beth Whitehead has directed the MaRiH Center in Alexandria, Va., for 25 years. As a non-medical center run by volunteers, MaRiH has a unique approach to budget allocation that focuses on direct financial assistance for moms' specific needs.
“I could name 25 reasons off the top of my head [that women abort],” Whitehead said. “If we can sit down and listen to a mom and hear her concerns and hear her stresses in life … many times the blockage or the concern is financial, that could be utilities, it could be rental, it could be medical, ‘I can’t do this I don’t have a care I don’t have money.’”
This “Nan” fund is named for the donor who gave a miraculous check at a miraculous time.
Whitehead’s predecessor and center founder the late Joan Coleman would share that in the early days of MaRiH, “We discovered love (which we had lots of) doesn’t pay a doctor’s bill or the rent.”
One client needed over $600 for rent and was feeling that an abortion would be “regrettable, but necessary.”
Desperate for a solution, Coleman prayed. Almost immediately, a check showed up for almost the exact amount needed to pay the client’s rent, from a donor named Nan. Inspired by this fiNANcial provision, the Nan fund was born. Donors can designate their funds to go directly to family’s needs.
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Like many other pregnancy centers, some of those needs are for strollers, pack-and-plays, car seats, and more. There usually isn’t a need to buy the mom’s baby clothes or toddler coats, as the center gets and distributes used clothing for several ages. But other times there’s more unique financial needs met.
“I’ve paid for a car battery so a dad could start his car and get to work,” Whitehead explained. She also gives food gift cards to help moms supplement SNAP benefits.
Primarily, large medical bills and rent and utility payments make up a bulk of Nan fund payouts. Housing and medical care are two of the biggest “gaps” in the pro-life social safety net. Removing these barriers takes away some of the reasons women have for abortion, which is often out of desperation for the feeling that they cannot provide for themself and their child. Even families that aren’t abortion minded sometimes struggle and just need some extra support as parents, which builds an overall culture of life.
On the medical front, Whitehead is blessed to be partnered with Tepeyac OB/GYN, where she brings women for medical care that she knows is going to be pro-life. By partnering with Tepeyac for these appointments, there’s no delay in a woman getting to talk to a doctor and have an ultrasound. Recently, one of their shared clients suffered a medical complication related miscarriage, and the center helped pay for those expenses as well.
On the housing front, Whitehead talks to women about how much they can pay toward their expenses, so they often contribute something towards the rent and utilities, and she talks to them about having a plan for financial sustainability. They are working towards self-sufficiency, they just need a little help along the way, particularly if they can’t work immediately postpartum.
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Since the center sees 1300-1400 families a year, not everyone can qualify for the same level of support. Whitehead has developed a combination of a financial aid application and some Holy Spirit-led judgement to determine where funds should go.
They are also intentional about referring to community resources where moms can find help nearby. No money (besides petty cash to cover prenatal vitamins) goes directly to the mom, but to the bill for a particular need. This creates a safeguard, so funds aren’t abused.
Far from being an arduous or complicated approach, Whitehead says things tend to work out. She says she used to worry about finances, but God has proven Himself so faithful she no longer concerns herself with what He has covered.
Whitehead is willing to talk to other center directors who are interested in learning more about the center’s approach. More information is available HERE.
